Page 24 of The Hidden Falling
I watch as a head rolls off a water hag’s body, landing half in and half out of the boggy water I just went through. I didn’t even know the water hag was there. The male looks at the head with distaste before kicking it, sending it through the air like he just did to me. I hear a splash as it lands in the water further in the distance. No essence comes out of her dead body at his feet, she wasn’t worthy enough to dance with the land. No, she will rot with the below instead.
I stumble my way to my feet, my hand touching my boot for a split second before I rise. My body begins to shake as it finally reaches its limit. The male looks over the boggy water one last time before bringing his piercing gaze back to mine and prowls toward me. I let out a warning growl to stay back, but he doesn’t falter. I raise my arm when he’s close enough and I let him latch his hand around my throat. He kicks my legs out from under me, and we both go tumbling to the ground. He straddles my thighs, his full weight pressing down on me as his face hovers an inch above mine. I grunt, gritting my teeth as I let loose a hiss of pain as I glare at the asshole pinning me to the floor.
My pulse speeds up, and his fingers around my throat twitch in response, feeling the thumping of my heart for himself. He’s unconcerned about the blade I have at his neck, the one I took from my boot just before he grabbed me. I placed it at his throat as we hit the ground. I press it into his skin, ready to end his life, but his free hand curls around my wrist, trapping it in his grip to stop the blade from going any further. I bring my other hand up, digging my short nails into his arm, trying to push forward with no success.
We once again stare at each other, and I breathe heavily while he examines my face, my eyes, my nose and cheekbones, before trailing his gaze down to my throat in his grasp. He pauses for a moment. His green eyes flare, probably at the sight of my blood on his palm, before meeting my eyes once more. I breathe in the heavy scent of him, cedarwood, damp earth, and a power that I want more of. I can’t look away from the brightness of his eye, or from the way they are so focused, so intently locked on mine. It’s like he can’t look away either.
I lift my hips, lightly growling at the effort to dislodge him, but he’s like a boulder. Completely unmovable. His hand tightens on my throat, a warning not to move as his jaw ticks, and his eyes narrow on mine.
“You broke the laws of the land, little wolf.” His murmur is low and deadly, full predator as I squirm beneath him.
I speak for the first time, croaking out my reply, but still strong. “That’s not my name.”
He squeezes my wrist. “It is now.”
I glare. “And I broke no laws.”
His eyes darken. “You sent creatures to murder my Elites. You are as guilty as them. Murder is against the law.”
“The Deadlands are not under Vrohkaria law.” I take small, steady breaths through the tightening grip on my throat before continuing. “There are no laws here, but you are trespassing.”
“Trespassing? The Deadlands are unclaimed but still under Vrohkaria’s rule. It does not belong to you,” he growls, eyes still hard and the brightest green I have ever seen. The light of the luicium sap makes them glow, captivating me in their depths. They remind me of fresh grass peeking through the snow’s surface after a long winter. They’re mesmerizing, and I couldn’t deny the asshole had been graced with a beautiful image, in a rugged kind of way.
He’s pure alpha.
His dark, messy hair hangs loosely, the front locks ending just above his eyes. A thin, white scar runs across the middle of his nose, slightly longer on the right side than the left. A steel sharp jawline with a little scruff on it brings my attention to his lips, which are currently set into a hard line. Add this to all his hard muscles and power in a body that moves like he weighs nothing… He is dangerous in a wholly different way than just his skills as an Elite.
“How do you know this land doesn’t belong to me and is not claimed?” I question as he twists my wrist and slams it into the ground next to my head, forcing a whimper from me as I clutch the blade tighter, refusing to let go.
“You are nothing, little wolf, that’s why The Deadlands don’t belong to you,” he hisses at me, watching me closely. “Your dominance is as low as an omega’s. You might move like some amateur warrior, but the fact that you’re as fragile as a newborn pup still remains. It will be easy to break you for murdering my Elites. It will be slow. I’ll take my time until you’re a mess of tears, blood and piss, begging to be put out of your pathetic, little life,” he says vehemently, a shine to his eyes at the thought. I force my face to go blank, to ignore the words he just said and the vision he just put inside my head. “Your crimes will be paid for in your blood after I’ve taken you to the Highers, but before that, you’re going to tell me what the fuck you are doing in The Deadlands, and you are going to–”
He’s thrown off of me, a blur of dark, gray fur colliding with him from the side. I blink rapidly before turning my head to follow him, choking on my first full breath of air now that his hand around my throat is gone. A wolf growls menacingly, and my head snaps up, my heart thrashing wildly within me. I stare at the wolf, shaking my head to clear it, because what I see cannot be possible.
Blood flows down from the side of its neck, landing on the darkened earth and a shocked breath escapes me. My widening eyes move to where the asshole male stands, a cruel smirk on his face as he looks at the wolf with deadly intent. I watch on, my body shaking as he holds up his black blade, watching as the blood drips down the metal and over the hilt.
Blood that came from the wolf.
Blood that came from Kade.
Fourteen
Rhea
Bladeinhand,Irise to my feet as fast as I can, ignoring the pain flooding my body, ignoring everything as I rush forward on shaky legs and stand between Kade and the male. Tremors run through me as I open my arms to block this asshole from going for Kade again, the small weapon in my hand hopeless. But he will not get to him. I breathe heavily as the dark-haired male watches me closely, looking at me and then to the wolf.
“Kade! What the fuck are you doing here?”I shout down the link.“Leave now and go home quickly.Please,”Iplead, but it doesn’t reach him. There is nothing but silence. He has completely shut down the link.
I keep my eyes on the male, who watches on in confusion, before I peek over my shoulder at Kade. I grunt and grip the blade tighter, swallowing down the nausea that rises. His normally blue eyes are darker, bleeding to silver from the edges of his irises, and his pupils are larger. Kade isn’t in charge right now, Axis is.
Fuck!
No, no, no.“Josh, I need your help,”I rush out down his link, but still I get no reply. I bite my lip to stop the sound of panic that wants to leave me and look into Axis’ eyes, trying to find any hint of Kade in there. But there’s nothing. Kade isn’t in there. Gods, what am I supposed to do?
The sound of boots moving on the ground has my head snapping back to the male as he steps closer, and I swear my heart stops. “No!” I cry. “Don’t.” I loathe the way my voice cracks as I speak, and Runa begins to move restlessly within me, a whimper leaving her at my distress.
The male pauses, titling his head as his eyes find their way to the wildly beating pulse in my neck. They slide to Kade and then back to me, a snarl leaving him. He turns his blade so he’s holding it with the metal running along the outside of his forearm and comes closer. I lift my hand, throwing my small blade toward him as I back up closer to Kade. He easily deflects it, hitting it away with his own weapon, and I brace for him to come at me. From blade or hands, I ready myself for more pain, determined not to let him near the wolf at my back.
A savage growl comes from behind me. Just as I turn toward the wolf, he charges toward the male, knocking me to the ground as he barges past. “No!” I scream, watching as they crash into each other. I scramble to get back to my feet, but my legs refuse to cooperate. “Stop!”
