Page 20 of Pain Run Rampant

The keyword there is almost. I don’t know what would’ve happened if we would’ve kept going, but we don’t. The kiss is interrupted by a harsh yank as Frederick is pulled away from me, and the moment my eyes open, I see a tall, wide, glowing man standing in between us with his hand around Frederick’s throat.

“I think it would be best if you kept that mouth to yourself,” Invictis hisses out, the tattoo on his arm glowing gold, like he’s ready to use his magic against Frederick for kissing me—which is ridiculous because A) Invictis shouldn’t give a shit about who kisses me, and B) I forbade him from hurting anyone.

That command must be the only reason Frederick is still alive right now, because when I step aside and see the pure fury on Invictis’s face, I don’t doubt he would’ve gone for the kill immediately if he would’ve been able to.

Frederick tries to peel the hand off his neck, but he can’t. Invictis is too strong. It takes me a good moment to snap out of my shock and say, “Let him go, Invictis.”

“I could let him go off the edge of this cliff,” Invictis muses with a certain type of evil glee no one else could ever master. “By the time he hits the ground, he will surely regret placing his mouth upon yours.”

“I said let him gonow.” I emphasize the final word, and I watch as Invictis huffs and frowns—but pulls himself away from Frederick all the same, finally removing that hand from around his throat.

As he rubs his neck, Frederick glares at Invictis. “I thought you said he couldn’t hurt anyone?” That question is spoken to me even though his eyes rest on the glowing individual in front of him.

Invictis sounds rather bored when he mutters, “I did not hurt you. I simply pulled you off of her. That mouth of yours should be nowhere near hers—”

Letting out a chuckle full of disbelief, Frederick says, “I don’t think you get to make that decision. If I want to kiss Rey and she wants to kiss me, it is none of your concern.” As he says that, Invictis’s hands clench into fists, and I don’t doubt the godlike-man is imagining pounding Frederick’s face into the ground.

I let out a chuckle, too, which causes Invictis to glare at me, his eyes a beautiful, molten gold. “I just think it’s funny. You threw a hissy fit the last time I kissed Frederick, too.” I slowly cock my head at him. “Are you sure you’re not jealous, hmm?”

“Jealous?” Invictis echoes. “Of that mortal? The last thing I would ever be isjealous.” The way he says the word makes it sound like a curse, something he would only wish upon his enemies.

Which is, you know, basically every single person alive, but whatever.

Frederick must’ve had enough of this conversation, because he moves around Invictis and starts to reach for me again as he says, “Come on. Let’s get back to camp and ignore Invictis.” But his hand doesn’t reach me, because Invictis steps between us once again, blocking the movement.

“Touch her again, and you will be the first human who dies the moment I am free,” Invictis growls out. Maybe it’s just his accented voice, but the threat sounds kind of sexy.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I shouldn’t find anything about Invictis sexy, but we’ve already passed that point a long time ago, so let’s just move on and pretend I never had that thought.

“I don’t believe this,” Frederick huffs. “This is asinine. What—”

Before Frederick can say anything else, Invictis turns around to me. Our eyes lock as the glowing tattoos fade and the gold in his eyes are replaced by a pretty, clear blue. He says not a word more—but he does do something that catches me so off-guard, I’m too stunned to command him to stop.

He picks me up. Yep. Invictis just picks me up and throws me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing. His large hand remains on my ass so I don’t topple completely over him.

My mouth falls as Invictis marches to camp ahead of Frederick, my body swaying with each step he takes. It’s like he thinks if he doesn’t separate me and Frederick, more will happen, and he won’t let anything else take place on his watch. Which is ridiculous and stupid.

I should really yell at this asshole to put me down, but the bastard actually rendered me speechless.

Even Frederick is stunned. He stands, motionless for a good five or ten seconds, watching Invictis carry me off, anything he might’ve said completely forgotten about.

Invictis marches us back to camp, where he finally takes that hand off my ass and sets me down near the campfire, where I was passed out before. He stands beside me like a watchdog and waits for Frederick to come along, and once the man does, he glares and points at a spot on the other side of the small fire, wordlessly telling him where to sit.

Frederick stalks to the spot, muttering, “I’m sitting here because I want to, not because you told me to.” He runs a hand through his hair, and I can tell through the flames he’s a mixture of pissed off and embarrassed.

Me? I don’t know what I am, besides stunned at Invictis’s balls. I mean this in all seriousness: what the hell?

Invictis is slow to lower himself to the ground beside me, sitting only inches away from me, the closest he’s been this whole trip. It’s like he thinks he has to sit near me to keep Frederick away.

Instead of making him get up and go away, I lay down and give Invictis my back. My head still kind of hurts and I’m a little woozy—something which that kiss did not help. I need sleep. If I pay any more attention to the asshole next to me, I’d only give him what he wants.

Invictis says he’s not jealous? I’m calling bullshit. Everything he did was some alpha male crap that should only piss me off.

I’m not pissed, though, and that’s a bigger issue.

Chapter Ten

Invictis invades my dreams that night, and the second I see him, everything he did comes crashing back. Pulling Frederick off me while we were kissing. Threatening him. Being so jealous that he literally threw me over his shoulder and carried me off so I wouldn’t walk hand-in-hand back to camp with Frederick.

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