Come for Me 2 (The Hunt #2)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter THIRTY-NINE

Alaina

I t’s been over two weeks since his birth. Evan’s eyes have since opened and he’s now starting to waddle. Which means puppy proofing is in full effect.

Dax even created a new addition to allow for an inconspicuous entrance to the dungeon so Evan isn’t exposed to creatures being carted in while screaming for mercy. I, myself, am also trying to learn to puppy proof my mouth.

“Ow, fuck!” I shake my hand out from the pain, then suck on the blood Evan’s claws drew.

I did say I’m trying .

Dax snickers. “His first words are going to be filthy.” A shirtless Dax saunters over toward me after inspecting Evan’s crib for the thousandth time.

I pass Evan to him, tending to my wound.

Seconds later, Dax hisses, “Ow! Baby, we’ve gotta do something about his claws.”

I turn to see Dax’s chest has a little blood dripping.

“I know,” I sigh.

My puppy’s first clipping wasn’t something I was ready for. It’s only been two weeks. Give it another seven months, and he’ll be hunting with Caleb. Although, I haven’t heard from him in a while. I figure he must be grieving. He hadn’t really had a chance to while...

I shake the thought.

* * *

Evan’s now one month old, and he howls throughout the night.

Every night.

It was cute at first, but now I’m over it. I have to keep reminding myself that this time goes by fast.

“Your turn.” It’s not, but I nudge Dax sleepily, anyway.

Dax gets up without an argument. I chock up his patience to years of torture mastery.

With a cheek smushed against the pillow, I mutter, “Thank you.” Then I add, “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

Chuckling, he trails kisses up my bare back. “Yes...” He moves my tendrils to the side, his breath hot on my neck and nips at my nape. “But I like it better when you show me.” After smacking my ass, he moans. “I’ll be back.”

Dax leaves the room to tend to Evan.

I pull the pillow over my head and groan when “Baby Shark” plays for the tenth-thousandth time.

The only song Evan falls asleep to appears to get louder and louder.

Dax’s side of the bed dips. Evan in his arms with the dreaded song playing.

There’s no escape.

“Seems I found a new method of torture. Playing ‘Baby Shark’ over and over again,” Dax jokes.

I grin at Evan. “Hi, sweetheart.” I reach to rub Evan’s chunky arm, and he grasps my finger.

His little voice says, “Fuck.”

Dax tenses.

I stop. “Did he just—”

“Fuck.”

Oh no.

Dax whips his head toward me, narrowing his eyes.

Whoops.

* * *

We’re entangled in the sheets, enmeshed in a make-out session that is quickly escalating into round two. We’ve asked, for Sam to take over, so we can have moments to shut down the mindlink and be completely present with each other and unavailable to the kingdom. But shouting and screaming from outside disrupt the quiet.

Dax scrambles from the bed. Half-concerned and half-annoyed by the interruption. “What the hell is going on?” he mutters.

Dax peers back at the curtain, and his eyes flash momentarily. “Get dressed, I’ll get our son.”

“What’s happening?”

Dax disappears into the closet, the light clicks off, and the door scrapes.

I’m hurrying out of the bed and finding my clothes he’d discarded on the floor earlier. I peel back the curtain to see rogues and vampires flooding the castle grounds. “Shit!”

I snatch my clothes off the floor. I’ve almost tugged my shirt over my boobs when I hear Dax yell.

“Alaina!”

I move so fast I practically teleport into Evan’s bedroom. Dax is tearing apart the nursery, flipping every piece of furniture upside down, frantically searching.

My heart drops into my stomach when I see Evan’s crib, but no Evan.

No, no, no.

Dax keeps searching, but I know it’s no use.

“He’s not here.”

He growls and slams Evan’s closet door, and it comes off its hinges.

I open the door to our son’s room to find that the guards we always have posted outside his door are no longer there. “Dax.”

My heart is pounding, but I’m not sure if it’s mine or his that I’m hearing.

“Who the fuck took my son?” Dax roars into the mindlink.

No one would dare take him without our permission. Despite Dax’s powers, intentions can change. We could’ve used staff to help watch him, probably could’ve used them when we were running low on sleep. But neither of us felt comfortable trusting anyone to watch over him yet.

I fight the urge to howl, to scream, to wallow, knowing that Colin might be anywhere, waiting.

My need to scream is quickly replaced with relief when Taya, Sam, and Ash rush in through the door, with my son slumped against Ash’s shoulders.

