Page 93 of Daughters of Chaos

"She deserves it," the other adds. "Stupid bitch broke my nose."

Raven. They're talking about Raven.Wildfire.

"You hold her down, and we'll take turns having our fun."

My blood is boiling.These fuckers are dead!

I start to move, but J holds me back when footsteps echo from the opposite end of the hallway. More of the Bastards. Thesecond any of them go for the door, they'll fucking meet their maker. No one touches my girl!

With a glare, I shove Jesse off and wait for the footsteps to stop. I peek around the wall we're hiding behind and see Dom stop in front of Raven's door. "What're you whispering about?" he asks the others.

"We were sayin' we should take a piece of the rabid bitch while Scar's busy outside. I owe her for my nose already. Seems the least she can do."

My jaw clenches so hard my teeth threaten to break. Not a single one of them is walking out of here alive. They'll all be packing heat, but it doesn't matter. I'll take on every last one of the Bastards by myself if it means Raven walks out of here alive.

" . . . gotta make it quick. And we can't use her up too bad; I want a piece again later." Dom's voice cuts through the noise in my head.

Rage. Fiery, relentless, white-hot rage sears through me. Jesse doesn't hold me back after that. If he tried, he'd regret it instantly. The three men are now opening the door between them and my Wildfire. One makes it inside and starts running his mouth before we get there, but the other two are dead before they cross the threshold.

The thud as their lifeless bodies hit the ground draws the attention of their cohort.Dom. He's close to Raven now, too close. Confusion, then excitement, etches onto his face when he sees the two of us standing behind him. He knows why we're here, he never shies away from a fight, gets off on it even. But there's a better prize on the other side of the room this time, something he can use against us. He jumps toward Raven, making the last mistake of his pathetic life.

I see red.

Tackling the son of a bitch to the ground, I let loose. I remember all the times he came to our turf and stirred shit up.Thought about all the looks and comments he shot atmygirl. The fucker had it coming. He's fucking dead.

He's strong, and he knows how to fight, but I'm better. There's no match for my rage, not now. He'll be dead before he lands a decent blow on me; I'll make sure of that. Every time he speaks, trying to throw me off my game, commenting on how good Raven felt or how loud he made her scream, I hit him harder. His words only fuel my fire.

I'm death incarnate, and he's my next victim.

When Dom realizes that, too, he reaches for his pocket, searching for a weapon—the only thing that would give him an inch in this fight—but it's too late. I'm far too angry. With a quick maneuver, I snap his wrist, making him howl in agony. It's so satisfying to hear that mother fucker squeal.

By the time I stop pounding his face in, it's unrecognizable. His blood coats my fists, the walls, the floor, everything nearby. It isn't nearly enough. I want him to suffer more for what he planned to do to her, what he may have already done.

He said during our fight that he did terrible things to her, but that was just talk to get inside my head. Throw me off so he could gain the upper hand. But what if it wasn't? What if he really had done those things to her? The thought reignites my rage, and I kick his corpse hard, flinging him to his side.

"Reaper. Reaper!" Jesse's voice cuts through the air. I turn and find him kneeling next to a small body.

She isn't moving. She's lying there battered and bruised, looking almost as lifeless as the men J and I killed. A fear I've never felt grips me as I crumble to the floor next to her. I reach out a shaky hand, afraid touching her will make her disappear before my eyes.Wildfire.

The memory of our last conversation pulls the front of my mind. That can't be how things end between us. I need time to make up for it, to apologize. She has to be okay. She has to.

"She's alive. Bruised pretty bad and probably sporting some broken ribs, but she's alive," Jesse tells me. "We need to get her out of here."

I nod, trembling as my hand grazes her cold, bare arm. The contact makes her eyes fly open, and she gasps, struggling to sit upright as she tries to shuffle away from us. Dark circles under her eyes tell me she hasn't slept much, if at all since she's been here. And the look of anger on her face, the defensive way she holds her arms, tells me this isn't the first time she's woken up like this.

Fury rises inside me, as does the urge to protect her. How many times did she have to fight them off? How many times did they win?

Her eyes dart between Jesse and me. Confusion and disbelief show in them as she holds her stance. I try to say something—anything—that will calm her down, but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.

Jesse holds up his hands in surrender. "Rae, it's okay. It's J and Reaper. We're here to take you home."

Raven's eyes flit between us again like she can't believe what she's seeing. Like she doesn't think we're really here. "J? Reaper?" Her voice is quiet and weak in a way I've never heard. She's always so strong, so sure, so confident when she speaks. This version of her is one I never thought I'd see. It's one I never want to see again.

Whatever they did to her, they'd all fuckin' pay.

The dead body lying only feet away will look like a mercy killing compared to what the rest will get. They'll all suffer for what they did to my girl.

A strangled sound comes from Raven's lips, pulling me from my murderous thoughts. "Reaper? J? You're really here?"

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