4. Beck #2
“Is this a suggestion or a demand?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Just offering opportunities.” Gideon’s tone remained calm. “Strong men earn respect here.”
And probably more than respect.
I’d already noticed the way some women looked at the fighters. Not exactly with attraction, but more with calculation.
Strength now meant protection, and protection meant survival.
Gideon moved on without another word, stopping to greet people along the street like some kind of politician at the end of the world.
I hated him more every second we were here.
“He wants to test you,” Adrian said once Gideon disappeared into another conversation.
“No shit,” I frowned.
“If you fight, people pay attention to you instead of me.” He looked thoughtful.
“That may be so, but I’m not claiming any women.” I sneered. “Taryn, is it for me, and I’m not giving you the opportunity to claim otherwise.”
Adrian spoke calmly. “The thought never crossed my mind.”
I glanced at him sideways. “Sure, it didn’t.”
He sighed. “It was just an idea.”
The guy looked exhausted beneath all the composure.
We both were.
Neither of us had slept much since arriving, not because we were scared, but because we both wanted to be with Taryn.
That realization still irritated the hell out of me.
“You know I didn’t want to come with you,” I muttered.
“Yes.”
My jaw tightened. “But you guilted me into it anyway.”
“Yes.” Not a single ounce of remorse in his voice.
Back at the farmhouse, Adrian deliberately manipulated me by using Avery and Emery. The girls were so hungry that Lane pretended he had already eaten to ensure they got his portion. That alone made me agree to go. I couldn’t stand seeing a child suffer.
I smiled slightly.
That’s what drew my evil queen to me in the first place. She’d thought that seeing me beat that perv to death would put me under her power.
It seemed like a hundred years ago.
“We needed information about this place,” Adrian said quietly.
“We needed to stay with Taryn.”
“We needed to make sure this place wasn’t a threat before they found us themselves.” He leaned closer. “And we need the food they have.”
I hated that he was right, almost as much as I hated leaving Taryn behind.
Despite how much Adrian pissed me off, I trusted one thing about him… If it came down to Taryn or himself, he’d choose Taryn.
Same as I would.
That didn’t mean I liked him. It just meant we understood each other in all the worst ways.
A bark suddenly cracked through the night.
Sharp.
Familiar.
Every muscle in my body locked instantly.
Adrian’s head snapped toward the edge of town at the exact same moment mine did.
Then a blur shot between two buildings and crossed the street fast enough that several guards reached for weapons automatically.
“Max,” I breathed.
The dog hit me full force a second later, his paws slamming into my chest as a low growl rumbled deep in his throat.
“Easy, boy,” I muttered, gripping the back of his neck.
My pulse was pounding because there was no way Max was here alone. He would never travel this far without Taryn.
The dog dropped back down immediately and turned toward the tree line, body rigid and ears forward.
My blood ran cold.
Floodlights exploded across the woods near the perimeter.
“Well, well,” one of the guards called out. “Looks like we found ourselves more strays.”
The entire settlement shifted instantly, and men headed toward the gates.
I started moving before I realized it, only for Mace to step directly into my path. “You haven’t earned the right to a first glance, just yet. They have to be processed and tested.”
His friend, Gage, smiled. “Then we all get a chance at them.”
Max snarled instantly beside me.
I widened my stance and prepared to fuck them up. No one stood between me and the woman I loved.
Adrian grabbed my arm before I could put somebody through the pavement, then dragged me away from the two men. I was shocked that he could move me. The bastard was much stronger than he’d let on.
“Not yet,” he hissed. “Taryn is out there.”
I almost swung at him.
“I fucking know that! We’ve got to get her and get the hell out of here.” I was desperate to keep her away from Mace and Gideon.
“Just how do you think we’re going to do that?” His grip tightened. “And what about the twins and Lila? We’d be leading them straight to the farmhouse.”
That stopped me cold. Because that was a problem.
The girls.
Avery.
Emery.
Lila.
If Gideon realized we had women and girls hidden outside this settlement — no, I didn’t even want to think about that.
Absolutely fucking not.
Gideon approached us. “I saw Mace stop you from going to the gate. I’m sorry about that, but we have certain rules in place.” He smiled slyly. “Don’t worry. If you take me up on my offer to fight, you’ll get first crack at the females we have in the pen.”
I stared at him hard enough that most men would’ve backed up.
Adrian casually stepped in front of me. “We were just discussing that. I think we could both do with some entertainment.”
If I could burn a hole in the side of Adrian’s head with just my gaze, his brains would be leaking everywhere.
“Get the fuck off me.”
My heart skipped a beat as I immediately recognized that sexy voice.
Taryn.
As much as I missed her, I wished I were wrong.
Gideon’s attention had moved to the two figures Mace and Gage were bringing over.
My chest tightened instantly.
Taryn and Lila.
Shit.
I looked at Mace’s eyes locked onto Taryn—and I knew every bad feeling I’d had about this place was about to get even worse.