Page 56 of Savage Trap

“Fuck you, you spineless runt of a dog,” I spit at him in our mother tongue, using the worst words I can think of. I dredge up every slur and taunt I ever heard a tog hurl at someone else. And I watch them hit home, see the way his demons gather in his eyes like storm clouds. I tell him he’s nothing. Worthless. A filthy, ugly runt no one ever wanted. So pathetic and clingy, Arben had to cross the world to get away from him.

And as his metal teeth glint and his fingers twitch towards my throat, I strike.

Kick them in the dick and run!

It’s like smashing my toes against a brick wall, but he flinches, just enough for me to break his hold and dive at the door. It’s still open, and my heart almost bursts as I throw myself at Nate. He’s rushing forward, his eyes huge as they take me in, and I try to push him back down the corridor. “We have to go! Get help! Run, Nate!”

But instead of turning, Nate brushes my hair back from my neck and I feel a pinch over Arben’s bite. Fear rushes down my spine, but my muscles turn liquid, the room spinning wildly. I wobble, my stomach churning as I clutch his arms.

What the fuck?

Nate’s eyes gleam behind his glasses, drinking me in. But when they slide past me – to Luca – the adoration in them makes me want to weep. “It’s clear, omega. I’ve turned off the feeds all the way to the parking lot,” he says in a breathless voice.

There’s a savage roar behind me, a helpless moan from Kelly, but darkness is crashing in on all sides.

My knees buckle, my face pressed to Nate’s chest and the excited thump of his heart. “Don’t. Do. This.”

But he just sweeps me into his arms and starts back down the hall. And right before everything goes black, I think I hear Arben howl deep inside me, too far away to do me any good.

---