“Evan!” I grab Evan out of Ash’s hands and squeeze him tight, breathing in his puppy scent.

Dax’s relief mixes in with mine. He places a hand against Evan’s back, needing to be near him as much as I do.

“We don’t have much time. They’re climbing the bailey,” Sam says, drawing all the curtains.

Rogues and vampires don’t typically bother to attack our pack. Neighbor packs, yes, but not ours. It’d be a suicide mission to try. And I know immediately why they are now. “Colin.”

I look down at Evan, who is sound asleep in my arms.

Dax looks at Evan as well, then to Taya. “You’ll take Evan and run. Sam will cover you to make sure you get to safety.”

Taya stammers, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sam nods confidently at his king’s orders.

“Ash and I will stay and fight,” Dax declares.

I shake my head and tug Evan closer to me. My immortal beings surfacing inside me to ward off Sam and prevent our son from being taken from us.

Sam stops his pursuit and puts up his hands, attempting to appear non-threatening.

But all I can see is someone trying to take my son from me.

Calmly, Sam says, “Alaina, he’s after you.” He moves slowly toward me again. “We don’t know if he knows about Evan, which means...”

His best chance at staying safe isn’t with me.

I look to Dax, and he nods. I don’t want to accept it, but I pass Evan to Sam anyway.

Dax pulls me against him.

“Where are they going?”

Dax says nothing but shushes me gently, kissing my forehead.

“I have to know, please.”

“I don’t know. Neither of us can. If anything happens... We can’t risk having information to try to torture out of us.”

I peer up and raise a finger at Sam. I’m about to threaten him when he cuts me off.

“I know, I know, you’ll kick my ass.”

Taya chimes in. “We won’t let anything happen to him.”

Sam hands Evan to Taya.

Evan wakes up briefly only to slump against her shoulder and resume sleep.

Dax kisses Evan’s forehead and then nods for Sam and Taya to leave.

Ash’s attention is caught by something outside and busts open the double doors and rushes to the balcony, letting flames emulate from his hands at our enemies below.

“Look at me.” Dax grasps my cheeks in his hand, forcing me to stare into his caramel eyes. “I have to go.”

“I’m coming with you.”

He shakes his head. “No, the fuck you are.”

“The fuck I can’t!” I protest.

More screams of agony follow the roaring of Ash’s flames.

“Listen to me. He is after you .”

My eyes search his. “I can’t lose you again. I won’t survive it.” I shake my head, unable to see through my tears.

He softly hushes me.

“We’ve gotta go!” Ash shouts at Dax.

Dax pulls my attention back to him again. “You are not going to lose me, okay? I am right here.”

“But what if—”

“What do I always tell you?” he asks.

“That you’ll come for me.”

He nods. “And I always will. I need you to trust me.” Dax rests his forehead against me, breathing me in. “I need you safe. Our son needs you to be safe. He can’t lose both of us, and I can’t fight the way I need to if you’re not okay.”

Moments pass with us like this.

“We don’t have much time!” Ash yells at us over his shoulder, blasting another ball of fire below.

“I’ve got to go,” Dax says, his mouth pressed to mine. He tears himself away from our kiss. “Ash, let’s go.”

Without looking back, Dax disappears into the hallway. Ash following.

Dax roars into the mindlink. “Call on the council. Ready the vampire clans. I need every man and warrior. Now! No one gets in these castle doors! No one touches my mate! And no one touches my son. Let’s move!”

Growls and snarls echo from our guards. Feet pound after Dax and Ash against the castle hallway.

I’m left with two guards outside our bedroom doors, tasked with keeping me in. My attention is drawn to the balcony at the sounds of a thousand murderous beasts outside. I know I should be staying out of sight, but I can’t help myself.

I need to see him.

The green clearing from our balcony I missed so much in my imprisonment was now a war zone. Rogues and vampires all emerged from the trees surrounding the large land. Packs from all over and vampire clans who have recently become allies were fighting to aid our cause. Even the council was present.

I had anticipated pushback from the vampire colonies, as they learned to accept their hybrid rulers. But after watching the vampires fight alongside their wolf counterparts, I’d assume we weren’t allies but members of the same pack.

I look for Dax, but I don’t see him.

My scanning of the battlefield becomes more frantic as I realize I also don’t see Colin anywhere.

As if right on cue, Dax appears. His veins throughout his muscles are bulging, secreting man as he marches through the battlefield to aid his people. Dax notices a young wolf being attacked by a rogue. The rogue is desperately trying to claw the boy’s heart out.

