Catch, Princess
Scarlett wasn’t fast enough.
Her claws refused to come out, fear and panic locking them deep inside her. The wind roared in her ears as she fell, branches whipping past her like dark claws reaching for her body.
She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact that would shatter her.
But strong arms caught her mid-air.
Her body slammed against a solid chest with bruising force. One arm locked around her waist like steel bands, the other cradled the back of her head, fingers tangling possessively in her hair.
She gasped, eyes flying open.
Rhys.
He was smiling.
That calm, beautiful, utterly psychotic smile that made her blood run cold and hot at the same time.
“Hello, princess,” he murmured, voice low and smooth against her ear.
Scarlett’s heart hammered so hard she thought it would explode. She shoved at his chest, struggling wildly in his hold, twisting, kicking, shoving at his shoulders with everything she had.
“Let me go!” she snarled, nails digging into his skin. “Rhys, let go of me!”
He didn’t even budge.
His hold was unbreakable, his body like warm rock wrapped around her. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t create even an inch of space between them.
“Let me go!” she snarled. “I hate you! I hate all of you!”
Rhys didn’t even flinch.
He held her effortlessly, pressing her body flush against his. Kane and Saint dropped down beside them, Kane landing with a feral grin, Saint with a worried growl.
Saint stepped forward immediately. “Rhys. Put her down. She’s scared.”
Rhys ignored him.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck instead, inhaling deeply, long, slow, greedy drags like he was mainlining her scent.
“Fuck… I missed this,” he groaned against her skin, voice rough and dark. “Missed the way you smell when you’re terrified and wet for us.”
Scarlett froze, a violent shiver ripping through her.
“Rhys,” Saint warned again, voice strained. “She said no.”
Scarlett’s breath hitched violently. A violent shiver ripped through her body.
“Fuck you,” she spat, still struggling uselessly in his iron grip, tears of frustration burning her eyes.
Rhys lifted his head just enough to look at her. Golden eyes burned into hers, still calm but obsessive, and completely unhinged.
“I will gladly fuck this tight little pussy raw, princess,” he whispered, lips brushing her ear, voice dripping with dark promise. “I’ll knot you so deep you’ll feel me for days. I’ll fill you until you’re dripping my cum down your thighs for everyone to see. And you’ll beg for it.”
Scarlett’s face flamed. Her thighs clenched involuntarily, a fresh wave of slick betraying her.
“Let me go,” she spat, still struggling weakly in his iron grip.
Rhys chuckled “I will but not until you say please.”
He tightened his hold, pressing her harder against him so she could feel exactly how hard he was.
“I won’t repeat myself, little one.”
Saint stepped closer, voice tight. “Rhys. Enough. She’s not ready.”
Kane laughed darkly from the side, eyes black and wild. “Let her fight. I like it when she fights.”
Scarlett’s breath came in short, panicked gasps. She was trapped, pressed against Rhys’s strong imposing body, with Kane watching like a predator ready to pounce and Saint trying (and failing) to be the only voice of reason.
Rhys’s golden eyes never left hers.
“Choose, princess,” he whispered, lips brushing hers. “Say please… or keep fighting. Either way, you’re ours.”
Scarlett’s chest heaved, tears of pure rage and terror streaking down her flushed cheeks. Her body was traitorous, slick soaking through her panties, thighs trembling against the hard ridge of his cock pressed shamelessly between them but her pride was sharper than any claw she couldn’t summon.
“Fuck. You,” she snarled, voice cracking but vicious. “I’ll die before I say please to you, you psychotic bastard.”
Rhys cocked his head to the side, that serene, beautiful smile never faltering. The kind of smile that promised he’d ruin her and thank her for it. “Okay, little one.”
He didn’t even blink.
“Kane. Go catch.”
And he threw her.
Like she was a goddamn toy.
Scarlett screamed, a raw, guttural sound ripped from her throat as the world blurred into streaks of dark branches and sunlight. The wind tore at her clothes, her stomach flipping violently. For one sickening second she was weightless, falling again, heart exploding in her chest.
Kane’s feral laugh split the night. His eyes, black as pitch, pupils blown wide with manic glee locked on her like she was the only prey worth chasing.
He lunged, arms snapping around her mid-air with bruising force.
She slammed into his chest, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs.
Instinct took over; she clung to him desperately, shaking so hard her teeth chattered, fingers fisting in his shirt as if he were salvation instead of another monster.
“Hello, princess,” Kane purred against her ear, voice thick with dark amusement. His hand slid down to grip her ass possessively, squeezing hard enough to make her whimper. “How was it up there? Miss me already?”
Scarlett looked up at him, tears spilling freely, lips trembling as she tried to form words…*put me down, please, I can’t*....
But she never got the chance.
Kane grinned, wide and unhinged, and launched her skyward again.
Another scream tore from her as she flew, limbs flailing uselessly. Saint was already moving, rushing forward with a worried growl, arms outstretched….
Rhys’s boot slammed into Saint’s side with vicious force, sending him stumbling. Rhys caught her instead, spinning her mid-air like a dancer before crushing her back against his chest. His cock was even harder now, grinding against her ass as he laughed.
“Please please stop!” Scarlett sobbed, voice breaking completely. She was shaking apart, fear and unwanted heat twisting together until she couldn’t tell which was making her drip down her thighs.
From high above in the branches, Lily’s scream cut through the chaos. “Stop! Stop it, you fucking animals! She’s terrified!”
Kaiden, who had been leaning against their sector’s massive tree with crossed arms and a bored sigh, finally dropped down to the forest floor with feline grace. His voice was calm, almost lazy. “Rhys. Enough.”
Rhys’s golden eyes flicked to him, that psychotic smile widening into something truly deranged. “Catch, pretty boy.”
He hurled Scarlett toward Kaiden like a sacrifice.
Her scream was hoarse now, raw terror clawing up her throat as the ground rushed up and the distance between her and safety or whatever passed for it closed in terrifying speed. Kane’s laughter echoed behind her. Rhys’s low growl of approval vibrated through the air like a promise of what came next.
Before she could reach Kaiden’s outstretched arms….
A ground-shaking roar exploded through the trees.
Saint leapt.
Mid-air.
Clothes shredded violently from his body in explosive bursts of fabric and fur.
Bones cracked and reformed with wet, brutal sounds.
Massive paws replaced hands, jaws elongated into a snarling maw full of razor fangs, silver-gray fur rippling over corded muscle the size of a goddamn horse.
The shift was savage, beautiful, and utterly feral.
His enormous wolf form twisted, jaws snapping shut around the back of her shirt and pants with perfect, terrifying precision, catching her inches from the ground.
He landed hard, paws skidding, her body dangling from his powerful jaws like a captured rabbit.
Hot wolf breath panted against her back.
His growl rumbled through her bones, possessive and warning, vibrating straight to her core.
The others froze for a split second.
Rhys tilted his head again, eyes gleaming with pure, unfiltered madness and lust. Kane licked his lips, cock visibly straining against his pants. Kaiden’s calm facade cracked into something darker.
And Scarlett hung there, sobbing, soaked, broken open by fear and the sick, addictive knowledge that they weren’t done playing.
Not even close.
Saint’s wolf lowered her slowly to the ground, but his massive body stayed coiled over her protectively, caging her in as the others began to circle once more.
What the hell were they going to do next?