“I gave my word, Luna.” King Valor frowned down at his wife. “I will not go back on it, but—”
“But?” Devin growled. He seemed to be growing in size, his eyes turning red with rage. “There are no buts. You’ve already been delivered what was promised to you, more of my family’s money than you can count, and you are obligated to fulfill your end of the bargain.”
“You sold your daughter?” Jade gasped, but was suddenly pushed behind Drake.
“Jade, dammit,” Drake cursed, watching the king closely. Thank God he hadn’t heard Jade; that could have been a shit storm all on its own.
Without a doubt, Drake knew things were about to go bad. He had done his best to keep his anger in check. He had watched, listened, and come to the conclusion this deal was about to involve Jade. When the king’s eyes searched for her, he knew he was right.
“I’m sorry, Jack.” King Valor sighed with a shake of his head. He then gave the nod to one of the men in the room who had stood silently beside a door. The man gave one knock, the door opened, and they were surrounded by a small, but heavily armed pixie army. “But this is our way. I have to fulfill my bargain. You may not understand, but your men do.”
“Declan, no!” Luna cried out, but the king ignored her.
Tarron and Max shared a look with Drake. They surrounded the women as best they could.
“I have no choice but to give Devin the sister of the man who took his… my daughter.” The king glared at Devin. “But make no mistake, when my daughter is found, I will challenge you to the death before she ever leaves with you.”
“Fine.” Devin smiled, his eyes going to Jade. “Come to me, sweetheart.”
Drake stepped up, blocking the man’s gaze from landing on Jade. “Sorry, King, but there will be nothing left for you to challenge.” Drake’s voice rang throughout the room.
“Get out of the way, elf.” Devin sneered, reaching toward Jade. “The deal is done.”
“I made no deal. She is mine. I claim her.” Drake could feel the glow coming from deep within. This was the moment he had wanted with Jade, but with only one other witness. It was what made a claiming sacred. Instead, he was forced to do it in front of a room full of pixie bastards, but fine. At least they knew she belonged to him. “And I challenge you. That is my way.”
“What’s happening?” Jade whispered to Jack who was also cocooned within the safety of the three men. The man, Devin, who made her skin crawl, there was nothing attractive about this man. His hair was a greasy mess of a bad dye job; his nose was way too large for his face, and his eyes were beady. She never trusted people with beady eyes. She suddenly felt very sorry for Ariella and wanted to smack her father, the king, for even thinking of giving his daughter to this slime.
“I think Drake just claimed you for his mate,” Jack replied, his voice firm. “Even as a human I know what that means.”
“And you better claim him right back, little human, or Drakie pooh may get his ass handed to him by pixies. And that’s embarrassing as fuck for a dark elf.”
Jade wondered if he was just kidding, but the look he tossed over his shoulder at her indicated he definitely was not joking. “How?”
“I don’t know.” Max hissed. “Grab his ass and claim him, I guess. I’m a fucking werewolf, not an elf for fuck’s sake.”
Tarron grabbed her gently, pulling her next to Drake. She touched Drake’s arm and gazed up at him, noticing how beautiful he looked with the glow. It was amazing. He was amazing.
“Claim him,” Tarron whispered to her. “Just put your hand on his skin and claim him.”
“She doesn’t have to do that,” Drake hissed, still not looking at her but at Devin. “I can defeat this bastard with one hand tied behind my back and without my power.”
Jade looked at Devin, who was rolling his shoulders as if preparing for a fight. If her claiming Drake would help, then she would happily do it. She placed her hand on his and was surprised when her own skin that touched him glowed. “I claim you, Drake.”
She felt his body jerk at her words as a warm sensation coursed through her body, landing right between her legs. “Holy shit.” She fell back, shocked.
Drake gave her a brief glance, then his gaze fell to between her legs with a smile. “As soon as I finish this fucker, I’ll take care of that,” he whispered for her only, then gave her a wink. He then looked up at Tarron. “No matter what happens, she stays safe.”
