Page 23 of Bonded By Christmas
There’s no way to describe the sound that fills the air. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before. Ripping, then squelching, followed by a weird crunch.
Warm, wet liquid sprays over the right side of my face, and I scream. I’m not even sure when I stopped. Probably about the time I lost hope of surviving this alleyway without being raped and murdered.
Oh, shit.
I blink continuously as my body tries to make sure whatever that was doesn’t make it inside my eye.
A copper, metallic smell hits my nose, and my stomach churns violently. I don’t even have time to fully process that as chaos ensues.
The man holding me slams me face-first into the wall…hard. Like, so violently the tip of my nose feels scraped. Luckily, my head was twisted away from the blood, so my cheekbone takesthe brunt of the hit. It hurts like hell, but not enough that I think he broke one of my facial bones.
Someone’s bone definitely gets broken, though. Or multiple bones, based on the horrifying cracking sound that fills the air behind me.
My vision is hazy as I spin, trying to find out what’s happening. With the wall now behind me, I edge deeper into the alley.
I would aim for the street that’s closer, but it’s blocked by the all-out battle going down.
I blink repeatedly as I try to determine if I’m really seeing what I think I’m seeing.
Grim ducks a punch thrown by the man who restrained me. His massive frame moves almost gracefully as he sidesteps, slamming his elbow back and into the man’s kidney.
Everything is still fuzzy, but there are two distinctly body-shaped lumps on the ground.
My hand flies to my mouth. The metallic smell intensifies, and I gasp as I remember I’m covered in blood.
My eyes squeeze closed, and my knees wobble.
I lean against the wall for support, but the world feels like it’s spinning even though I stopped moving when I caught sight of Grim.
A horrifying sound causes my eyes to pop open, and I almost wish I had kept them closed.
Grim is on top of the guy who attacked me, and his fist flies into the man’s face, over and over again. The crunching sound gives way to slick squelches that make my stomach churn even more violently.
Holy shit.
He’s going to kill him if he hasn’t already.
Do I really care?
I have no doubt in my mind. They would have hurt me in unimaginable ways if Grim hadn’t stumbled upon me. It’s a crazy coincidence, but I’ll thank God for that gift later. Right now, I have to make sure he doesn’t ruin his life.
“Grim!” My voice comes out hoarse and raspy. “You have to stop. You’re going to kill him.”
The alpha I’ve grown to care so much about over the last two months freezes. His head tilts animalistically, and his hair falls around his face as he peeks at me over his shoulder.
Shoving off the wall, I keep my eyes locked on his and hold out a hand. “Come here, please?”
A dangerous growl rattles out of his chest, making me jolt. I’m not afraid of him, even if he has blood all over his face and the hand I can see. His lip curls, and he bares his teeth while pushing to his feet.
My heart pounds so violently that I can hear it echoing in my ears. Every instinct in my body says running would be a solid plan, but my brain overrides that impulse.
Grim shakes his hand as he approaches, eventually moving to wipe the blood off on his jeans.
“Omega.” The word comes out a low growl that demands deference.
My head whips to the side, and I offer him my throat.
He’s in front of me in a blink, and he moves to cradle my cheek. “Fuck.”
