Page 72 of Raiding Road

I hear the sincerity, I feel the words as clearly as I feel his fingers around my wrist, but we don’t really have the time for this, not with our people out there facing whatever-the-fuck just knocked on our door.

“Roman,” I step forward and press against him, my head tilted back so I can look into his eyes, “If you treat me like I’m breakable, it’ll beyouwho breaks me. If you treat me like the warrior I am, it’ll beyouI fight for. Take your fucking pick now, because either way I’m going out there, it’s up to you if I break or make it back. Those are our people out there facing God-knows-what while you stand in here worried about one person. You can’t be an Alpha and a mate in a crisis. Until this is over, you aren’t anythingbutmy Alpha.”

I can see when my words hit their mark. He knows I’m right, he’s just to stubborn to admit it, so without giving him a choice any longer, I spin my wrist and bend his backwards, grinning when his eyes cloud over with equal parts lust and frustration. I kick his foot sideways, making him fall to one knee like he’s about to propose, and kiss his forehead.

His grip on my hip loosens and I slip free, “Now let’s go fuck some bitches up.”

I take off running, feeling Roman at my back as we round the building to the front of the gate.

There is a large group of seemingly normal looking werewolves outside the gate, but their eyes are all black. The scent I get from them smells like Raider Pack andsulfur. Fuck, they found me.Oh, Ancients. They’ve all been turned.

I failed them, Roman. I let them fall into the hands of a madman. I failed the people of Raider Pack.I whisper through the bond.

A dual voice chuckle comes from the darkness of the woods behind the group of werewolves, and it makes my eardrums cringe. Roman growls from beside me, his eyes zeroing in on the black scaly skinned monster who steps into the moonlight.Cree Raider.

“There she is the beautiful Alpha killer,” he looks absolutely horrifying. His skin looks charred, and, in some places, there are chunks missing, exposing the muscles and bones beneath. He has a werewolf face, but the rest of his body is humanoid. He looks like a mangey werewolf demon.

“You’ve crossed into the wrong territory, Raider!” Roman shouts with his Alpha power rolling off him, “We’ll give you thirty seconds to get the fuck out of my sight before we tear you and yours to pieces.”

Cree paces, his black eyes on me, even as Roman threatens him. Case and Atticus are spread out, they’ve taken up positions to the left and right of the grassy area, guarding the Prospects and fighters as they wait for even the slightest flinch of an attack.

“That’s not very hospitable, Alpha fucking Roman. You harbor a fugitive, a betrayer, an Alpha killer!”

“You are no Alpha. You’re a weak little man under the influence of the Coven of Nine.” I tell him with a calm voice.

Cree pauses, his head tilting sideways. On Roman, that head tilt is panty soaking, but on Cree, it looks demented as fuck.

“You—”

“Yeah,” I interrupt the bastard, “I know everything about those Witches and their evil fucking plot to kill the fated mates of the Ancient’s sons.”

He tips his head back, laughing like a fucking madman. The Werewolves who stand with him, shift nervously at the sound. Dammit, what has he done to the people that even in their Dark Blood transition they fear him?

“If only it were that simple,” He pull a small twine necklace from around his neck and tosses it at Atticus’ feet, “then I would have killed your sister the moment she was brought to me.”

My heart crashes hard against my ribs at his words, Zatrina’s face floating in my mind’s eye as I use my wolf speed. I grab the twine rope from Atticus’ feet before he can touch it. Zatrina’s lemongrass and sunshine scent hits me in the face and I drop to my knees. I finger the little seashells in Zatrina’s dreadlock until Atticus rips it from my hand, roaring when he realizes Cree has his mate hostage.

“You sick fuck!” I scream, my luminescent wolf shimmering around me and my vision tints in red, “I will kill you.”

More scaly Dark Bloods step out from behind Cree as he spreads his arms wide, “You may try.”

Atticus tips his head back, and howls long and loud, even as his wolf rips through his clothes and skin. Roman and Case howl alongside him followed by the rest of the Cutthroats and Cut pack.

Then, all hell breaks loose. The Raiders charge the fence and leap over all ten feet of the wrought iron gate with ease. But we’re Cutthroats,we don’t play fair.

I launch my first set of daggers at three dark Raiders still mid-air, the force and momentum of my blades take them to the ground, the silver burning through their bodies.

I look around me, trying to keep those I love within eyesight, and find everyone in their own battle. Everyone is alive and so far, not hurt. I turn forward again, ready to take Cree down, when I’m tackled to the ground.

I roll with my attacker’s weight, and let the momentum take him over me before throwing him off. I spin in place, my hands and feet planted on the ground as I growl at my foe.

Roland stares back at me.

My heart drops when I take him in. The last time I spoke to him, he was strong, confident and powerful. The man creature before me is a shell of himself. His face has claw marks, and his torso looks like it’s taken a flogging, slashes cut across his chest, some oozing with black blood as thick as tar, others festering with foul smelling puss.

“Ki—kill me.” He growls as his fingers dig into the ground as if he’s trying to hold himself in place.

“No, Roland, we can get you help. We can change you back-”

---