Summer of Frost (Forever Fae #3)(45)
“It doesn’t matter who it is. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Like hell I’m not,” I warned him. “Tell me, at what point did you decide to turn on our people?”
He stalked closer. “The moment I lost you.”
“That doesn’t flatter me, Alston. Did you think you wouldn’t get caught?”
He furrowed his brows and opted to ignore my question with a wave of dismissal. “What I want to know is how you found out. Your memories are gone.”
I laughed sarcastically. “I may not have my memories, but I’m not stupid. You may have the house concealed, and my magic blocked, but I can still feel that something’s wrong with you.”
“You know, I’m shocked they found you. No one knows of this place, and since they can’t see it or sense us they’ll pass right on by. I would love to be able to see Drake’s face if he knew I f*cked you while he was just yards away. You will be mine and mine only for the rest of your life. You might as well get used to it, even if I have to force you.”
“Wait!” I held up my hand. “Are you saying he’s actually out there right now?”
“Yes, it’s him and your worthless guardian. Isn’t it a shame you can’t join them. Oh well, at least you’ll be having fun with me in here.”
“Not likely.”
He was stalking me like a lion would before he pounced. The door was too far away, and my only chance to get there was going to be to fight my way there. I took off for the door only to be tackled to the floor by Alston’s hulking frame. He pinned my arms above my head and immediately began leaving bruising kisses along my jaw down to my neck. His laugh sounded evil in my ear, making me cringe away from him. He held both of my wrists with one of his hands while the other began ripping away my armor. I struggled against his grasp as he lifted my shirt and ran his hand over my bare breast. He was so heavy on top of me I couldn’t move, he was just too strong. He forcefully separated my legs with his knee and ground me into the floor by thrusting hard against me.
“It turns me on when you make it hard on me,” he growled low in my ear.
“Is it going to turn you on when I kill you?” I hissed back angrily. “Because once I get out that door, you’re dead.”
He laughed. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re not getting to that door then, huh?”
“We’ll see about that!”
With all my energy, I bucked my hips as hard as I could. Once his hand wavered, I freed one of my arms and slammed my elbow hard into the side of his face. He grunted with the impact and his body moved enough that I was able to knee him in the groin. He toppled over to the side and tried to make a grab for me, except I slipped out of his reach just in time to make a run for it. Scrambling across the floor, I made it to the door and pushed it open. Drake’s eyes caught mine the moment I became visible, and relief flashed over his face.
I bolted straight for him, but the pain that radiated through my ribs stopped me. A snarling Alston was behind my back with one arm squeezing the breath out of my lungs, and the other holding a very sharp, iron knife at my throat.
The moment she appeared, I wasted no time in running toward her, except I didn’t get too far when I was stopped by an invisible force. It felt like a thick, unbreakable glass wall, sturdy and indestructible. Oren ran up beside me and punched it with all the force he could muster. The only sounds I heard were his audible cry of pain, and the bones that broke into tiny pieces in his hand.
Alston bellowed, “Having problems getting through?”
“You’re done, Alston! Let her go!” I ordered, gritting my teeth.
Sorcha was angry, her chest heaving with furious breaths as she searched for an escape. Our eyes met briefly, and I hoped she understood the message I sent to her. Just off to her left, on the ground, was her spear. It was the only weapon there that could kill Alston, other than Oren’s dagger he had strapped on his belt. However, that was a lost cause since Oren and I couldn’t go past the barrier.
Panic showed behind the surface of Alston’s gaze, but he was trying to hide it. I could usually handle tense situations, but this one was more difficult considering Alston was unstable with a knife to Sorcha’s throat, and it wasn’t just an ordinary knife either.
“Do you see what I see?” I pointed out to Oren.
He shifted angrily on his feet. “Unfortunately, yes. The knife is made of iron.”
Alston planned it well. He held the iron knife in a gloved hand. If he wasn’t wearing that glove, the iron would’ve eaten through his skin in a matter of seconds. “She’s not going anywhere,” he said, squeezing Sorcha tighter against him. The knife grazed her skin when he moved, causing it to sizzle and burn on contact.
She hissed in pain. “You’re going to pay for that!”
“Not if you’re dead,” he replied darkly.
My anger boiled over the edge, the dragon stirring underneath my skin, ready to kill. No one threatens what’s mine, except I knew Alston’s admission was not a threat. He would kill her to keep her from me. I could see in his eyes how obsessed he was with her.
Backing up from the invisible shield, I spread my arms open in invitation. “You don’t want to kill her, you fool. This is about me. It’s always been about me, and your jealousy over the fact that the one woman you want is destined to be with me. You’re a coward hiding behind the dark sorcerer’s evil, and what’s worse is that you feel like a man apprehending her when she’s at her weakest. You’d be shitting yourself right now if she had her powers.”