19. CHAPTER 14
AXL
Ispotted my girl the second she sat down with Kynlee pressed against her right side. I’m waiting for Ryan to finish his fight so I can get this shit over with. I’m ready to claim my heathen and get her alone in my room.
I’ve watched every fight from the staging area behind the archway. Crew killed three men, one of them armed. He’s now lined up with the others who will hunt tonight.
I don’t really know Ryan all that well, but he finally won his fight and is fucking some redhead in the ass while the crowd cheers. They mix in the lower years between our fights to keep the crowd entertained while we wait for the hunt since the fifth years have to wait for the hunt to fuck.
Thankfully it doesn’t take Ryan long to finish, and she wipes his dick down for his piercing.
It’s my turn. I’m ready to get this shit over with.
I roll my neck and crack my knuckles, then I pull my mask on. The red slashes glow across my peripheral vision. This is the last fight I have to win before I earn the right to go after my girl in the dark woods.
And losing isn’t a fucking option. I either walk out the winner or I’m dead.
I walk out onto the arena floor. There are hundreds of masked faces, and the noise drops to nothing. The cage door is open, and I step inside. The metal clicks behind me.
Then the far door opens, and three men come through. All three of them have weapons.
The first one is my height and a muscular build. His head is shaved, and his knuckles are scarred. He walks into the cage holding rope in his hands. What did this guy do to piss the Ravens off?
The second one is leaner, but he looks fast. He has a wooden bat.
The third one is smaller, but he bounces around. He’s got a cut above his eye that’s already crusted over. He’s already been in a couple fights. The light catches the blade in his hand.
They all look like they’ve been given something. They’re practically jumping out of their skin. It’s like they’re on adrenaline.
What the fuck? Our fights are always a little uneven, but this is by far the toughest fight tonight. They don’t normally drug the men who fight us. I don’t get a weapon either.
The bell sounds.
The one with the bat comes first. He swings high, and I duck under it and hear the wood cut the air above my head.
If that connects with my skull, I’m done.
He’s fast for his size, and he resets and swings again, this time low, aiming for my ribs.
I jump back, and the bat misses my stomach by an inch.
The one with the rope is circling behind me.
I can’t see him, but I can hear his boots on the stone.
He’s planning to get that rope around my neck while the bat keeps me busy.
That’s how they’ll do it. One distracts, one chokes, and the one with the blade finishes me off while I can’t move or breathe.
Not fucking happening.
The bat comes at me again. I step inside the swing instead of away from it and catch the handle with both hands.
His eyes widen because he didn’t expect me to come toward him.
I rip the bat out of his grip and drive the thick end into his throat.
He drops to his knees, choking, and I spin and swing the bat into the side of rope guy’s head as he lunges for me from behind.
The crack is loud enough that the crowd gasps.
He goes sideways and hits the cage wall and slides down it.
The one with the blade hasn’t moved. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet near the far side of the cage, watching, waiting for me to get tired or make a mistake. I’m going to fucking disappoint him.
I toss the bat to the side. It slides across the stone and stops near the cage wall. I want my hands free for this.
Bat guy is still on his knees choking. I grab him by the back of the head and drive his face into the stone floor twice. He stops moving.
Rope guy is getting up. Blood is running from his ear, and his balance is fucked from the hit he took. But he’s got that rope stretched between his fists, and he’s coming at me with the look of a man who still thinks he stands a fucking chance.
He throws the rope over my head. I get my hands up just in time and catch it with my fingers between the rope and my throat.
He pulls tight, and the rope bites into my knuckles.
He’s got his weight behind it, and he’s trying to drag me backward.
My air is cut in half, and my vision starts to narrow.
I drive my elbow backward into his ribs. He doesn’t let go. I do it again, harder, and I feel something crack under the impact. He grunts, but the rope stays tight. My lungs are burning.
I drop my weight and throw myself forward, pulling him over my back. He flips over my shoulder and hits the stone on his back. The rope goes slack. I’m on him before he can get up. I grab his head and twist. The snap makes the crowd cheer.
I stand up, and the air rushes back into my lungs, and my throat is raw. I can feel the rope burn already swelling against my skin. The crowd is loud, but the fight isn’t over.
The man with the blade comes at me fast. The blade flashes. I pull back and it cuts across my forearm. The cut is shallow, but it bleeds immediately and the sting is sharp. He slashes again. I move my head, and the blade catches the edge of my ear. Blood runs down my neck.
He’s quicker than I expected. I need to get inside his reach.
He stabs forward. I sidestep and catch his wrist and twist it hard enough that the bones grind. He screams, but he doesn’t drop the knife. Tough little fucker. I twist harder and snap his wrist. The blade clatters to the stone.
He headbutts me. His forehead connects with my jaw, and I see stars for a second. Then he puts his mouth close to my ear. He’s breathing hard.
“Someone wants you dead.” He spits blood in my face. “If I don’t kill you, he will.”
The Sinclairs wouldn’t set me up. There’s only one person I know who keeps trying to take me out. It’s going to take a lot more than these three fucks.
If Justin Carter thinks that anyone will stop me from having Saylor, he’s dead fucking wrong.
I grab the man in the cage with me by the throat with one hand and lift. His feet come off the ground. He’s clawing at my wrist with his broken hand and his good one, and neither is doing shit. I look into his eyes, and he can see exactly what’s coming.
“He’s just as dead as you are.”
I twist his neck until it breaks and let him drop.