“Kick his fucking ass, bro,” Max said, then pushed Drake toward Devin.
“Wait! Not here!” the king shouted. “There will only be one rule. You cannot use your power and the fight is to the death.”
“That’s two.” Max chuckled with a shake of his head. “Fucking pixies can’t count worth a shit.”
“What?” Jade tried to rush toward Drake, who was being led out of the room. “Did he say to the death?”
“No.” Max shook his head, leading her out the door while Tarron walked with Jack. “Breath. To the breath. It’s a pixie saying or some shit. Never could understand them and you just witnessed they can’t count.”
“Oh, my God! No, he can’t do this.” Jade tried to fight Max, but it was Tarron who turned and stopped her.
“Jade, stop it!” Tarron hissed down at her. “You have to be strong. He can do this with no problems, but if he is focused on you, then his chances lessen.”
“But he can’t die.” Jade’s eyes filled with tears as she tried to get one last glimpse of him. “I love him.” She looked up at Tarron, shocked at the honesty of her words. And she did. She loved him and couldn’t lose him.
“And that’s why he will win.” Tarron clipped her nose.
Holy shit, this all had to be a dream, one big, long, weird dream. But in her heart, she knew it wasn’t.
Chapter 12
Drake walked out into the sunshine, his focus on nothing more than taking this piece of shit out. He had to empty his brain from anything other than that, but Jade laying her hand on him and claiming him blew his mind.
“Remember everything I’ve taught you,” Max said, his eyes going toward Devin.
“You haven’t taught me shit,” Drake responded with a roll of his eyes.
“Oh, well, kick him in the balls.” Max gave him a nod, as if that was the best he could come up with. “That never fails.”
“You know the king is using you, right?” Tarron pushed Max out of the way. “This is the only reason he’s doing it. You kill Devin, the king keeps his hands clean and didn’t break the bargain.”
“I know.” Drake kicked off his shoes. He always fought better without shoes. His jacket came next. “Don’t care.”
Drake’s eyes went straight to Jade, who stood with Jack looking scared to death as she watched him. He walked straight up to her, leaned down, giving her a kiss. “Don’t watch,” he whispered against her cheek. “I’ll be fine.”
“Please, don’t do this,” Jade whispered back. “I can go with him then escape or something, but please, just don’t do this.”
“Finally, someone is doing something for you, Jade.” Drake took her face in both hands. “This is who I am. Making sure that the woman I love is safe. I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I trust you, but—”
“Stop touching what’s mine, asshole!” Devin yelled from across the field. “I’ve heard elves are pussies, so I should be with you soon, green eyes.”
Jade didn’t look at the man but kept her gaze on Drake. “Kick his ass,” she hissed, but then another tear slipped down. “But don’t get hurt or I’ll kick yours. Promise me!”
“Promise.” He gave her a long, hot kiss, then turned away, actively blocking her from his mind. It was fight time.
His gaze traveled to see Devin rolling his shoulders. It was about to get ugly, real ugly. Drake glanced around to see they were surrounded by pixies, the king, and his wife. The show was about to begin.
“Remember, no powers are to be used, and no me
rcy. No one is to interfere, or they answer to me!” King Valor yelled. “Begin!”
“Don’t need powers to finish this fucker off.” Drake cracked his neck back and forth. He was a patient fighter. Liked to wait for the attack, and he didn’t have to wait long. He kept his hands down, needing pain to do what needed to be done.
Devin, who was almost his own size, reared back, landing a crushing blow to Drake’s jaw. The look of satisfaction on the man’s face quickly turned to confusion when Drake just looked up with a large grin. Never in his life had he felt such a desire to hurt someone, but knowing what this man would get if he won was not an option. Jade belonged to him and no one else.
“That’s all you got?” Drake’s voice was filled with rage as he began his own assault. “You’re fucked.”
If it was one thing Drake could do, it was fight. Being a dark elf, one had to know how to fight, or they died early deaths. People thought pixies were bad… well, wait till they met a dark elf.
