Page 55 of Tamed for Her Pleasure

I remain poised, waiting to see what she will do, although my skin crawls that she is so close to my mate. Her hand goes to her side, and I see the glint of metal in her fist as she pulls it away.

I leap from my hiding place.

The side of my hand chops down over her wrist. The knife drops harmlessly to the bed.

She cries out and spins around. I sweep her legs from under and she drops to the floor. I am on her, pinning her wrists to the floor.

She thrashes underneath me until I press my own blade to her throat.

“Joyce?” The word is a hiss between my clenched teeth. “I should kill you.”

Alfred suddenly coughs on the bed before sucking in a hoarse, labored breath.

The sound churns my stomach… and distracts me.

Joyce bats my hand away from her throat. “Jeremy!”

The door flies open.

Alfred

I wake up, fighting for breath, suffering a terrible premonition that something is wrong.

My lungs burn—my eyes water as I heave and cough up blood.

The room is dark. A banging on the floor beside the bed alerts me. I blink, trying to work out what the fuck is happening. When I went under, the room was crowded with people. I remember waking and drifting again and Penelope always being there.

Penelope.

I’m not alone. The scuffling on the floor beyond my view tells me as much. I heave myself up in the bed, trying to drag myself towards the edge.

“Jeremy!”

The door is slammed open, and Penelope’s former suitor charges into the room. I roll onto my side, my fingers closing over… a blade? My eyes shift to the thrashing on the floor where Penelope and another lass tussle.

Jeremy charges them. Only it was not Penelope who called his name, but the other lass. Instincts clamor, telling me he is not here to help my mate.

I’m as weak as a newborn kitten, but I’ll not have the bastard hurt my mate.

Another wracking cough besieges me, but I wrap my finger over the hilt of the dagger and throw, putting all my weak strength into it before I collapse, coughing again.

“Guards!”

The man stumbles and collapses forward as I fight for breath, unable to fucking move that I might aid my mate.

Beyond the door, I hear the pound of approaching footsteps before Dick, Wendle, and Poach storm the room.

My aim was fucking shameful, hitting that Jeremy bastard in the gut, and he puts up a fight until Poach clocks him one. Wendle drags the lass from the floor, but not before Penelope punches her clean in the jaw.

The lass sags. I wish my eyes weren’t watering so much so I could appreciate the savage blow.

“Penelope,” I croak.

She swings around to face me. Gods, those fucking leathers are a test… everything she wears drives me insensible with lust. I wish I had more energy to do something about it.

“Gods, you are magnificent,” I croak out.

She crawls onto the bed over me, where she cups the back of my head, lifting it onto her lap. “Alfred, do not speak…. Call the doctor!”

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