Page 11 of Power of Draken

Some back off. But not enough. Not nearly enough.

"You think we’ve not done our part?” a man roars as he pushes his way into the room, his friends on his heels. “Look here!”

Ripping off his shirt, the man twists around for all to see his flesh. He’s scared badly, marks covering his chest and back. Some of the stripes look to be from a lash, but there is also a puckered scar along his ribs that’s clearly from a weapon. "I paid my dues and lost a lung in the queen's fight!” he hollers. “And you know what I got for my troubles? A beating and a boot. The queen cares nothing for us. We are all just fodder. Take her down, I say!”

“Take her down!"

“Take down the queen!”

From commotion, to assault, to bloody treason. My heart pounds, my vision narrowing on the door to the common room, but it’s still blocked with people.

Rinity has given up trying to defuse this mess and is now trying to shield her patients, herding them toward the back door.

"We've no quarrel with you,” I shout. “We are going to leave, alright?"

No one is listening to me. More people are pouring in. Surrounding us.

“Show these cunts what you think of them!” Loman shouts. Even on his knees, he is a great deal louder than me.

Ellie finishes what she started and snaps Loman’s wrist. His shouting turns to babbles. But it’s too late.

A man to the right of me grabs a chair and swings.

I lunge to the side, trying to avoid the impact, but can’t. The force of the blow knocks me off balance. My ribs scream with pain as I hit the floor hard.

From behind me, I hear Trish's shrill scream and my heart clenches with fear.

"Get her out of here!" I gasp at Ellie, who is already drawing a knife from her belt. She holds it up in a defensive stance before nodding and disappearing into the fray.

I push myself up from the floor, gritting my teeth against the sharp ache in my side. With trembling hands, I unsheathe my own dagger. For all the good it will do me.

"Teach the whores a lesson!”

A shove hits me from the side and I stumble backwards, crashing into a nearby table. The sound of shattering glass echoes in my ears as I feel something sharp pierce my side. Instinctively, I swing my knife and feel it make contact with flesh before slipping out of my grasp.

"You bitch!" I hear someone yell amidst the chaos. Strong arms grab me from behind and I struggle to break free, but more men surround me, their angry shouts blending together. They shove me back to the ground, tearing my tunic in the process. A heavy boot lands on my already bruised ribs, making me curl up in pain.

I brace for the next blow.

It doesn’t come.

Instead, a body suddenly settles atop me, its crisp mountain air scent at odds with the stench of the drunkards. Tousled brown hair brushes my face, muscled arms forming a shield around my head.

Kyrian. Gods.

He flinches slightly from the blows he now takes in my stead. Through the small space between his chest and the floor, I see men crumpling, their throats slit and gushing blood as Kai Grayson dances with his sword and shadows among them. Each movement is deadly. Precise. And utterly without emotion.

Chapter 7

Rowan

“Didn’t expect you here,” I gasp to Kyrian.

“Mutual.” He gives me a less than amused look and swings off me smoothly, laying out a would-be assailant with a dagger hilt strike to the temple.

The brawl is over quicker than it had started, but with a great deal more blood. At least half a dozen men are sprawled on the floor at Kai Grayson’s feet. Most are dead or near its door. Anyone who can move is backing away slowly, as if terrified of attracting the attention of the new apex predator in the room. Kai shifts about, seeking the next person to cut down, but there was no one stupid enough to keep fighting.

I push myself to my knees and Kai’s attention swings to me.

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