Page 127 of Soul of the Chaos

As my fingers kissed the blade’s handle, I felt a shadow fall over me. Glancing up, I found Venom already bearing down with a kick so I took a page out of my friend’s book and curled up into a ball.

Gods, that first strike hurt like hell.

Agony tore through my middle and I nearly passed out from the pain. Blood pumped in protest, drenching my bandages. On the second kick, though, I grabbed hold of his foot and stabbed that bastard deep in the thigh.

“That’s for my beta, fuckface.”

Venom howled and backhanded me away. My head hit the ground hard enough to bounce, sending more black stars to blot out my vision. I beat them back. Needed to stay awake. Had to protect my mate.

As the crazed alpha yanked the silver knife from his body, Silver sailed over my head with a vicious snarl. His gaping maw was pointed right at the Bone Crusher alpha’s throat. With a sick smile aimed directly at me, Venom swung the knife I’d just used to defend myself up in a lazy arc. The blade slid straight into my mate’s gut with a sickening squelch.

“No, no, no…” I mumbled.

A terrible whimper was the only sound Silver made as he crumpled to the ground.

My mate’s pain was a million times worse than my own. I would have gladly taken it all from Silver if I could. His eyes rolled in his head and it looked as if he was still trying to crawl to my side when Venom stomped down on my omega’s ribs.

Then the hateful biker stepped over my mate’s body and picked me up by the throat again.

“You know, I think this might be even better. Me breaking your neck. You dying. Knowing that the moment I drop your lifeless body to the ground, I’ll turn and finish off your two pitiful mates with this pretty little knife you gifted me.” His eyes flashed as he squeezed a little harder. “What a poetic end for a piece of fresh meat who thought she could play at being alpha.”

I moaned and kicked but my movements, once feverish, were slowing down. My thoughts were slowing down, too.

My vision narrowed. Couldn’t see anything but Venom’s demented smile.

The world was much darker than I remembered it. No light crept into the gaping hole in my chest as I tumbled into a nightmare where my two beautiful mates were forever torn from my soul.

But as Venom squeezed, cutting off my senses, Grimm’s essence followed me straight into that dark void and wrapped himself around my soul.

“Don’t forget about me, Venom,” I heard Grimm grit out in a voice full of deliciously controlled rage. “I’m Sasha’s third mate. Alpha of this pack and President of the Soul Reapers. And you are a scourge on the people of Chaos Valley. I think it’s high time I reaped your twisted soul.”

The crack of Grimm’s weapon forced my eyes back open. For one long, terrible moment, nothing seemed to have changed and then the bullet hole right between Venom’s eyes filled with blood. A disgusted puff of air escaped the Bone Crushers’ lips and his body caved in on itself.

I was crumbling again. Heading for the hard ground. As there wasn’t much I could do about it, I braced myself for a harsh landing.

Instead, arms—delicious, beautiful, strong arms—swooped in and caught me, yanking me back into the unyielding planes of my alpha’s chest. I shuddered in relief, knowing I was finally safe. Because Grimm—my Grimm—would never let me fall.

With a sob, I burrowed deeper into that chest, burying my nose in the balm of my mate’s scent. Allowing it to soothe all the ragged broken pieces inside me.

Venom was dead.

Like dead, dead. My brain could hardly wrap itself around this new reality. Crusher, too. Even Chains was gone. All of our former tormentors had been wiped from this earth. The soul of every filthy Bone Crusher who had attacked us on our home soil had been banished by the Soul Reapers MC. Sent to the afterlife where they would never be able to touch me or my people ever again.

I knew it was over. Yet flashes of our last stand still beat behind my eyelids as I burrowed harder into Grimm’s steady embrace. Then the fallen started tumbling through my brain.

“Strawberry. Doc. Mongrel,” I mumbled, pleaded really, as I clutched weakly at his shirt. “Silver. Oh Gods. Grimm, the knife!”

“Shh, baby,” he soothed. “Popcorn got it out and Zero’s carrying Silver to the infirmary now. Mongrel’s shaking it off and pissed as hell he missed out on the action. Doc’s got a headache, a bruised ego and a date with Carbon to brush up on his fighting skills. But first, we gotta get you patched up, little warrior.”

“Grimm,” I murmured.

I was desperate to kiss him. To have him kiss me. To be closer than this. I needed my alpha deep inside me, linked to my soul. Helping me put back all the shattered pieces of my heart. We’d lost so many. Too many. But Grimm had finally claimed me—in all but deed—and I needed him to back his bold words up with action. Right fucking now.

I nibbled and nipped at any skin I could reach as my mate strode down the corridor. Unfortunately, stuff that was definitely supposed to remain on the inside was gushing out of me again. Stealing my strength and coating our chests with a warm, sticky fluid I really didn’t want to think too hard about.

With a discontented grumble, I flopped my head on his chest in defeat.

“That’s right, baby. Relax. I’ve got you,” he breathed into the shell of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. He kept nuzzling my head with his jaw as we walked, rubbing his scent all over me. “I’ve got you now, little alpha, and I’m never gonna let you go again. Feel me?”

---