I’m standing in the center of the cage with blood running down my arm and my neck. My knuckles are split, and the cut on my forearm is dripping onto the stone.
I rip my mask off, and my focus lands on my girl. Saylor is gripping the bench with both hands, and her chest is heaving. She’s staring back at me, and I can see it on her face even from here. She’s not scared. She’s turned on. I can’t wait to feel how wet her panties are.
That’s my fucking girl.
The cage opens. The crowd is loud. I don’t give a shit as I sprint across the arena and climb the concrete benches to get to her. The crowd gasps, and people scoot out of the way.
I grab her by the throat and pull her mouth to mine, kissing her in front of all of them.
I might not be able to fuck her yet, but there are no rules about kissing what’s going to be mine.
And if her brother thought he was going to stop me from having her, he can fucking watch this.
They all can. Because Saylor Reign Carter is about to be mine.
She tastes so fucking sweet. Her mouth is warm, and her lips are soft.
She doesn’t pull away. She grabs the front of my shirt with both fists and pulls me closer.
Her moans against my mouth go straight to my dick.
It takes every ounce of control I have not to rip that white dress off her body and get the claiming done right now.
My blood is on her face. I can feel it smearing from the cut on my ear onto her cheek, and she doesn’t flinch. She kisses me harder. Her tongue slides against mine, and my cock is so hard it hurts. My hand tightens on her throat, and her pulse races under my fingers.
The crowd is losing their shit with a mixture of whispers and cheers. This isn’t part of the ceremony, but I don’t give a fuck.
I pull back just enough to look at her. Her lips are swollen, and my blood is on her mouth and cheek. Her eyes are glazed over, and her chest is heaving.
“You’re so fucking mine,” I tell her. My voice is low so that only she can hear it. “Get ready, little heathen.”
Her fingers tighten on my shirt. “Then you’d better catch me.”
Kynlee is staring at us with her mouth open. The Doves around us are whispering. A few of the founding-family members in the upper section are on their feet. The Ravens love a show, and I’m fucking giving them one.
I let go of her throat. My thumb drags across her jaw, and I hold her beautiful green eyes for one more second before I turn and climb back down the benches.
I wave to the crowd and pump my hands at them, urging them to cheer. They do. Someone starts chanting my name, and then more in the crowd follow suit. I grin and walk right up to Justin, shoving him back.
“Time to hunt, fucker.”
I continue past him, and Priest is waiting at the archway. His arms are crossed and he’s shaking his head, but he’s grinning. “You’re out of your fucking mind. Dane is going to have your ass for that.”
“Did you see that bullshit out there? I was fucking set up.”
Kase is behind him, frowning. His eyes are on the blood on my arm and neck, and his jaw is tight. “That fight wasn’t right.”
I hold his stare, letting him know I want him to shut the fuck up. “We’ll fucking talk about it later.”
Another Talon, Daniel, approaches and slaps my shoulder. “We all knew you had it bad for the bitch, but damn.”
“You don’t know fucking shit.” I swing around and punch him in his face. “Watch your fucking mouth when you talk about my girl.”
Priest and Kase lunge between us, making Daniel think better of coming at me. I spin around. I’m done with whatever bullshit the prick has to say. The platform where I’m supposed to join Crew and the others who have already won their right to the hunt is set up at the edge of the arena.
I go to the man with the needle waiting to pierce me.
I wave off the naked woman who appears to clean my dick and snatch the cloth from her to clean myself.
The man threads the barbell through, and I don’t flinch.
This is my fifth piercing, and the fourth along my shaft.
Pain is just a language the Ravens speak, and I’ve been fluent for four fucking years.
Dane Sinclair is standing at the edge of the platform. His mask is off and his arms are crossed. He’s looking at me like he’s deciding whether he’s proud of me or wants to fucking kill me. I do that to him a lot.
“That wasn’t supposed to be your fight.” He’s speaking through gritted teeth.
“No shit. But I still fucking won.”
He holds my stare. “I’ll find out who gave them weapons and drugged them.”
I keep my mouth shut. Telling Dane that Justin Carter tried to have me killed would start a war between the Carters and the Hollisters. Besides, I’m not a fucking snitch. I can handle my own shit.
“I have big plans for you.” He steps closer, and his voice drops so only I can hear it. “Don’t get yourself killed before then.”
I chuckle. “I’m about to get exactly what I fucking want, and I don’t plan on fucking dying.”
He nods once, then pats my shoulder and walks away.
I watch while a couple physicians press a towel to my arm and hold ice to my ribs. They clean the blood from my neck and arm and treat the wounds.
Justin’s fight is next. His mask glows red like mine, and he stands in the center and waits. He has to fight three men, but none have weapons.
A couple of them get a few good hits on him, but the fucker kills them all. Good. I’d rather deal with him myself. But it’s going to take time and planning. Right now, I only give a shit about one person in this room, and it’s not Justin Carter.
He rips his mask off, and his face is blank. He looks over to where Saylor is and waves to her, or maybe to Kynlee. My heathen and Kynlee both wave back. I grind my teeth, knowing that Saylor isn’t going to be happy with me when I beat the fuck out of her piece-of-shit brother.
I lick my lips, still tasting her kiss. Fuck. For now, it will have to be enough to know that I’m going to claim the one woman he doesn’t want me to. Because I’ve waited years for tonight, and that fuck isn’t going to ruin it.
Nothing is going to stop me from making her mine.