Chapter 15 #2
“Stop!” Hvit surged in behind me, yanking me to him, a blade nicking my throat. Mid-fight, Onyx’s gaze snapped toward me as if he could feel my danger before he even realized it. He curved the sickle to miss K?mpe, his shoulders rising in fury.
“Drop your weapon or your little t?s will fertilize the soil,” Hvit gleefully seethed, dipping the blade into my neck, the raw skin around my throat trickling blood, soaking between my breasts.
Onyx went utterly still, his nose flaring, the nerve in his cheek jumping up and down. He visually didn’t show it, but I could feel his tension, a sense of trepidation under his skin. That everything he did to get me here would be lost in seconds.
The scythe hit the ground with a thunk, his throat bobbing, his focus on the knife at my throat.
“Fuck. How good is her pussy, if the infamous Svart Vinge will heel?” The Boss spat on the ground and his face contorted in pain as he stood up, looking from me to Onyx.
He shuffled over to me, his shallow cuts soaking into his tunic.
A malevolent grin curved his mouth as he lifted my hair, smelling it. “She is a stunning creature.”
Onyx inhaled, jaw rolling, his empty hands rolling into fists.
“Maybe you can watch while I sample her.” The Boss’s scared demeanor was gone, his bravado eclipsing the camp, taunting the Night Raven. “You know the law of the land here. Your thrall wandered off. Meaning finders keepers. Can’t wait to see how much she’ll go for on the market.”
Hvit grunted behind me, clearly wanting to slice my throat and be done with me. His hatred seeped into my skin, prickling at my spine.
“You touch her,” Onyx spoke cooler and calmer than I had ever heard him, which startled me, “and I will slice every one of you open like a fish, flay your lungs, stomach, liver, and heart, and slowly gut you.” He continued describing every detail of what he would do, but my attention was taken by something else.
A tug on my bound ankles, a barely there sound of munching.
The feel of something gnawing at the rope.
My eyes widened as the bindings fell away under my long skirt.
I felt the groundling scaling up my skirt, his rough body crawling to my bound arms. Sharp teeth scraped at the inside of my wrists.
Onyx was still speaking, distracting the men away from me, but his eyes slipped to mine for a brief moment, our gazes locking intently.
“Don’t react.”
The rope broke away, and my fingers wrapped around it before it dropped to the ground. Onyx’s head dipped so subtly I almost didn’t see it, but I could feel the meaning.
“Good girl.”
I bit down hard, my heart thumping with hope.
“Shut the fuck up!” Boss spat out. “When did you become a chatty one?”
“He’s distracting us.” Rev poked his blade at Onyx, a snarl curling his lip.
“You are correct, my friend.” The shift in Onyx was instant.
He clutched Rev’s blade with his bare hand, ripping it out of his grip, while whirling on K?mpe, stabbing him through the neck, twisting it.
A crunch of cartilage and shredding of veins squelched the camp.
The large fighter gurgling in blood before he dropped.
I didn’t hesitate. Using the distraction, I rammed my elbow into Hvit, before slamming my balled fist into his groin with as much force as I could.
A cry broke him away from me, the blade falling as he bent over himself in agony.
Swiping it up, I spotted the groundling close to my foot. “Free everyone you can!” I ordered before twisting for the Boss, his face no longer a portrait of superiority, but fear. It quickly switched to anger, his resentment coming for me.
“You fucking bitch!” He surged for me.
The Shadow Rifter, sitting next to me, lurched up behind the Boss with a cry, his bound hands slipping over the slaver’s head, yanking him back into himself, using his bindings to strangle the leader.
“I hope you fucking rot!” he seethed into his ear, fury blazing the Shadow Rifter’s eyes.
“Huginn and Muninn deny you any peace, jaevla idiot.” He pressed down harder, his teeth gritting.
Boss scraped his nails at the Rifter’s arms, thrashing against him, growing weaker. I heard the snap of his neck, the Rifter’s bellow rising in agony and rage. The Rifter let his body drop, standing over him, shaking in fury.
A cry snapped my head around, seeing both Rev and K?mpe sprawled out on the ground, Rev’s lungs still trying to flutter with life.
“Let that be a lesson.” The Night Raven dropped his curved blade into Rev, twisting it, the sound of flesh ripping as he tore his guts from his stomach. “Never touch what is mine.” Onyx spat on them, his saliva pink with blood.
He wiped off the guts from the scythe, stepping away from his kills like an instrument of pain and punishment, his eyes landing on me. He searched my figure, his gaze like a weight pressing over every inch of my skin, making sure I was okay.
His focus went over my shoulder, reminding me of my fellow Day Raven. Whipping around to where Hvit had been.
The spot was empty.
My gaze lifted to the forest beyond, where he slipped away.
People stirred around me, dragging my attention back to the group. Some of them stood up, rubbing at their unbound wrists, all of them appearing dazed and weary.
Using my knife, I moved through the rest of the group, cutting through their bindings.
“Thank you.” A girl maybe ten years older than I gripped my hands hard, her gaze going to Onyx as well. “Thank you so much.”
“Go,” Onyx grunted almost in annoyance, his fingers wrapping around my arm. He tugged me toward the forest, a single loud whistle echoing between his fingers. “All of you go home.”
“I don’t have a home to go to,” the Shadow Rifter snapped.
I pulled out of Onyx’s grip, going up to the man. Once he would’ve been considered an enemy. A villain in my story who deserved everything he got. I held up the blade I took from Hvit to him.
“What’s your name?”
“Ansgar.”
“Find her, Ansgar.” I laid the knife in his hand, like I could repent for what my father had done to him and his wife, for the pain he caused them. “Find both of them. That is your home.”
His throat bobbed, taking the blade, his head dipping.
I wanted to say more, wishing I could offer more, but I squeezed his hand and turned away. Taking a few steps, I spotted a silhouette on the ground near the fire.
Lying on its back, the groundling rubbed at his full belly with his good arm, a loud burp popping in the air.
“Seriously?” Onyx exhaled, while I traveled to it, picking up the creature and cradling it in my hand. “We are not collecting pets.”
“You’re the one who brought him with you.”
“I didn’t bring him. He was already there.” Onyx watched me cuddle him closer. “I said no.”
The black ghost horse strolled out of the brush, his lips curling back at seeing me.
“Why not? You have Mr. Fluffypants.”
Onyx mounted the horse, staring at me like I had lost my mind.
“He is not a pet.” He leaned over, clutching my arm. “And his name is not Fluffypants.”
The horse bared his fangs, chomping at my cloak, trying to bite what was in my hands.
“No. This is not food, Mr. Fluffal.” I protected the tiny creature against my bosom.
“To him it is.”
“You should be thanking him.” I nodded down to the animated root. “He helped me escape.”
“Yeah.” Onyx scowled. He nodded at Fluffy. “I found him wrapped in his mane, sleeping. The least he could do was what he’s already helped you with before.”
Fluffy huffed out, swishing his veiny head, his ears twitching, like he could still feel the creature on him.
Onyx lifted me onto the horse, settling me in front of him, yanking on the reins.
“Well, his name is Munch.” I stroked a finger over the little twiggy creature’s head. “And you will love him.”