Page 46 of The Kingdom of Ruin

“Last chance. Tap out, or I’ll kill you.” My words hang heavy between us, her left side trembling, and I twist again, driving home the fact that I’m not fucking around.

I’m certain one of us isn’t going to walk away from this when she lifts her right paw and taps three times on the ground beside me. A beat later, I pull the blade from her ribcage and she flops to the ground beside me, curling in on herself as she turns back into a human.

Fuck.

Everything hurts. It’s like the pain from my chest is spreading throughout my body. Peering down at the wound, all I can see is the crimson blood staining my clothes. Staring at it won’t heal it, and I need a second to catch my breath before I figure out my next move, so I opt to look up at the moon as the blades of grass ruffle against my knuckles.

Happy birthday, Addi. What a celebration.

No sooner do I think it am I hoisted in the air. Panic courses through my body as I start to swing my arms and legs to stop the attacker.

I grunt when my stomach hits someone’s shoulder as I’m thrown over their back, and a slap on my ass follows a moment later, rendering me speechless long enough for them to respond.

“You’ve gotten in enough trouble as it is. Fight me, and I’ll make it worse.”

Kryll. Fucking Kryll? It’s a little late to help now, buddy, but I don’t get to say that as he moves so quickly the world blurs around us, leaving me to recoil with nausea.

Fuck these guys. They’ve got some explaining to do.

TWENTY-TWO

ADDI

Nausea burns up my throat as the world shifts. Another fucker moving me too fast without my approval. Maybe Brody was right; maybe I’ll get used to it. They’re doing it so often there’s not much choice, but as I’m slumped into a chair, the room spinning around me, I don’t think this will ever be something I get used to.

Fuckers.

Any desire to give him a piece of my mind is pushed aside as the pain in my chest heightens, making me hiss.

Fighting through it, I clutch the arms of the chair as I blink around the room. “Where am I?” I rasp, barely managing to focus on Kryll as he takes a few steps back.

“Don’t get blood on anything,” Raiden snaps, and I whip my head his way, which only makes the nausea stronger. I can feel myself turning green as my brain swishes in my skull, but it doesn’t stop the sass bubbling from my lips.

“And where is that again? Sorry, I must have missed what you just said.”

I focus on the vampire enough to catch his dramatic eye roll before he points a finger at me. “No blood.”

Ass.

As much as I want to eye-roll him back, I decide to ignore him instead, peering around the room to try and piece it together for myself.

I’m seated in a leather chair, with a huge queen-sized bed a few inches away. Navy sheets are draped over it, which match the fancy curtains hanging over the arched window to my right. A huge television sits on the wall, and I can spy an en-suite and walk-in closet from here, along with another door that leads to who knows where.

“If you’re just going to complain, get the fuck out of here.” The snap comes from Cassian, who is standing on the other side of the bed, hands clenched at his sides as he looks at the back of Raiden’s head.

“I’m struggling to understand why I’m dealing with this at all. Brody should be—” Raiden’s protest is cut off by a growly Cassian, whose knuckles turn white.

“Brody can solve almost anything but the pain of a wound from a wolf’s claws obtained during a fucking duel.”

My eyebrows furrow as I sit up in my seat. “Wait, what?”

“I’ll get to you in a minute,” he grunts, narrowing his emerald eyes at me.

“You’ll get to me now. This is all your fault,” I retort, irritation curling through me.

“How do you figure that?” His slack jaw and slightly widened eyes confirm he really doesn’t think he’s to blame.

“Because you didn’t interject and explain shit to that crazy bitch.”

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