Page 26 of Lycan King's Claim
A pit opens in my stomach when I see one guard, a monstrous man, forcing a belt into Carina's mouth. The muffled sobs are gut-wrenching, piercing the air with their heartbreaking vulnerability. But as much as I want to turn away, my eyes drift to the pitchfork stabbed into the hay.
I can hear my blood rushing in my ears, a low thunderous roar as I seize the pitchfork. My heart is a stampede, pounding against the confines of my chest. I creep down the stairs, each step, my stomach churns as I watch them rip her underwear away, one man holding her hands into the dirt while one forces her legs open. Carina thrashes beneath the man trying to break free when she spots me sneaking up behind them when the man holding her arms lifts his head, and his eyes widen in surprise when he notices me.
With an adrenaline-fueled surge, I lunge at the guard closest to me, the pitchfork plunging into his back. His agonized scream reverberates off the barn walls, slicing through the haunting silence. The other guard turns, shocked, as their companion drops to the floor while the man holding her arms lunges to attack me.
Carina seizes the opportunity, launching herself at another guard. A brutal, heart-pounding fight ensues, our shared desperation lending us strength. However, numbers are against us. Carina takes down one guard while I scramble back to my feet, I duck under one's arm as he swings at me, only to be grabbed from behind, strong corded arms wrap around me lifting my feet from the ground, Carina fights another man while the fourth one runs at me.
I kick out, my feet hitting the dead center of his chest, knocking him back when the man holding me tosses me. My body flies through the air and I smash into the hay bales. Dazed, I sit up to see Carina kill one guard when the rear door of the barn opens. More of King Vin's men race in to help to try to restrain her when she suddenly flees, leaving me, yet before panic sets in completely.
A heavy blow to the head sends me sprawling back to the ground. I gasp for air, the wind knocked out of me. Glancing up, I see barn doors slam shut as she races into the night, leaving me alone.
The sting of betrayal is a harsh slap, further fracturing my already shattered heart. The guards close in, their lecherous grins widening, and I can't suppress the panic welling up in me when I am tackled not having seen the man coming up behind me, too focused on the ones in front of me.
The man on top of me starts tearing at my clothes, and a scream tears itself from my throat. The terror is a bitter bile in my throat, threatening to choke me.
Suddenly, the man above me freezes. He gasps, a grotesque gurgle that rings in my ears. The air grows quiet, save for the sounds of a scuffle nearby. The man crumples, falling off me and revealing a bloody spectacle behind him. Xandros, his hand coated in blood, and in his hand is the man's heart.
My eyes flicker between Xandros and the man on the ground. The hole in the man's back is a brutal testament to Xandros' power. A small sigh escapes me as I realize Carina hadn’t abandoned me; she had gone for help.
The remaining guards, their faces contorted in fear, scramble to fight Xandros and another man, Javier. The barn fills with their shrieks as Xandros and Javier rip them apart while Carina races to my side.
Tears streaming down her face, gratitude filling her eyes as she reaches out for me with trembling hands. “Thank you," she whispers shakily, pulling me into a tight embrace that fills me with warmth despite the chilly night air around us.
Xandros and Javier move so quickly they almost seem a blur, fists flying faster than my eyes can follow. The barn fills with their shrieks as Xandros and Javier rip them apart.
The battle is over too soon, and all that remains is the silence of death. The guards lay motionless on the ground, their blood mixing together into a gruesome pool of crimson liquid.
When it's finally over, nearly all the guards are in the barn, along with his parents, who take in the death and carnage. Xandros turns to us, demanding an explanation. Carina, ever the actress, lies smoothly, blaming the whole incident on an opportune moment the guards had seized.
He shoots me a questioning look, his eyes a piercing gaze, under which I feel exposed. "Is this true? Why were you down here?" Xandros asks me, but thankfully Carina answers. "She came down to help me feed the horses," she answers with a shrug. I know I can't lie, he'll sense it. His suspicion hangs heavily in the air, a palpable tension that makes me uneasy. So, I remain silent.
"Get her inside, I need to find your father and order any remaining men off my land," Xandros orders, his jaw clenched tight. Carina hauls me to my feet, guiding me back to my room. Her eyes tell me everything. We share a secret now, one that ties us together.
The night may have darkened our lives, but dawn promises retribution. As Carina leads me out, I peer over my shoulder when I see Xandros step onto the stairs of the loft, he bends, picking something up and sniffing it, looking up. Javier walks over to him, and he hands whatever it is to Javier, and I notice it's my apron; I glance down at my uniform before my eyes widen just as Carina steers me around the corner. I see him climb the stairs.
13
Darkness envelops me, its tendrils reaching into the depths of my soul and mind as I try to piece together what I just witnessed, and the risk I just took. Servants stare at us as we pass in the halls, trying to figure out what happened. "Your father?" I ask her and she glances down at me.
"He isn't here, my mother and he are staying in the city, my mother struggles with her bloodlust. No doubt, he'll also be trying to find a way to get the Council to reject your challenge," she tells me.
I swallow guiltily. "I'm not mad, I was hoping you would challenge. It's just the whole fight to the death thing is a little bothersome," she announces.
"Because you found your mate?" I ask her as we stop out front of my bedroom door. She nods, twisting the handle. Carina's strange behavior weighs heavily on my mind, a disconcerting puzzle that I cannot decipher. There is an air of secrecy surrounding her, an invisible veil that shrouds her true intentions. I can't help but wonder what lies beneath her facade as she helps me into my room, setting me on the bed.
Her hands fuss over me, checking me over. "Who's your mate?" I ask her, and her eyes dart to me before closing the front of my torn top.
In the midst of this swirling uncertainty, It suddenly clicks all into place, a shocking revelation. "It's Toby isn't it? He's your mate." I ask her, it suddenly makes sense why she has been coming and going since that night, why Javier goes weird whenever I ask about him. Carina's mate, the man she has been spending time with in secret.
It cuts through me like a blade, a searing pain that threatens to consume me. But as I remember back to that night, the way she stopped in her tracks when she saw him, then threw herself in front of him to protect him. Carina sighs and nods. "Not that it matters," she murmurs.
"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep Toby hidden from me, I thought I got him killed?" I demand, my eyes burning with unshed tears. Carina shifts uncomfortably, her gaze avoiding mine. She stammers, searching for words that could possibly explain.
"I... I didn't want to hurt you, Sienna. I didn't know how to tell you, I worried Xandros would find out if I did," she murmurs, her voice filled with remorse, which is something I haven't seen on her face before. I clench my fists, my emotions warring within me. I want to lash out, to scream at her for letting me think he was dead, but a desperate need for answers holds me back.
"This is so messed up," I finally say, my voice strained.
The weight of the night's events pressing upon us as we sit in awkward silence. Carina's words echo in my mind, a jumble of confusion and disbelief. Toby, her mate? The revelation spins through my thoughts, casting a shadow of uncertainty upon the already fragile threads of our existence.
