Switched!
Twenty-One
Fight
November 1, 2010
8:20 PM
Monday
"What do you want with us?" I snarled, edging Derek behind me with one hand. Hot blood seeped down my side, down my pant-leg, and the overwhelming metallic smell made me dizzy but I refused to show weakness in front of Zachary and Liam; the minute I did, Liam would surely go after Derek.
"Nothing too bothersome," Zachary crooned, leaning back against the brick wall behind him. "Just my son." His eyes stared expectantly at us, as though he was expecting me to hand over my mate, no questions ask.
The growl that tore through was all beast as I shoved Derek back further, my eyes locked on Zachary's smug smile. I could feel my lips pulling back and baring my teeth. "No," I hissed as Liam lunged out of the shadows for the second time.
I threw Derek away from me, watching him roll towards the entrance, and felt Liam's sharp weight hit my chest. I landed hard, knocking the breath out of me, as Liam fingers wrapped around my neck, squeezing.
"Chloe!" my mate screamed hysterically as Liam squeezed and squeezed. I managed to put my hands on his side and stab into his scar. He yelped and fell away, allowing me to catch my breath.
Liam was out for blood as he caught me head-on, pinning me to the ground.
"Chloe!" Derek yelled again as I managed to wedge my knees against Liam's chest and push. He rolled backwards, snarling as I got to all fours and launched myself at him. To say I was mad was an understatement. I was livid. Not only had my mate's psychotic father basically demanded him over like an object, he'd had his lackey come at Derek and me. He had the nerve to attack not only me but Derek.
I heard the crack as Liam's head hit the pavement below and I could hear the vicious snarls coming out of me, wild and untamed, and all I saw was red. Every punch I landed drew arcs of sweet blood and I wanted to see Liam's brains splattered. He was struggling as hard as he could, his nails raking my face with millions of scratches, hitting my side, digging his nails into my bad arm, even ripping out my hair like this was a cat-fight, but, if he made contact, I didn't feel one bit of pain. All I wanted was blood.
Kill, kill, kill, Nadia chanted viciously, frothing at the mouth.
"Chloe, stop!" A pair of warm arms wrapped around my abdomen, just below my breasts, and the aroma of fresh soap and damp soil assaulted me.
Mate, my wolf crooned, immediately sated by him scent.
Derek. His name trickled through my thoughts like a stream. The red haze melted away and the overpowering stench of blood filled my lungs.
I gagged. I was by no means squeamish but it smelled like I had hit an artery.
Blood ran down the sides of Liam's face from his swelling nose and several teeth were missing; the rest of his face was decorated with cuts and scratches and red marks that would undoubtedly form bruises later.
The arms across my stomach tugged unsuccessfully, but it pulled my head out of the blood-lust clouds.
Derek. I twisted my head to look back at him but he wasn't looking down; he was pale, more so than usual, and he looked sickly. I quickly realized I was still sitting on Liam so I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the wetness on my hands, and backed up, Derek releasing me the minute I started to move. I couldn't say I blamed him.
"Young pups are always so volatile but I don't think I've been able to witness such brutality in person. Exquisite, if I must say so myself," Zachary mused.
I whipped back around, feeling shaky probably from the crash of adrenaline, and was staggered by the iron-hot pain all over me. My face was stinging from the scratches and my head felt like hair had been ripped from my scalp none too delicately; my arm was boiling from both road rash and from where Liam's nails had reopened my wound, but that was nothing compared to the branding-iron hot poker that was my side wound, blood steadily seeping across my side and dripping down my hip.
My lips pulled back on their own accord, snarls rumbling out of me, deep from inside my chest. "Leave us alone," I growled, tasting the blood that was running down my face and into my mouth.
"Chloe," Derek whispered in my ear, tugging on my sleeve, "please we should—"
Zachary strode forward and I tensed, shoving Derek back behind me again, my snarling shifting into deeper growls. My side was on fire, but I pushed the pain to the back of my mind. "I only want what is mine," Zachary said flatly.
"No!" I spat, letting the bloodied spittle fly from my mouth and onto his shoe.
He paused, stared down at his shoe, and then, faster than I could react, threw his foot out, hitting me square in the face.
I was thrown backwards, tumbling with Derek over and over until we stopped, just inside the entrance. My face throbbed and felt too hot as I lay there, panting heavily while I attempted to get my bearings. "Derek," I managed to rasp out, "run."
"No. I won't leave you alone," he told me fiercely as he crawled to his feet.
From my position on the ground, I could smell the sharp tang of his blood and craned my neck to look him over for scrapes or cuts. There was a wide hole in his jeans along his thigh, revealing ragged skin and there was a long cut along one cheek. Something gleamed in his fist but it was too dark for me to make out what it was.
"Don't come any closer," my mate advised as he stood in front of me, widening his stance.
Zachary simply smiled.