Torrent took his hand from the human’s shoulder. All he needed to do was explain, Take a punch or two and Coal and Julie could be on their way. “I’m glad you are—”
Coal wouldn’t allow him to speak. Torrent could see that he was barely holding it together. “Step away from him, Julie. Do it now.” His words were barely understandable. More of a guttural bark than human speech. Shit! Coal was physically vibrating. His eyes narrowed further
“No … you don’t—” Julie pleaded, but Torrent could see that Coal wasn’t listening. He was on the verge of attacking Torrent or erupting into dragon form. Or both. If either of those things happened, the human would be injured. Torrent had caused enough trouble for one day. He needed to let the male hit him a few times. Hopefully reason would return enough to stop him. If not, he would take it. He deserved it.
Torrent gave the human a light shove. He wanted her out of the way so that neither of them could harm her accidentally. From the corner of his eye, he saw her land in a heap to the right of them. She would hopefully be far enough away.
“You bastard!” Coal snarled as he leapt at him. The male wasn’t thinking clearly. Torrent could have lifted a knee, or punched the male in the face using his own momentum against him but he refrained. Hopefully he wouldn’t regret it. The force of the blow knocked him back.
“Wait!” Torrent shouted as regained his footing. Coal wasn’t listening. Shit! “Let me—”
Flames erupted from Coal’s throat. White hot. He felt his flesh char. He felt his hair singe. He felt so much pain that all he could do was roar and maybe pray. He could scent his own flesh burning. At long last Coal took a breath and the heat subsided. Torrent almost fell to his knees with relief. He could already feel his flesh begin to knit. It hurt like a bitch and he grimaced. His lips pulled tight and pain flared.
“The female is mine,” Coal roared.
“I was bringing her back!” Torrent shouted in response, despite the pain of trying to talk.
Coal’s eyes were wild. He still wasn’t listening. Fuck! Torrent had to work hard to keep from retaliating.
You deserve it!
You hurt Candy.
He clenched his fists, wanting to stop Coal. Wanting to go after his female in the worst of ways … but she wasn’t his. She didn’t want him. He was pathetic. He deserved to be hurt. If Coal incapacitated him, he wouldn’t be able to go after Candy. Even if he wanted to. She didn’t want him. He deserved everything that was coming his way.
The blow was sharp and so fucking hard that it almost put him on his ass. He both felt and heard his ribs snap. At least two. Fucking hurt! Must be three.
“Stop!” Julie shouted from somewhere in the distance.
“Wait,” Torrent growled as Coal advanced. He couldn’t see the human. If she tried to intervene she would be hurt.
“Coal. Stop it!” Julie shouted. She sounded far enough away. Thank fuck!
Torrent didn’t even see the punch coming. He heard his nose crush and blood gushed down his throat. He staggered but managed to keep his footing. He was the water king. He was damned if he was going down quickly or easily.
Maybe the fire prince had calmed down sufficiently.
“Mine,” Coal snarled. He didn’t sound any calmer.
Torrent’s eyes were almost swollen shut. Coal raised his bloodied fists and pummeled him. It didn’t even hurt anymore. Not a good sign.
He heard more bones crack and felt his blood streaming down his face and chest. Hot and thick. It splattered on his feet.
You deserve it!
Lights flashed in front of his eyes, which were squeezed shut. Damn, also not a good sign. He staggered and fell to his knees.
Julie screamed. At least, he thought she did. He felt like he was down a dark tunnel. Deep down. Far removed from everything. He felt woozy and unstable. He felt numb.
The screaming intensified. Yes, it was definitely screaming. There was a loud snapping noise. It rang through him. It banged around in his skull for what felt like an age but was probably only a split second. Then everything went black.
Chapter 17
The dragon disappeared into the sky. It moved so quickly that her mind almost couldn’t register it. If she hadn’t known to look for it as it left, she might not have seen it at all.
She walked to the front of her house and just stood on her porch for a few minutes, taking in her surroundings. Home. It didn’t feel like home. It didn’t matter, she wasn’t staying anyway. Candy pulled the wooden bench until it was in the right place. She climbed onto it. Using the tips of her fingers, she felt across the beam until her finger hit the key. Her spare. The one she had stuck up there almost three years ago when she’d moved out of her apartment and into this house. Just in case. Thank god she had.
She sighed with relief. Now all she had to do was grab her passport and identity document, pack a small bag and she’d be on her way. A shiver of fear ran up her spine. She reminded herself of how Ellis had just lain there on the floor. He’d looked broken. She didn’t want him to be dead but she hoped that he was still incapacitated. She prayed hard that she wouldn’t run into him. Not now, not ever again.
Please, no!
She took a couple of deep breaths. She was being silly. Ellis wasn’t waiting for her. The back of her neck prickled despite the pep talk she’d just given herself.
Candy inserted the key into the lock and quickly let herself in, locking the door behind her. She put her back up against the door. She was safe while she was inside.
Her house was quiet. It smelled musty. “Shit!” she said. Her voice the only thing that sounded in the house. Her plants were brown and limp and dead. On the up side, it didn’t feel like anyone had been in her space. She huffed out a breath.