What was he doing on the field?

Dax effortlessly pulls the rogue off of the young wolf with his bare hands and sinks his teeth into the rogue’s neck, tearing out his throat. Dax lets the lifeless body drop to the ground at the kid’s feet.

If people weren’t afraid of Dax before, his new hybrid strength took him to a new level of weaponry.

A vampire jumps onto Dax. When Dax manages to shake him off, the vampire stumbles backward into Tom, the 16-year-old kid I once watched Dax train all that time ago. Tom looks broader, stronger than I remember him, and he barely budges when the grown man tumbles into him.

Tom doesn’t hesitate to kill the vampire, and Dax smiles like a proud father.

My maternal instincts want to scold him, but his fighting skills show me he’s changed. The old Tom would have apologized to the vampire who was intruding in on Tom’s space. But he didn’t. Instead, Tom recognized he’s able to stand strong in the face of conflict and protect what he’s taken for himself when others disrespect its peace. Tom finally decided if others refused to make room for him to be himself, then he would make his own.

Tom smiles at his kill and nods his head in respect to Dax. Dax directs him to an ally who needs help. Tom looks hesitant as he lets the negative self-talk creep in, but he quickly recovers. Tom silencing self-doubt and replacing it with determination. Tom runs toward the direction Dax pointed to aid another. Dax watches with pride as the boy executes the kill perfectly.

Dax scans the crowd, likely wondering the same thing I am.

Where is Colin?

These are his men, and this is his war. I watched Colin enough to know the attacks are meant as a sacrificial distraction. Colin’s lying in wait somewhere, trying to lure me out.

Dax stands in the center of the chaos, killing from the inside out. Dax’s deadly concoction of vampiric speed, and his ability to anticipate moves tears through Colin’s army one by one sometimes two, three, at a time. Dax’s protective instincts, fueled by testosterone, arouse my wolf’s primal urges.

Dax must feel what I’m feeling because he removes his teeth from the flesh of a vampire to look up to the balcony. Dax’s eyes lock with mine, blood drips from his canines onto his heaving chest as he’s holding a screaming vampire. My mate’s muscles rippled as he keeps hold of the squirming foe. I grip the balcony and my knuckles turn white as I try to keep from hurling myself over the railing to get to him. I don’t know if it’s our eternal mate bond or my hormones, but I want to taste every inch of him while our enemies are being slaughtered.

Dax senses my intention because his tongue darts out onto his bottom lip. A grin follows as his tongue retreats into his mouth, teasing me. Then, when I think he can’t tease me any further, he snaps our enemy’s neck.

“My king,” I purr to him through the mindlink.

Dax smiles with a boyish charm, growling, “My queen .”

Evan’s cries abruptly end our sexual trance. Evan is cradled in Taya’s arms as she runs alongside the battlefield in human form.

As much as I strain, I can’t see Evan’s face. I tell myself to be thankful Taya is clutching him to her chest to protect his head and neck while she runs.

Sam is directly ahead of Taya in wolf form, clearing a safe path for her to maneuver through to get their kingdom’s heir to safety.

But no one is watching her back, and anyone could take them out from the side. Anything could go wrong, and I’m not there holding Evan to make sure nothing happens to him.

My chest hurts as the what-ifs take power over me. Nausea and dizziness take hold as the anxiety sets in.

I use the breathing technique Taya taught me to help deter the fog of another attack.

Unfortunately, my anxiety laughs at me when several vampires break out from the crowd to chase after Taya.

“Taya, look out!” I yell to her.

Taya glances behind her and picks up speed.

Evan’s crying, and Dax has his hands full fighting many and is trying like hell to trust Sam and Taya like I am. But she’s not going to be fast enough. They’re gaining on her.

“Dax!”

Dax whips his head at me, and I point to Taya.

He sees the predicament and snarls. Immediately breaking from the entanglement, Dax shifts into his wolf mid-sprint.

My heart is racing like it would during a suspenseful horror film. But I don’t have to wait to see what happens next.

I can’t.

I jump over the balcony railing, and my feet take off running. I duck under attacks coming my way, dodging and weaving any fights occurring around me. Red overcomes my vision, and I’m after blood.

No one touches my child.

Adrenaline blocks the pain of the long fall. Nothing slows me down. In fact, I’ve never run faster.

A warrior alerts our pack in the mindlink that their queen is on the ground, as well as their heir.

