AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That only made his companions laugh all the harder. No one bothered to help him out, either.
Claw thrust backwards, throwing the bulk of his weight against the countertop for a second time. My goddess let out a wheezed curse as she was thrown with force against the unforgiving surface–this time bending her back in such a way that it tore out a cry of furious agony. Then, when the witch’s blood-stained hand sparked up with blue fire as he reached up over his shoulder to haul her from his back, I saw nothing but red.
My fierce mate cried out again–her face writhing in shock–at the contact with whatever curse that fucking bastard was using.
In an instant, I was at her side. Grabbing the Drakon Hunter’s blood-stained hand in a determined fist. Her eyes flew wide as she took in the strength of my protective wrath but she didn’t intercede. Nor did she fight the effort when Quasar–thank the fucking stars–slid into position behind her and gently removed our mate from harm’s way.
Claw’s snarl of defiance didn’t hide his fear as I towered over the impotent male.
“Don’t you fucking touch my mate, witch.” I barely even recognized my own voice as I delivered the deadpan threat. Not bothering to give him a chance to reply, I began twisting until I felt a snap and the male screamed. I pressed on, committed to taking my mate’s retribution.
The scent of urine hit my nose but I ignored it. Wouldn’t be the first time I had to wash the stench of my enemies from my boots.
Around me, I was vaguely aware that various members of the Stellar Misfits and Drakon Hunters had followed my lead and were grappling with arms and fists. The main ringleader and his core men hadn’t moved, however. They were merely waiting to see if I would make good on my threat. Most of the Stellar Misfits’ leadership were holding themselves back from rushing into the fray, too, preferring to size up their enemies.
Getting on with the task, I wrenched the offending arm from its socket–the one that had dared strike my mate–and hauled the wicked creature up with my other arm. Bracing him, I tore that limb away from his body, causing the room to explode into chaos around me. Various warriors charged one another, throwing punches and glancing curses which did more harm to the bar than their enemies in such close quarters.
Retching in agony, my prey’s bulk swung from my fist for only a moment, but the whites of his eyes shone in the dull glow of the bar. The fight had left him. Now he was just a limp form waiting to be put out of his misery.
I nodded to myself. It was as I thought. This piece of shit was nothing but a coward playing at being dominant. This witch would get no honorable death from me, though. He would have to live with his failures, just like the rest of us.
Crossing the room with a few strides, I flung him from the establishment and turned to face my mate. During my brief absence, she’d evaded Quasar’s protective embrace. Now she was kneeling on the floor, near her companion, searching for a pulse. I went to assist, when the blonde–Samantha–pushed me out of the way, looking pointedly at the arm still hanging from my hand.
I scowled at the silent reprimand, but let the scribe take the lead. For now.
“I got it, Tess,” Samantha said to my mate, who sagged in acceptance of her friend’s offer. “Anyone else hurt?”
“Just a few bruises.” My mate glanced back at me, her eyes going from wary relief to horror in under a second as she took in the trophy still hanging from my hand. “What the actual fuck?” She looked me up and down like she had never seen a Drakon male before. “You ripped his arm all the way off? What kind of psycho are you?”
Her accusing tone pulled me up short, sending an arrow to my heart. My scowl deepened but I stayed where I was, refusing to give in to the sudden impulse to hide the offending appendage behind my back. I wasn’t going to apologize for defending my own damned mate from scum like that.
My mate’s eyes narrowed further in suspicion. “And are those horns?” She shook off the distracted turn of her thoughts and shot her friend a small, tired smile while rubbing the back of her head. “Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought.”
“You are injured.”
It wasn’t a question but a realization. One that sent a jolt of fear through my body.
My dragon was already moving my feet again to her side before I remembered the arm still in my hand, dripping gore on the floor between us. Without another word, I flung it out the open door after its worthless owner and wiped my hands on my pants. Then, on second thought I yelled a command out through the open passageway. “Someone grab Cobalt!”
Quasar was still hanging back, as was Radon, letting me take the lead for this initial meeting. Bastards. Still, the need to check my mate over for serious injury was riding the protective instincts of my beast. I turned straight back to my mate who was watching me with eyes far too wide in her face, the brilliant whites taking up more space than they should. Was that shock settling in?
“If you have a head injury you should sit,” I murmured, in my gentlest most practical tone, as though trying to soothe a wild animal. I went to grab a chair that had been knocked over, and help her into it, but she just shook her head, scooting away from my advance.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“He’ll live,” Samantha declared, breaking our stalemate.
The tension riding my mate’s shoulders eased a little at her friend’s proclamation, but she didn’t break eye contact. She was still demanding an answer with that fiery gaze of hers. Though it was hardly the time, nor the place, her look–part terror, part hidden elation–sent liquid heat straight to my dick.
Thankfully, Cobalt–our medic–approached, breaking our silent standoff. Clearly this woman wasn’t ready to hear what I had to say on the matter of who we were to one another. Not yet, anyway.
Without a word of complaint, Samantha ceded her spot on the floor next to Dan who’d been badly beaten but looked to be coming around. Thank the stars. For our mate to have attacked that Drakon Hunter scum so fiercely told me the beaten male–who carried the faintest whiff of magic on his person–must be important to her.
“Right. Let’s get the introductions underway, shall we?” Apparently the scribe was also planning to ignore the minor skirmishes going on around us. Only Zinc, Argon, and the President of the Drakon Hunters MC hadn’t moved as they stood–absolutely immovable–while the violence continued on around them. “Tess, you already know those dickheads from town. The Drakon Hunters MC.” Samantha hooked a thumb at the assholes.
“Yeah,” drawled Tess. “You could say that Axle Grinder and I are now acquainted.”
Axle Grinder, President of the Drakon Hunters MC, shot my mate a wink which made the dragon in my middle snarl. Tess, however, only threw up a middle finger and presented it to the man.