Right, she needed to get packed and to get the hell out of this town. There was nothing left for her here. She felt a pang. If she left, Torrent wouldn’t know where to look for her.
Stop it!
He wasn’t coming for her. He was a huge asshole of epic proportions. Guys with egos like his didn’t ever admit to being wrong. They blamed the other person. They didn’t chase after anyone, nor did they apologize. It wasn’t going to happen. Even if it did ‒ by some small miracle ‒ there was no way she could ever forgive him. He’d hurt her too badly. Candy had spilled her guts to him and he’d really hurt her.
To think that he expected her to just jump into bed with him when he presented her with jewelry. She could see he was hurting and angry but it was no excuse. Sky had been wrong, he was never going to be able to get over her past. He was the biggest damned hypocrite alive. She wasn’t going to think about him again.
Not ever!
It floored her how he could be so kind and loving and so cruel. Why had he done it? What had gone through his mind?
No!
She wasn’t thinking about this. It hurt too much. So much so that she struggled to breathe. A sob left her and she covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. It was done. She wasn’t about to cry. Torrent didn’t deserve her tears. Asshole.
She pushed off the door and walked to her bedroom. She needed to busy herself with packing. First things first, she opened the safe. It contained her documents and a diamond tennis bracelet that Charles had given to her. She wore it from time to time when she was with him. It hurt just looking at the piece of jewelry. It made her think of Torrent … the asshole. She put the bracelet back in the safe. If only she’d thought to leave some money in there.
Her bank cards and cash had been in her handbag when she was taken. The bag that was lying on the ground next to the car. The one she had dropped when Ellis had man-handled her.
She would need to walk into town. She could withdraw money inside the bank and catch the next bus out of town. She’d didn’t care where it was headed, as long as she was on it.
The walk into town was a good couple of miles. Best she pack light. She’d think about her future when she was far enough away and able to actually think stra
ight.
Candy pulled out a wheely bag. It was more of an overnight bag but she folded her garments carefully and got three changes of clothes and her toiletry bag into it. She changed into jeans and a t-shirt, tying a sweater around her waist. Then she put on a pair of sneakers. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she grabbed the bag and left, locking the door behind her. She’d get ahold of her landlord and give notice. She’d have to organize for the rest of her things to be removed. Her head hurt.
Not thinking about this now!
One step at a time. Get to town. Withdraw money. Get out of town. Easy. She put one foot in front of the other. Everything was going to be just fine. Candy swallowed hard, trying not to cry. She didn’t need anyone in her life. She certainly didn’t need an asshole like … him. Not saying his name.
Torrent.
She pictured his blond hair, his pale eyes. She pictured his easy smile. Her body could still recall how good it felt being wrapped up in his arms. How safe she had felt. For the first time in her life she’d felt like someone really cared about her. If that was true, he would never have said those things. He would never have hurt her in that way.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she never heard the car approach.
She started when she heard his voice. “Get into the car, Candy.”
She didn’t have to look. She knew that voice almost as well as she knew her own. She recognized the convertible. Candy ignored him and kept on walking.
“Get in,” Ellis said, louder this time.
“Leave me alone.” She kept her eyes on the road ahead. That prickling sensation at the back of her neck. He was watching. How long had he been staked out outside her house?
“Stop being a child and get in the car.” He sounded irritated.
“Leave me the hell alone.” She glanced his way.
His jaw was set. His eyes hard. Damn! He wasn’t going to let her go.
“I don’t want anything to do with you. Please, Ellis.” She hated to beg but she didn’t feel like she had a choice. They were in public, a residential area. Surely he wouldn’t hurt her out here. “I told you that I want out. I meant it. Let me go.”
“You’re my best girl.” His voice had a mocking edge. “Why would I do a stupid thing like that? Get in the damn car.”
“No.” She picked up the pace. Maybe she should head down one of the drives. Too risky, she would cut off her escape route if no-one was home.
Ellis cursed and slammed his hand against the steering wheel. She noticed that his other wrist was in a brace of some kind. “Get your fucking ass in the car.”
To hell with it. She dropped the bag and began to run, going in the opposite direction. Her key was still in her pocket. Maybe if she made it back to her house.
Her whole body shook from both the exertion and the fear that rushed through her. Ellis was a big guy. He was well-muscled and he was a psycho. He didn’t give two shits about her. He would pump her full of drugs and not give it a second thought. Or he would find a way to coerce and threaten her into doing exactly what he wanted.
Her hand shook as she pushed the key into the lock. Please. Please. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck. She yanked the door open and closed it in his face. It was contorted in rage. She just turned the lock in time. Not even a split second to spare.
She sank to her knees. Tears streamed down her face.
Shards of glass flew in through the window and there was a loud crash and the sound of something else breaking. It took her a second or two to register that Ellis had thrown something through her window.
Her mouth fell open. He was crazier than she had first thought. She jumped to her feet and ran for the bathroom. Maybe if she could lock herself in there. The window was too small for him to get in through. She screamed as she ran. Hopefully one of her neighbors would hear the commotion and call the police. She tripped over her own feet and almost fell. Candy staggered and pushed on.