I curse to myself, knowing my people will likely take that as me needing aid. I follow his alert with a growl that echoes into the mindlink. One of warning not to dare get in my fucking way when I’m protecting my pup, their heir.

While Dax is taking out one vampire, I speed past him to take after the other that’s gaining on Taya. I haul ass and jump onto the vampire’s back, causing us to tumble.

The vampire smiles, thinking I’ve missed my kill. But he doesn’t know I wanted to immediately intervene in his pursuit of my best friend and son but his death? I wanted to take a page out of Dax’s book of torture.

I smile back, letting my eyes flash, showing my hybrid nature.

At the sight of my violet eyes flashing and my pointed canines descending, his smile falters. The fucker knows exactly who I am, and he’s come to realize he was chasing what’s mine.

Dax joins me at my side, his snout nudges my temple in affection. “Do your worst,” Dax purrs. He then steps back, giving me room to shift.

I crouch as I stalk toward the vampire that went after my baby. My steps don’t falter as my bones move into place. I shift as slowly as possible, wanting the stench of his fear to fill my nostrils.

The vampire has lost all his nerves. The once all-too-cocky vampire chasing after the firstborn of the hybrid queen is now frozen in fear.

Not so ballsy now.

I pin the vampire to the ground and lower my canines to his middle, elongating them, so they pierce through the front of his body and come out the other side. Holding him in place, I use my paw to pull half of his body in one direction, while my teeth tear and pull in the other. Dismembering his upper from his lower half, tearing in the right spot so he has a few seconds left to live before he bleeds out. I want him to register what I’ve done to him first.

Pride and arousal hit me, and I know these are Dax’s feelings; proud to see his mate is as vicious with torture as him.

“I’ve taught you well,” Dax purrs with his approval.

The vampire’s pain only calms my intrusive thoughts momentarily when my anxiety comes back in full force. The story I’m telling myself is this man, dismembered or not, still presents as a threat to my family. Satisfied with his screams, I end him finally by clawing out his heart and destroying it with my teeth, silencing my anxiety. And I bask in the peace I’m able to find once more.

“I don’t want to hear it. My son needed me, ” I say.

“Our son,” he says. “Needs his mother alive.”

“Then, let’s end this together so he has us both.”

Dax growls.

The familiar feeling of power causes a chill to ripple through my fur and up my spine.

Colin appears as if from nowhere from the massacre laid out on the field in front of us. He looks at me, recognizing that when I’m not falling all over him that his plan to bind me to him failed.

But I can’t tell from his emotionless face if he’s jealous, enraged, or disappointed.

“Now you’re a mother who protects our son... Are you trying to seduce me?” Colin says.

I’ve never hated someone so much before. Hearing him say “our son” enrages me to no end. How dare he.

“I assume you told him about our magical nights together, love.”

Dax growls.

“We know you’re the little one’s mother... but are we sure you’re the father, Dax?”

I nudge under Dax’s throat, trying to soothe him. “Don’t listen to him,” I say.

Dax and I know Evan is ours. Every time I look at Evan, his features scream Dax. The timeline wouldn’t add up. Colin is trying to bait us. But somewhere inside Colin’s twisted mind, I’m sure he believes Evan belongs to him.

Just like he thought I did.

“Doesn’t matter. After I kill you and imprison his mother, I’ll be the only parent he’ll know,” Colin hisses.

This isn’t the first time he’s threatened to take away my world by ending my mate, but it’s the first time he’s promised to take him away as the father of my child. And I’ll be damned if Evan grows up without either one of us.

Dax and I circle Colin.

Dax makes the first move and pounces on him, successfully sinking his teeth into Colin’s shoulder.

They both topple onto the ground, Colin landing on top.

I tackle Colin from the side but fail to stay on top of him as we tumble in the grass.

Dax recovers before Colin can from the fall and pounces toward him, his claw connecting to Colin’s face causing blood to trickle from his temple.

Dax lands several deadly lashes to Colin, and I had enough time to recover and join in the fight. I claw at his ribs.

Colin blasts ice crystals before Dax or I can land an incoming bite to finish him off, causing us both to tumble backward in opposite directions. When we regain our composure, Colin has the same look on his face as he did when he realized I was thinking about Dax the whole time I was with him.

When Dax and I were both working together to pulverize Colin, we didn’t just land direct hits to his body but also his ego. Colin is enraged. Jealous. Insecure. In addition to receiving hits to the body, all of this causes him to lose focus.

