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“He’s going into battle rage,” Fenton whispered in awe.
“Impossible,” Elder Curbis said. “He’s a half-breed.”
Usually, only the most elite fighters in warrior clans achieved this state of pure battle focus where speed, accuracy, and strength were all multiplied.
It was like having an out-of-body experience as I watched myself lunge at Gerwin. He punched me and missed. While I knew he moved normally, to me, it looked as though he moved through water. I easily ducked under his fist and slammed my elbow into his punctured jugular. His clavicle gave way. Blood exploded out of his mouth as he doubled over, gasping for breath.
More…
I wanted his blood all over my hands and for the room to drown in his screams. Grabbing him by the back of his shirt, I tossed him across the room. He crashed into the chest of drawers, landing badly. His shoulder dislocated with a popping sound. Gerwin groaned, coughing blood.
More…
He scrambled to his feet. The bone of his dislocated shoulder protruded under the skin, while his arm hung at an odd angle. I marched up to him, aching to hear the sound of his bones shattering. Standing behind him, I grabbed a handful of his hair. Gerwin slammed his elbow backward into my face. My teeth rattled in my head and blood filled my mouth. But I didn’t feel the pain. Pulling his head back, I smashed his face against the chest of drawers. The sound of flesh meeting metal fueled my rage further. His good arm tried to elbow me again, but I easily avoided the blow. I rammed his face once more against the hard surface.
This is a pureblood? This is what I feared?
Gerwin bellowed in pain and anger and tried to push off the chest. He back-kicked me. It grazed my calf, missing its target. The third time I bashed his face down, bones crunched. Gerwin slumped to his knees.
I’m going to skin you alive and bathe in your blood.
I grabbed a handful of hair in both hands and put my foot between his shoulder blades. An animalistic roar erupted from my throat as I pulled with all my strength. Hair and skin tore off his skull.
“Anton, enough!” a booming voice shouted behind me.
No.
My bloodlust wasn’t sated. Gerwin’s scalp bled down my arms. I tossed the clumps to the floor and reached for him again. Three pairs of hands restrained me. I hollered and tried to shake them off, but they took me to the floor. Their joint strength and weight forced me into submission.
“Enough, young warrior. Enough,” one of the voices said. “You have won your battle and avenged your honor. Calm.”
My roars echoed through the room until my eyes landed on Marcus. Standing in front of the bathroom door, he used Gerwin’s laser torch to carve it open. The red haze fell from my eyes and my shouts of fury turned into keening. Marcus’ lips were moving. As my rage abated, I was able to make sense out of his words.
“We’re coming, Gracie. Hang on, you hear me girl? You hang on. We’re almost there.”
My Grace… My love.
“Let me up,” I whispered, my voice broken.
After a slight hesitation, the Elders released me. With heavy steps, I lurched towards the door. As I circled around the bondage bench, I noticed William kneeling next to Marcus. Using his own laser torch, he cut down the lower part while Marcus worked the upper one. I stood behind them, watching the torch carve a slow path to my beloved. The two men’s lines met in the middle. William slapped a magnetic handle on the cut-up face before pulling.
Marcus bellowed Grace’s name at the sight revealed before us. He fell to his knees, convulsing with body-shaking sobs. William sagged against the doorframe, his face twisted with sorrow. Numb, I walked into the bathroom and removed my shirt. Grace lay naked on the floor, blood pooling by her face. The skin at the base of her neck was shredded, savaged by the implant exploding. The odd angle of her jaw confirmed Gerwin hadn’t lied. Angry bruises rose along her ribs.
Kneeling beside Grace, I knew I couldn’t go back to the emptiness, the coldness, the hopelessness of my life before her.
Gerwin should have won. I should have died with her... with them. My wife... My son…
I slipped a hand behind her back, lifting her to wrap my shirt around her. She stirred.
“Grace?” I whispered, not daring to hope.
Her eyes fluttered, and she took another gasping breath.
“Oh Grace, I’m here, my love. Keep breathing! It’s over, you’re safe now.” I looked up at William and Marcus who stared at me. “Get the doctor in here now!”
I kissed her forehead before leaning mine against hers, thanking whatever power spared her life.
Chapter 24