She just got her hand on the doorknob when she was yanked back by her ponytail. She tried to scream but Ellis clamped a hand over her mouth. “You’ve been a bad girl.” He was breathing hard. “Hiring someone to take me out.” He shook his head. “Well, they did a bad job princess and you should’ve stayed lost. Did I ever mention that some of my clients have rape fetishes?”
She moaned, the sound smothered behind his fingers.
“They pay excellent money for girls willing to pretend. I wonder what they would be willing to put down for the real thing.” Ellis laughed and her blood ran cold.
Chapter 18
Torrent sat upright and sucked in a breath. It hurt like a bitch. Coming back from the dead was a favorite pass time of his … not! He pulled in some more air, being careful this time. His chest burned. Everything ached.
His nostrils flared as he picked up her scent. Candy. His female. His. It was her lingering scent on the sheets. She wasn’t here anymore. His female was gone.
No, not his. Not anymore. She never had been. Pain flooded him and he moaned. It was internal pain and it was way worse than anything physical he had ever felt.
Torrent slumped back into his blankets and pillows.
“I’m so glad you are awake.” It was Sky. The female hovered around him. She tucked in a sheet and poured a glass of water. “Drink this, my lord.”
Torrent growled from the pain as he turned over onto his side. “Leave me.” He didn’t want to see her or anyone else for that matter.
‘You need to drink and to eat. You also need to be eased, it will help the healing process. Shall I call Ocean? Another female?” She sounded angry. Her voice was hard and devoid of emotion.
“No,” he choked out. “Put the water on the table and go away. I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Oh.” There was a tapping noise and he realized that it was her foot against the floor. Tap, tap, tap. “So you’re just going to lie there and wallow in self pity? Whatever you said, or did, to that female, it had to have been really terrible for her to have left.”
Torrent grumbled below his breath.
“She was so afraid to talk to you. I told her that you would accept her and forget her past. I was sure you would … never mind. I was clearly wrong.”
“Do you know then? Did she tell you?”
“No! It was between the two of you.” She began to walk away and then changed her mind and turned back. “She was ready to take the next step. That female loved you.”
“No, she didn’t,” he snarled. “She didn’t want me as a mate. That much was clear. No wonder I became angry. No-one would blame me for my actions.”
“What did you do?” There was a rustling noise and when he turned around she had her arms folded. Tap, tap, tap. That damned foot again.
“Did you know that Candy sold her body to human males for money?” He immediately felt guilty for divulging something so personal. “If you ever mention this to another soul—”
Sky lifted a hand. “I’m Candy’s friend. That piece of information doesn’t change anything. I still like her and respect her. What difference does it make? We are highly sexual creatures. As long as she is faithful to you going forward, as long as she loves only you. So what if there are others in her past?”
“Money. She took money.” He sounded like an idiot.
Sky narrowed her eyes on him. “I’m sure she had her reasons.”
She did! He didn’t say anything.
“So you are angry that she rutted other males?” Sky rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath. “Do you know how stupid that sounds? What about you? How many females have you bedded? Hundreds? Thousands?”
“Not thousands,” he choked out, looking down at the sheet.
“You’re jealous. It’s as simple as that. I hope you realize it. You were jealous and did something stupid.”
“I did not,” he mumbled. There was no conviction behind his words. It didn’t matter what Sky thought. “My reaction was completely justified.”
“I know you did something
idiotic, because that human would never have left otherwise, she was too in love with your sorry ass to just up and leave.”
“I am your king.” He tried to sit up but everything hurt too much. “You will not address me in that way. I’m done listening to your bullshit.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Candy didn’t love me. She didn’t want me.”
“Of course she did.” Sky gave him a small smile. “She told me so herself. She didn’t rut you because she loves you.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“She wanted things to be right between you first. She wanted to come clean about her past and she wanted you to accept her despite it. You couldn’t do that.”
“I was so angry. So upset. The thought of her with—” he cursed. “Dammit, maybe I was jealous. I’ve never been jealous. I’ve never experienced the emotion before. I—”
“You love her, my king. You need to make things right with her.”
He shook his head. He could remember the look in her eyes. He’d broken her heart. Acted like a complete asshole and had ruined everything. “It’s too late.”
She shook her head. “You will need to grovel long and hard but I’m sure that she will forgive you in the end.”
“How can you be so sure?” He could hear the anguish in his voice but it couldn’t be helped.
“Because she loves you!” Sky yelled, sounding frustrated. She smiled. “Don’t make me keep repeating myself, my lord.”
“You’re right.” A huge load lifted off of him. Even if it took years. He didn’t care. He would win Candy back. He would make it up to her. Torrent moved into a sitting position. His head spun.
His neck hurt. Coal had snapped it, no doubt. His face blossomed with pain, as did his chest. The fire prince had done a number on him. That was for sure. Little shit! He was lucky Torrent hadn’t fought back.
Sky touched the side of his arm lightly. Pain blossomed there also. His flesh was still healing from the burns.
Torrent groaned.
“Lie back down,” her voice was soothing.
“No! I need to fetch my female,” he growled.
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