Darling Wildfire (Red Rabbit #2)

111

THERON

My body was screaming at me. I’d forced it way beyond when it should have failed. But I wasn’t done. Vetticus and I had fought our way out to the large terrace along the front of the house. It was lightly raining and the ground was slippery with water and blood. I’d lost all of my weapons. My knife was behind Vetticus and my gun was inside the double doors. I had only my fists. Vetticus walked over to my knife and picked it up, shoving his hair out of his face, he leered at me.

“You never did know when to stay down,”

he taunted. “Just can’t get enough of me, even now.”

He beckoned me to come at him and I growled and attacked. The knife came for me but I quickly landed a hit to his jaw, slammed my knee into his face and he went down dazed. I disarmed him and fell to one knee, heaving in air and unable to keep my feet.

“It’s over, Vetticus,”

I said in a ragged gasp.

Vetticus lurched to his knees but fell back onto his hand.

“No…”

He snarled.

“Your men are dead…”

I stood and grabbed him by the hair, turning his head up to me with a yank. I pressed the knife to his throat, for a moment living off the high of seeing him on his knees. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and watched a smug look take over Vettitcus’ face.

“Looks like not all of them,”

he said. “Shoot him!”

But no gunfire came.

“I don’t think so.”

I recognized the voice. It was Viktor.

“Shoot him, you fools!”

Vetticus shouted, but there was an edge to his voice this time. “You work for me, now!”

“Actually, we don’t,”

Demetrius said, the contempt heavy in his words. He stood in the doorway of the terrace, his cold eyes glimmering with satisfaction. I bared my teeth in a bloody grin.

“You’re playing my game now, Vetticus,”

I said. “And I’m looking forward to showing you just how far I can break you.”

My fist connected with his face in a knockout blow and he collapsed onto the stone. I couldn’t help but hit him a few more times. Again, and again and again. The pleasure of it intoxicating. The rain was falling in earnest now and I shifted off of him and sat back on my heels. I stared at Vetticus unconscious before me and fought to catch my breath.

The victory overshadowed my pain. He was mine. He was finally mine.

Demetrius came over and held out his hand to me. I nodded my thanks as I let him haul me back to my feet. Before I could speak, I heard a shout from the doorway.

“North!”

I glanced over to see Atlas hurrying over to me and behind him…

Nyx. I stumbled towards him, relief taking my breath away.

“Nyx—”

I grabbed onto him, convinced I was hallucinating.

He grabbed my shoulders, wearing that wicked smile of his.

“Turns out the devil didn’t want me this time either,”

Nyx said with a wink.

I nodded in relief and tapped him lightly on the cheek with a bloody hand. I was still breathing heavily all the while gripping his shoulder to steady the world that was trying very hard to spin out of control around me.

“Cal and Knight have Albatron,”

Atlas reported as he zip tied Vetticus’ wrists behind his back. “Tex, Sakari and Knox are rounding up the other Atrox patrons and coordinating a team to free the men playing in the current game.”

“Where’s Kaelin?”

I asked hoarsely. “Lach and Graham?

Atlas shook his head, unsure.

“I wouldn’t be worried,”

Nyx said lightly. “If the drones flying around right now are any indication, I think your girl is just fine,” Nyx said.

We all congregated out in front of the estate.

Nyx and Atlas went to check on Albatron and secure Vetticus for the flight home. I could see Tex, Sakari and Knox helping organize all the other people we’d found on the estate. Although Vetticus hadn’t lived at the estate in awhile, he’d still brought quite an entourage, including a small wait staff who had hid through the entire thing.

Lachlan, Graham and Kaelin were still missing but I’d spoken to West and apparently she had control of the drones. The drones were currently all over the property, sweeping the forest, the house and hovering above keeping watch. I was just about to go in and tear down the place looking for her, when I saw three people descending the front steps.

Kaelin was covered in blood, holding a tablet surrounded by a small fleet of drones. Lachlan and Graham were a few steps behind, but I only had eyes for her—I’d never seen anything so beautiful. I quickly met her at the bottom of the stairs and took her into my arms.

“I should be mad at you but seeing you come down these steps covered in blood surrounded by drones is doing something to me,”

I rumbled against her hair. She huffed a laugh and clung to me for another moment before pulling back to look at me. Concern flickered across her face but she didn’t say anything. Her hand came up and grazed across my jaw, a small smile tilting the corner of her mouth.

“I love you,”

she said abruptly.

My grip on her tightened and I opened my mouth to reply. I think I was fully prepared to tell her the same—it was on the tip of my tongue. But she pressed a finger to my lips and shook her head.

“I don’t want you to say it now because I said it—I want you to finish all of this first. Then I want you to come home to me,”

she murmured. “Come home to me, Theron—and when you do, I want it all. Your mind—”

she trailed her finger down my cheek. “Your body—”

Her tone was seductive as her finger trailed down my neck and collarbone. “And your soul.”

Kaelin pressed a light kiss to my lips, nothing more than a brush of skin, before she walked off.

“I’ll take her home,”

Graham said next to me. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

He flashed me a quick smile and clasped me on the shoulder, then followed after Kaelin.