He and Devin circled each other, sizing each other up. As soon as Devin came in to land something, Drake was ready. This time Drake cracked Devin in the face with his elbow. Perfect timing. He had to give the bastard a little credit, he had caught him with some shots also. Nothing that would stop Drake, though, but a lesser man would have hit the ground.
Blood poured from Devin’s nose and mouth. He looked like a horror movie gone bad. It was time to end this shit. With speed he had yet to use, Drake unleashed on the asshole and then with one final kick to Devin’s stomach, sent him flying backward on his ass.
Drake wasn’t a killer, didn’t like to kill, but in para world, that happened sometimes. Their rules were different than humans’. If he didn’t kill this bastard, he wouldn’t leave the king’s home alive, and he doubted neither would the rest of them. They were badasses, but very outnumbered at the moment. And if he did succeed in not killing Devin and left him living to tell about it, Drake would always be looking over his shoulder and putting Jade in danger. That sure as fuck wasn’t going to happen.
He stalked toward Devin, but before he could get to him, Devin stood and spun. He saw the glint, but it was too late. He moved just enough that the knife missed his heart, but it stuck to the hilt in his shoulder. Motherfucker, that hurt.
“He didn’t say no weapons.” Devin grinned, wiping the blood from his nose and he pulled out another knife.
“No, he didn’t,” Drake agreed, and with lightning movements, grabbed the knife in his shoulder and pulled with everything he had. Just as the other knife left Devin’s hand, his was airborne also. Drake waited for the pain, but it never came. The knife aimed at him must have missed, but he was so focused on where his knife was going that he had lost track of it for a split second. Suddenly, a body fell into him, knocking him sideways. Just before he looked down, he watched as his knife landed right smack in the middle of Devin’s forehead. “Bull’s-eye, bitch!”
Jade gasped in horror when Drake didn’t defend himself, taking a devastating blow to the side of the head. She waited for him to go down, but instead, he snapped his head up wearing an evil grin. She couldn’t hear the words he spoke to the man, but whatever it was sent fear flashing through Devin’s eyes.
Drake then grabbed the man and tossed him to the ground, but he then stopped and stood back, letting him up. He did that three more times. Toss him, let him up. Well, it wasn’t exactly a toss; it was more of a hard slam. Each time it took the man a little longer to stand.
“He’s playing with him like a cat plays with a mouse before the kill,” Max muttered beside her.
She looked his way, and the excitement on his face disgusted her. “How can you enjoy this?”
“How can you not?” He snorted, then ignored her as he continued to watch.
The crowd started yelling and cheering. The two began circling each other, landing punches to the face, body punches, and kicks. As if tired of the game or just tired, Devin got lucky and took Drake to the ground. He maneuvered on top of him and began raining down blows.
“No!” Jade rushed forward, but Tarron stopped her.
“He’s blocking them,” Tarron informed her. “Look.”
He was right. Drake was blocking most of the blows, which made her feel a little better. The fight seemed to go on forever, and her nerves couldn’t take much more. She kept edging herself closer and closer, just wanting it to be over.
She felt excitement when Drake seemed to take on the speed of light. Everything he threw landed until he kicked Devin across the yard. She was ready to faint in relief until she saw Devin jump up, pulling something from the back of his pants. She screamed when she saw the knife sailing toward Drake. Her eyes widened in horror as Devin pulled a second knife. She saw their lips moving, but the roar of panic in her ears was the only sound she heard.
Looking toward Drake, who was pulling the knife out of his shoulder, she knew it would be too late. With no thought to anything but getting Drake out of the line of danger, she took off, ignoring the shouts behind her.
Her body collided with Drake’s, but he didn’t go down; she did as a white-hot pain slashed across her scalp. She hit the ground hard, looked up to see Drake still standing, then touched her head. Her hand came away red with blood. She just stared at it until drops slid down her face and into her eyes.
“Shit!” she whispered, feeling lightheaded at the blood. The stinging in her scalp was getting worse, and she hoped her brains weren’t exposed. Yeah, weird thoughts when she was bleeding to death.