He can’t use his powers if he can’t focus.

Colin may have the upper hand with his powers, but Dax and I are both better fighters. Colin couldn’t freeze either one of us when he was too focused on protecting his body blow after blow. Something I pick up on instantly to use to our advantage.

If he can’t use his powers, he’ll lose.

“Did you see that?” I say to Dax.

“Sure did.”

Additionally, I consider Colin’s recovery isn’t fast enough for our hybrid forms and our newfound speed are too advantageous for him. In our human form, we’ll be able to access both our vampire and werewolf selves, instead of just our wolf. We can choke, kick... It just makes sense.

“You need to shift back. I’ll distract him,” I say to Dax.

With the right timing and distraction... Courage flows through me. We have a chance, here.

I growl. And just like I planned, Colin turns to face me, holding his side where I clawed at him. He bares his fangs at me at my betrayal, his back to Dax, giving him the perfect time to shift into his human form.

He does this quickly. And when Colin advances toward me, Dax pulls him to the ground, and the world shakes from their fall.

Dax mounts him, pounding Colin’s face in one after another, not giving Colin a chance to regain focus.

I take the window of opportunity to shift quickly and then join the fight in my hybrid form. Once I’ve shifted, I catch sight of Colin moving his face out of the way of Dax’s fist, successfully chomping into Dax’s ribs.

Dax roars. He falls over at the excruciating pain from Colin’s bite.

Colin drinks in the sight of Dax, who’s now frozen. Colin clutches his side, smiling, with blood gushing from Dax’s pummeling. Colin’s ego bodes well for me, and I don’t miss the opportunity to rush toward him when I think he’s not paying attention.

But my attempt to catch him off guard backfires.

Colin snatches my throat in his claws, stopping my surprise attack. He bites into my neck over where Dax’s mark is and drinks from me.

I’m clawing at his hand, which is crushing my windpipe. As I kick his body, none of it fazes him. I can’t tear my neck away without risking an artery being punctured. To block out the panic long enough to come up with a solution, I close my eyes.

Dax howls into the mindlink for people to come to my aid. But he and I both know no one’s going to be able to stop him. Not if we can’t.

“Hold on, darling, hold on,” Dax pleads or reassures—I can’t tell.

My eyes start to become heavy, and I’m struggling to remain conscious. I just want to sleep.

“No!” Dax is roaring, crying.

I want to tell Dax it’s okay, that I’m just tired, as Colin gulps from me, but I can’t.

I’m about to succumb to darkness when Colin retracts his fangs and drops me to the ground.

A hand tightens around my throat, while another digs into my gash. My eyes burst open as my body moves quickly to heal itself.

Dax hustles to get to me, scooping me up in his arms. “Baby, baby, look at me. You’re okay,” he assures. “You’re okay. Fuck. I’m so sorry.”

I can’t find the strength in my lungs fast enough to tell Dax it’s not his fault. And I’m too concerned about wanting to know what happened that stopped Colin from killing me.

Ash is throwing flaming orbs at Colin as he stumbles backward.

Knowing Colin’s determination to kill Dax, Ash surrounds the both of us in a ring of flames to prevent being frozen by Colin.

But we don’t stay in his protection long. Just enough for me to regain my footing.

Dax charges Colin with a ferocity of punches, kicks, and throws.

I join in, and we aid each other.

Colin doesn’t stand a chance with the three of us. And ice can’t withstand fire.

Even sweeter, our loyal clans and packs pour in. Hundreds of wolves are leaping over the walls surrounding the grounds. Vampires who only pledged their loyalty to our rule a short time ago are climbing the walls leading to the courtyard.

They all sprint headfirst into the battle. Teeth and bodies clash and snarls and hissing boom through the air.

Colin’s followers start falling rapidly at my kingdom’s rigor.

We outnumber them, so there aren’t enough enemies for my followers. It quickly becomes a two on one, three on one and escalates from there.

Colin has lost the upper hand.

Invigorated, Dax and I are alternating our strikes at Colin when I observe there are less flames being thrown around and then cease altogether.

I turn and see a rogue has latched onto Ash’s neck.

Ash is groaning as he peels the rogue from his throat, throwing the wolf before engulfing him in flames, cooking the rogue until there’s nothing left but ashes.

A now pissed off Ash throws the biggest fireball at Colin, knowing what he’s doing.

