Embrace Me at Dawn

Page 26

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean, you pathetic fuck,” Shock clarified.

Anka cried out again, the sound rife with frustration. She kicked and flailed, grabbing at the buttons on her pants and shoving at her black tank. “Help!”

As she grabbed a handful of her shirt, she scratched her way up her abdomen. Blood seeped up from the open wound, a little pool of crimson against her pale skin. She shoved at one of the straps of her top and ended up scratching a deep path down her arm. Blood quickly ran to her elbow. He was done asking questions or permission. Instead, Lucan lunged forward and grabbed Anka by the wrists.

“Stop.” He commanded her in a voice that brooked no disagreement.

She stilled instantly, before heartbreaking tears leaked from her eyes, wetting her cheeks. “Help!”

“I want to, love. What can I do?”

She began panting and twisting her arms, her body flailing helplessly. “Touch. Me.”

Fuck, he wanted to. So badly. He felt Shock’s stare on him, and their gazes connected. As Anka cried more, Shock looked willing to defend his right to Anka, like a dog pissing on a fire hydrant. Lucan swallowed back his bile. Anka came first. The argument could last longer than Anka had, given the severity of the spell affecting her. He would concede to Shock ten times over so that she could live. They could fight another day. A world without Anka? Unthinkable.

He leaned up in Shock’s face. “Take her upstairs. If she needs sex, give it to her. Fix her, whatever it takes.”

“Damn straight,” Shock snarled, then spun away with a still squirming, screeching Anka, pleading for him. For help. For sex. After his exit, an eerie hush settled over the room.

Bram clapped him on the back. “As hard as that must have been, you made the right choice, mate.”

Absently, he nodded. Logically, yes. Inside, he felt as if he’d signed away his right to Anka forever. Like he’d permanently shoved the sun behind thick gray clouds with his own two hands. Like he’d never know warmth or light or happiness again. But if that’s what it took to keep her alive, he’d endure it. If she died, though… He’d make it his mission in life to hunt Morganna le Fay down and murder the bitch in the most horrific way possible.

Duke and Mason excused themselves under the pretext of following up with the BBC and any local news authorities to see if any word of Morganna’s attack had leaked out. The Wolvesey twins were, for once, somber. They promised to teleport themselves to Swansea and keep watch over the rest of the females. A few had expressed interest in learning to fight physically, in case the Anarki came calling. All the wizards had agreed, and the twins had already spent a bit of time working with the ladies to start them on the basics. Marrok said he would tag along to help.

Caden threw an arm around Lucan’s shoulders. “How about I take you to The Witch’s Brew and get you sloppy drunk for a few hours?”

“No.”

His brother looked over to Bram, silently begging for a little help. Bram shrugged.

“Come on, brother,” Caden tried to coax. “You don’t need to stay for this. After a pint or ten, you’ll no longer give a shit about anything.”

“I’m not leaving her until I know she’s all right.” He swallowed, knowing it would rip him open and tear out what was left of his heart to listen to her give her body to that bastard, to hear her cries of pleasure as Shock took her. But if he gave Anka what she needed to be well again, Lucan was willing to endure any agony, hear every one of her torturous sounds, just to know she’d come back whole.

Bram sighed, then nodded. “Let’s sit. Get comfortable.”

“And drink.” Caden shoved him to a sofa in Bram’s office then poured a bit of liquid into a crystal glass. It was amber, dark and aglow as the light hit it, like the color of Anka’s eyes when passion overtook her.

And Shock would be seeing that soon. He would be pulling away her clothes, taking her mouth under his, covering her body with his own, then shoving his cock— He couldn’t finish that thought.

Lucan slammed back the alcohol. “Another?”

Caden glanced at Bram, who nodded. Then his brother brought the decanter over and poured another glass full of the booze. Hell, he hadn’t taken the time to taste it. Didn’t know what it was. Didn’t care. Didn’t pause before he swallowed the rest of the glass again without another thought.

The warmth of the alcohol started to coat his bloodstream. It wended through his system quickly. Damn, it should be relaxing him. He should feel looser, be able to breathe without wanting to punch a wall or rip someone’s head off. Instead, it only made him realize how agitated—no, furious—he felt. Goddamn the motherfucking bastard. If Shock let Anka hurt herself again, if he harmed a single hair on her head…

Caden eased the glass from his hand with a tsking sound. “Brother, if you crush the glass, you’re only going to hurt your hand. Less time training with Anka, then.”

“True. Thank you.” He had to get his head screwed on straight, but he couldn’t do that sitting here like a fucking idiot, waiting for her first scream of pleasure to erupt. He leapt to his feet and prowled to the window, staring out at the dead grass browning the lawn. The gray sky hid every ray of sunlight, smothered the warmth. Wasn’t that a metaphor for his life? The last three months had been bleak in every way. Lost, without any way to reach Anka emotionally, he’d used every bit of his will to hold himself together. But now… God, how could he endure this?

For her, he had to.

Bram stepped out of the room, and a moment later a gong and a chime announced that Ice and Sabelle had arrived. The trio filed in quickly. No one said a word. The silence slowly killed, and all Lucan wanted to do was crawl into that fucking bottle and lose himself until this ordeal was over.

“Where are they, mate?” Ice asked Bram.

Bram’s reply was quiet. “Upstairs.”

Inside, Lucan shoved down his rage. He wanted Shock dead and would do whatever necessary to make that happen. In fact, the sooner the better. Like now.

He rose to his feet. Caden pushed him back down. “There’s nothing you can do, brother. Sit in silent support. Drink, if you must. But you cannot go up there. You’ve conceded to Shock, and your presence will only start a fight. Anka doesn’t need that.”

Lucan wanted to ask how Caden would feel if he had to give Sydney back to Jamie, the wanker, or any of the human men his mate once dated. But it was a pointless argument, and Caden wasn’t the enemy.