“What would I need to do to ensure the release of my sister?” Maddox asks.
“Do?” Tarek shakes his head like Maddox has lost his mind. “You wouldn’t have to do anything.”
“Surely there’s something?” Maddox shrugs. “What can I offer you? I will even give my life in exchange for her freedom.”
Tarek chuckles. “Silly boy. I already own your life.”
I step forward. “I want to lay a claim on Raven. I want to mate her.”
“Fuck that!” West growls. “She’s mine!” He beats his chest like a gorilla.
Tarek all-out laughs. “Oh, my! It looks like we have multiple parties interested in Raven. I don’t see the attraction personally, but,” he shrugs, “there you have it. I’ll tell you what…” He gets this look of excitement. “We can have a fight to the death for the girl.”
“What?” West spits out. “You can’t be serious!” He’s shaking his head.
“Oh, but I am.” Tarek looks him head-on.
“That’s utter crap, and you know it!” West shouts.
“Don’t do it!” Raven yells, her eyes on me.
“That isn’t going to happen,” Maddox says. “Forget it!”
“Okay!” Tarek shrugs. “Then I’m sending her to be mated…right now.” He clicks his fingers, and the guards holding her start to walk.
“No!” I shout. I feel a whole lot like a puppet on a couple of strings. I can see that Tarek is enjoying making me dance. What choice do I have?
Raven tries to break free. I see her pulling and riling against the two men holding onto her.
Tarek puts up his hand, and the guards halt. “The two of you can fight…or say goodbye to Raven,” he says. “I assure you that she will be mated within the hour.”
West starts to say something. His face is red and his eyes are blazing.
“Silence.” Tarek sighs as if talking is difficult. “Those of you who left so unexpectedly will be flogged with a silver-tipped whip. Fifty lashes. If you win the female, West, I will let you off. Call it a wedding gift.” He smiles.
Holy fuck, but this asshole is barbaric. I’m not sure a person could survive that kind of beating. Even a demigod. This is fucking insane. I feel like we’ve been dropped into the Dark Ages.
“The rest of you will be properly welcomed into our fold,” he goes on, looking from me to Jarrod and then the rest of the guys. “We welcome you with open arms.” Again, he opens his arms like he’s Jesus or something.
“We’re not staying!” Night shouts.
“Forget it!” Forge roars, his eyes blazing. I am sure that he is thinking of his wife and young son waiting for him. Night is thinking of his family too.
“We already belong to a weyr,” I say, trying to keep the growl out of my voice. “We have friends and family who would miss us. Who would come looking for us. We left word of our movements. You can’t make us stay! If you do, you can expect a war.” I am bluffing. I doubt our weyr would go to war over a bunch of demigods, but this asshole doesn’t know that. Our weyrs are not in contact. At least, I fucking hope they aren’t. I keep my eyes on Tarek’s, making sure I look confident. I’m bluffing my ass off. This had better work.
He chuckles. “Nicely played, young man. Leave then, but they stay.” He points at Maddox. “She stays.” He points at Raven. “Your weyr has no jurisdiction over my own.”
21
Raven
“Doesn’t look like they’re going to fight,” Lance whispers in my ear. “I’m looking forward to our mating,” he adds, his breath hot. “I can’t wait.” He leers at me. I’m wondering why he isn’t objecting to this whole ‘fight to the death’ bullshit if he’s so adamant about mating me. I have a feeling Tarek will pit West and Stephan in a fight to the death and then still hand me over to this jerk. We have no leverage. As happy as I was to see my group, I know this is a bad idea. They should not have come for me, not without bringing an army, or a request from their weyr leader…something. This is going to end badly.
“I can’t wait to put you on all fours—” Lance whispers.
“Shut up,” I snarl at him.
He chuckles. I see Stephan take a step forward. “We won’t leave them. They are a part of our weyr now. We arrived together, and we’ll leave together,” he says.
“I need to strongly object, on that note,” Tarek says.
“We’re taking Raven, and we’re leaving,” Maddox all but snarls. I can see he’s working hard to keep it together.
“No, you’re not!” Tarek says. “We’re talking in circles, and it’s starting to irritate me.”
“I’m not leaving without Raven,” Stephan says, folding his arms.
I don’t want anything to happen to him. I’m so nervous, my throat is dry.
“You can’t have her,” West snarls at Stephan. “Raven’s place is with me.”
I want to roll my eyes. West is being…I guess he’s being West. He really needs to let this go. Let us go. I wish he would. He thinks I haven’t forgiven him for cheating on me, and he’s so wrong. I have! The cheating was a byproduct of a bad relationship. I love West, but only as a friend. It’ll never be more. I’m not on the rebound. West and I have been over too long for that to be a possibility.
Hearing Stephan claim me publicly has only solidified that fact for me. I know it’s possible he only did it to try to help me, not because he actually wants to claim me, but I don’t care. I felt something when he said the words. Just as I felt something when I bit down into him. It felt right. We feel right. I’m hoping we can somehow get out of this. I want to tell him what he means to me before we are forced to hit the road yet again. Maybe one day… Maybe he’ll wait for me. It all sounds so dramatic, but there it is…my life! I push all of those thoughts aside because I’m getting too far ahead of myself. We need to get out of this first. My stomach is in knots.
“Looks like the two of you are interested in fighting again.” Tarek looks amused. “I think it’s a great idea. A fight to the death, and winner takes all.”
It’s a terrible idea. My heart is thrumming in my chest.
“You win,” he points at Stephan, “and you can take her when you leave. You lose, and she stays here with West.”
“That’s fucking bullshit, and you know it,” West snarls.
“Those are my terms,” Tarek says to West. “Things change. That’s one thing in life that you can count on…change. I’ve changed my mind about the girl. Either the two of you fight, or she will be mated off to someone else entirely.” He laughs. “I can’t believe Raven has so many parties interested.”
West’s face is bright red. He starts to say something and then holds back, clenching his jaw instead.
“I might be out of luck.” Lance sniffs at my hair. “But I think they’re both cowards, so maybe not. I think I’ll get you in the end, no matter what.”