Colin screams, falling, rolling to put out the flames that are licking up his body. No one can get near him with the size of the fire engulfing him. As much as I wanted to be the one to kill him, I silently plead it’s Colin’s end.

I rush to Ash’s side, who’s keeled over in pain.

Clots of blood are gurgling out of his throat and mouth. Ash’s body goes into shock, his limbs involuntarily shaking from the trauma.

No, no, no, no, no.

“Alaina,” Ash rasps, causing more blood to spill out of his mouth.

I hush him, not wanting him to make it worse.

“Dax!” I scream in agony.

Dax rushes to my side to keep watch as I console my father. Yet he doesn’t take his eyes off a burning Colin, wanting to be ready in case the flames die out. Instead, his sympathetic aura hits me in full force at the sniff and quick glance of Ash laying in my arms.

I know what Dax is thinking. He’s seen enough wounds on his warriors to know my father’s fate. He knows the smell of a dying man.

If I could get him to the pack doctor, he might have a chance. But there’s no getting out of Colin’s eyesight long enough to get him to the doctor, but I can buy time by giving him my blood. I’m about to tear into my wrist when Ash manages to choke out his refusal.

“Y-Y-You can end . . . this. Quickly . . . Do . . . n-now,” my father gurgles.

I shake my head, knowing he’s not just talking about destroying Colin. He’s asking me to end him . End his suffering. End the life he’s living alone without the company of his mate.

“There has to be another way.”

Ash’s lungs fill with blood. He’s suffering.

My sobs become more muffled, and I nod my head before praying to the Moon Goddess to forgive what I have to do next.

“I’m so sorry.” I reach into Ash’s chest, grasping his organ, and squeeze until his heart completely stops beating in my hand.

The quick pinch of grief is overshadowed by my knowing my mother is waiting for him on the other side.

It’s then a fire-colored glow halos my body, and I turn to Dax, wondering what the heck it is.

Dax is smirking at me, and I’m about to ask why until I feel a surge of power vibrating within me.

My blood is as scorching as lava. Like a rumbling volcano, all I want to do is erupt.

And I know exactly who to explode on.

Between the dramatics, the flames surrounding Colin died with Ash. Colin is tending to his charred skin when his arrogance allows him the audacity to make a smart comment about my father’s death.

But with the power surging within me, I couldn’t hear anything but my boiling blood.

The only grandparent my child would ever know. The only living father figure Dax could have. Colin has taken away the only parent I had left.

Not the Moon Goddess.

Not Dax.

Colin.

I gently let my father’s lifeless body rest before standing to face him.

I want Colin’s pain, his screams, his agony.

I slowly stalk toward Colin, who’s all too happy that he’s taken away our only chance of beating him.

He thinks he’s won.

Colin lifts his hand out toward me, and his freeze tactics do nothing to stop me.

Confused, Colin looks at his hand, then back to me. I’m smiling like a deranged Dax at my prey.

Just as I anticipate, this causes Colin to have a tantrum, and he looks toward my mate, desperately refusing to accept this defeat, and to make me pay.

I don’t stop my pursuit toward him when his arm raises to Dax. Before he can freeze my mate, Colin’s arm is engulfed in flames.

I drink in his screams.

I continue to prowl toward him.

This time, he tries again to freeze me. His eyes widen. “No.” He stumbles back.

Stupidly, he tries again to freeze me.

“You can’t freeze fire, love ,” I sneer.

I remember Ash’s powers, his presence, and it’s nothing compared to the aura I’m likely giving off. The vibration of my own power hums in my ears and has to be ringing in others.

I lift my arms out from my side, my palms facing outward and call on my Goddess-given powers.

At my call, flames weave through the field, targeting and engulfing all of Colin’s minions. Their screams pierce the air.

That act alone would’ve killed Ash in his widowed state.

But I didn’t even flinch. Didn’t break a sweat.

With the combination of a completed hybrid’s bond, a royal one at that, and now my generational power, I am an impenetrable force.

No one touches my mate or threatens my child’s safety.

Effortlessly, a rope of fire snakes out of my palm and wraps around Colin’s waist.

All Colin can do is watch, horrified. A helpless little bat.

“You fucking bitch!” Colin spits.

Dax growls in support and protection but doesn’t interfere. This asshole is mine, and Dax knows it’d be rude to interrupt.

A jerk of my wrist and Colin’s flung against the stone walls he trespassed moments prior.

Something of his cracks and it’s lights out.

But there are bigger flames to douse within me. And I intend to appease each and every one.