Page 48 of Fated for his Flame

“Want?” Seth asked, rearing back slightly, his eyes ablaze with fury. “What I want is for you to rein your little freak in. Teach her a lesson.”

“What lesson? How to be an asshole in public? Maybe Isaak could come and teach her then,” I snarled back, not giving an inch. “He deserved what happened to him, and you know it. You just don’t like it because she’s human. If a dragon had done it to him, you’d have called him an idiot and said he earned it. Quit with your double standards, Seth.”

By the time I’d finished, Seth was quivering with rage, his dark beady eyes flickering with flames as his dragon shone through.

“This is twice now you’ve embarrassed my family in public, Silas.” His words were like ice, so fraught with barely repressed anger. “Both of them because of her. How dare you bring her here tonight, and rub it in everyone’s faces you chose a human over Lilith.”

“Go whine to my father,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ve told you already I didn’t have anything to do with that or with your sister. If anyone had bothered to ask me, I would’ve told you no before anything was made public. So, get it through your thick head, Seth. This isn’t my fault.”

“You embarrassed us,” Seth growled. “In front of everyone. Because you think you’re so much better than the rest. Above us.”

“I’m not your damn enemy,” I told him, holding up my hands. “You’re making this bigger than it should be.”

But Seth was done talking. Done giving me time to stall and hope someone else came by.

“I know my father gave you another week, but I’m done waiting,” he snarled before sucker-punching me.

Or would have, if I hadn’t seen it coming. I blocked the punch before it gathered much momentum, then drove my head forward, slamming it into the bridge of his nose. Seth staggered back, his eyes going blank for a moment. A second later, blood began to pour from both nostrils.

“Fucking get him!” he spat.

From then on, I was on the defensive. I had to be. It was the only way I could hope to protect Chloe. If I went at them, one would slip behind me and grab her. And that couldn’t be allowed to happen.

The trio rained punches down on me as I worked to block them as best I could. Here and there I struck back, but the bruises continued to mount.

One of them slipped in to the side, and I jerked upward as his fist broke something in my side, a rib most likely. The groan of pain was the only sound in the hallway besides the meaty thud of fists on flesh.

Chloe whimpered as I staggered back several steps under the onslaught. It was all I could do to prevent any of Seth’s cousins from getting past me and at her. My dragon was roaring, its fury all but useless in the defensive war I was waging.

Then Seth was there, swinging something hard that shattered against my shin, but drove the leg out from under me at the same time. I went down to one knee, a forearm raised above my head to deflect the blows raining down.

“Get her,” Seth snarled.

Chloe yelped and turned to run. With a roar, I flung the pair attacking me back and grabbed the one going after Chloe. My fingers closed on his hair, and he roared in pain as I tore half of it out while hauling him backward.

“Run!” I told her.

“Stop her!” Seth said, dancing up behind me and driving a bull hammer of a fist into my kidney, sending me crashing to the floor.

There were footsteps, then Chloe screamed.

I inhaled, preparing to shift. It might bring part of the palace collapsing down on us, but if it kept Chloe safe as she ran for it, it would be worth it.

Something happened then as I kicked out at a nearby leg, taking a foot to the chest in return.

There was a grunt. And then the sound of wood shattering. A second, louder bellow. The one-two-three hammer of blows landing on bare flesh in lightning fast succession.

And then the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting the floor.

Battered and bruised, one eye refusing to open, I looked up, confused.

“Come on, wuss,” Caleb said, sticking out a hand. “They’ll recover soon. We need to go.”

I let my younger brother haul me to my feet.

“You look fucking terrible,” he said, cocking his head back to look me over.

“You should see the other guys.”

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