“Son of a bitch!” Drake was now kneeling in front of her, his hands moving her hair, and she noticed the blood pouring from his shoulder.
“You’re bleeding.” She reached out to touch him, but her eyes fell on her hand covered in blood. Was it her blood or his? She didn’t know. Confusion addled her brain.
“Dammit, Jade. Talk to me. Are you okay? What in the hell do you think you were doing?” Drake’s face filled her vision. She watched his lips move, but he was asking so many questions. “And where in the fuck were you two? I told you to keep her safe.”
“She just took off like a bat out of hell.” Max was kneeling, trying to look at her scalp, but she kept pushing him away. Every time her hair moved, it stung even more.
“Stop that.” She pushed at Tarron. “It hurts.”
“Well, I guess it does, Wonder Woman.” Tarron snorted. “You got a nice knife gash at the hairline. You scared ten years off me, which you will be repaying with meals and such.”
“Get out of the way.” A little man with dark pinkish hair walked up. “I’m the king’s physician. Let me see the girl. Then I’ll take care of him.”
“No, he’s hurt worse than me.” She tried to push the little man toward Drake, but Drake growled at her.
“I swear, I will blister your ass if you don’t let him take a look at you,” Drake hissed, for her ears only. “And that’s not even close to what I’m going to do to you for this stunt.”
Jade sat back, sucking her lips between her teeth to keep her mouth shut and let the doctor look at her head. She knew Drake was pissed, but what did he expect her to do, watch him die? No, not happening.
“She doesn’t need stitches, but you do,” the little man said, then waved them on. “Come on, let’s get this done.”
Jade let Tarron help her up as they followed the doctor and Drake. He was mad at her, and she hated that.
“Don’t worry, he’ll get over it,” Tarron said as he entered the house.
Everyone was staring at her with wide eyes as if she were some kind of freak. “I couldn’t watch him die.” She sighed, then frowned as tears mingled with blood. “And why is everyone staring at me.”
“Because you look like a blood zombie.” Max snorted as he walked by with Jack.
“You kind of hurt his manhood out there.” Tarron stopped her with a stern look.
“What, by trying to save him? I’d do it again in a heartbeat. So if people don’t like it, they can kiss my butt and so can h
e.” She rolled her eyes, then continued to follow Drake, but the doctor stopped her at the door. “I’m coming in so don’t even try to stop me.”
Drake sat on a tall chair, his eyes burning into her. Yeah, he was pissed. She headed his way.
“Listen, I’m sorry if I hurt your little manhood.” Jade crossed her arms over her chest with a frown, the drying blood pulling on her skin. “But if I had to do it all over again, then I would. I told you before this is who I am, and I’m not changing. I’m fine. Look, it’s not even bleeding anymore. Just a scratch. Again, I’m sorry. Kinda,” she blurted so fast she doubted he even understood half of what she said.
He just stared at her, and she started to fidget when he remained silent. Shit, this wasn’t going the way she thought it should. Seriously, how could anyone be mad when someone tried to help them? He really seemed to have a problem with that.
“Well, that’s it.” She shrugged and gave him one last look before turning away and heading toward the door. “That’s all I wanted to say. Except you’re freaking welcome for trying to help save your life, asshole.” The asshole, she whispered to herself.
“Stop!” His tone was demanding enough to stop her on a dime. She turned, giving him a glare, but he was staring at the doctor. “Leave us.”
“But I need to—” The doctor tried to pull rank, but the look on Drake’s face stopped him. Instead of arguing, he walked to the door and left them alone.
“My manhood is not little.” Drake stood from the chair and stalked toward her. “And I appreciate you trying to save my life, but my life didn’t need to be saved. I had it under control. I know exactly who you are, what you are, how you taste, how you scream when my cock is inside you, what parts of your body you like caressed, and there’s plenty more I know about you. So never doubt I know you.”
Claiming Jade Page 8
