Page 42 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

But a dream is just a dream until you make it happen.

I knew I needed to work for it. Nothing in life comes easy for people like me. I wasn’t a princess locked in King’s Tower waiting for her prince to come save her.

Having an ability doesn’t make me feel invincible or special—it’s more of a curse than anything. My ability doesn’t forgo the physical or mental torment inflicted. The pain and aftermath just become an obstacle; one you can move past after enough time.

“Let’s go,” Balor says. He has no weapon this time, but he doesn’t need one. Not with his jaguar abilities.

I plant my feet apart, getting in position. Balor is just as twisted as King, but I’ve picked up a few things from him.

After a while of being the punching bag, I started to fight back, learning moves and stances that enabled me to hold my own against an attacker.

I was no shifter, but with King’s Tower having a revolving door of criminals; I had plenty of practice.

“Finally.” Balor’s smile turns cold and cruel. He lunges for me, targeting my face, but I swiftly duck and twirl to my side.

“Want to play hard, I see.”

Lightning fast, he kicks my feet from under me. I grunt, landing hard on the ground, the wind knocked out of me.

“Get up.” He growls.

I grit my teeth, pushing off the ground, too stubborn to give in so soon, knowing this routine all too well.

Balor moves so fast I don’t see him until a kick comes from behind. Pain shoots across my back, knocking me down, my palms hitting the hard floor with a slap.

“You’re as useless as those vile humans. That ability wasted on someone like you.”

Gritting my teeth, I push myself up, ignoring the dizziness and throbbing in my back. It will heal soon enough.

Before I get the chance to get a punch in, he grabs me by the throat and slams me into the wall. Sharp burns slash across the side of my neck as he extends his claws.

“I could break that little neck of yours and watch on as the light dims behind your eyes. You wouldn’t be able to stop me. Too weak, too fragile to defend yourself.”

There are other types of strength that have nothing to do with physical contact. I doubt this dick would live through one of King’s sessions without it doing some permanent damage.

“Though there is one good thing about this little arrangement. I get to stub out that innocent wide-eyed look, over and over, for as long as I want.” I watch as his eyes dilate, as he tightens his grip on my neck.

Adrenaline runs through me, numbing the throbbing pain in my neck. I rear a leg back and kick him as hard as I can. He jolts to the side, his hand easing enough for me to gulp down some fresh air.

“Bitch. You’ll pay for that.” He slams his other hand into my stomach again and again before dropping me to the ground.

It rips a groan from me as pain spreads out around my chest, squeezing it tight as I try to catch my breath. My head spins as the lights around me flicker in and out.

Balor stands over me, a cold smile on his face. “Where’s that smart mouth now?”

I give him a hollow chuckle.

“Still… a… dick,” I garble out.

Balor's eyes flash as he kneels on top of me, pushing me into the hard ground. I hear the sickening crunch as his fist connects to my jaw. My head snaps sideways as pain shoots along my jaw and across my face. My vision blurs as I look for him, but I can’t focus on any one thing, everything dimming and swaying around me.

Pushing up on shaky hands, I ignore the darkness spotting my vision to find the psycho.

My injuries knit back together easing the bite from the sharp pain.

I glance around when he appears in front of me, punching my head hard. I taste the blood, darkness dimming my vision once again.

Before I can think about where he is, my head is yanked backwards and slammed into the ground. The breath is taken from me as I garble out a moan.

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