Page 98 of Resisted
I hardly heard him beg through the growls and screams happening behind me. But even so, it would not stop me, and the look in his eyes told me he knew his efforts were pointless. My wolf and I were one, our decisions made in unison, and neither of us wanted to see him leave this island alive. My animal’s tongue lolled out before she slowly licked her lips, tasting the blood that coated them.
Then without warning, we struck. The very teeth and lips we licked clean of blood were soiled again as our sharp incisors dug into his jugular, blood gushing into our mouth and down our throat before we could pull away. I wanted to gag, but my wolf? She savored the taste like the finest of wine before pulling back from his throat and pinning his body down with her heavy paws. His eyes were glassing over, but his heart still beat.
“Please.” His voice was weak, his life barely hanging on as the blood rapidly spilled from his wound. “I just want to live.”
But he’d chosen to die the moment he decided to hunt my people. The moment he picked a life not of love, but torture and pain of others, was the moment he gave up his right to die in comfort and peace. He didn’t deserve the privilege of wanting to live when he had helped so many of my people find their way to death.
Our paw lifted off his body before smashing down on his neck, grinding the weight of our body into his wound before finally using our claw to sever his artery. His mouth opened in pain, but no sound came out before he drifted off, his life leaving him indefinitely.
My wolf showed no regard for the life she’d just taken. Using his body as a springboard to launch herself to the other side of the room, she stalked toward the man who used to have the detonator, forcing him toward a corner. He backed up slowly with each step she took forward, her movements slow. As soon and Rig’s wolf joined her side, followed by Roth, panic began to set in. His eyes grew as big as saucers, and when his back hit the wall, realization set in that he had no exit.
“I wasn’t going to blow him up.”
Wasn’t going to blow him up? Like that single comment made up for the fact that my mate, my subpack’s alpha, my family, was so broken and bruised, he could barely stand. It wasn’t good enough, nothing he said would ever be good enough to make up for what he’d done to someone who was mine.
Mine.
My wolf echoed my thoughts as she glanced toward Silas, who was barely able to support his own weight as he tried to stand.
Mine.
She growled again, and then we heard the answering reply, Silas’ deep voice echoing inside my head as he said,Always have been, Belladonna.My wolf, the hussy, nearly purred with approval.
“It wasn’t a real bomb,” the guy in front of us stated.
“Try again, Russ.” This time, it was Silas’ weak voice spoken out loud, mirroring the thoughts of us all. “We all can smell the ammonium nitrate.”
“But it wasn’t linked to the detonator.” His voice tumbled over the explanation.
This time, it was Boyce who chimed in as his fingers touched the fur on my back, stroking it lovingly. “The thing is, Russ,” he emphasized the name that Silas had used, “there would be no point in adding the ammonium nitrate if you weren’t hooking it up to a controller of some sort.” Boyce removed the detonator from his pocket and held it up. “But just in case, I’ll just go ahead and press this button here. It’s the black one for the collar explosives, right?”
Boyce’s finger hovered over the black button, taunting the human in front of us, and though I knew he would never press that button, my wolf’s body tensed. The man, Russ, jolted forward with his hands up. “No, stop! Don’t press that button.”
Boyce laughed, and I’d never heard a sinister sound like that from my mate before, but my wolf decided she liked it. A lot. The human side of me… Well, I had to agree that it added a deliciously dangerous aspect to my normally cheery mate. When his laughter faded, he turned, strolling over to Silas before bending down and collecting the collar they had removed from Silas’ neck.
He looked at the device in his hand for a moment before strolling over to the Russ. “I guess we won’t be needing this.”
“No. No. No. No,” Russ begged as he tried to plaster himself against the brick wall, but it was no use. He couldn’t escape Boyce, and even if he managed, he would still have the rest of us to contend with. Though I wished he would try. My wolf emitted a low growl at the thought, wanting to tear into him, break him apart piece by piece until there was nothing recognizable left of the person to be claimed by any human.
Boyce ignored his pleas, and if I had to guess, each word of fear that fell from Russ’ lips only encouraged Boyce more as he used his body to pin Russ to the wall and his hands to snap and secure the collar in place around his neck. “It’s a little tight, but I think it will do for now. Wouldn’t you agree, buddy?”
Boyce slapped him on the shoulder like they were old friends, but his friendliness wasn’t fooling anybody. As he stepped back, the man began to sob, fat tears running down his dirty face. “Please. I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?” Boyce questioned.
“Anything.”
“Well first, let’s just test this out.” With a push of a button, the man’s body shook, his eyes rolling back before he fell to the floor. It lasted seconds, but the time dragged on, the torture too satisfying to stop. When the man became lucid, his watery eyes blinking a few times, Boyce announced, “Perfect.”
Then Boyce turned on his heels. Coming toward me, he bent down, his breath fanning the fur of my ears as he whispered, “You can have a bite or two, but don’t kill him. I’ve got other plans.”
With a pat on the head, he stood, and I didn’t hesitate. My animal jolted forward, jaws open, ready and excited for the taste of fresh blood to coat her tongue.
Chapter 44
BOYCE
I hadn’t plannedon things going this far, but when an opportunity to get even a smidgen of payback for what this man and his people had done to my alpha landed in my lap, I couldn’t say no. I didn’t want to say no. I wanted to watch him suffer, knowing that when he took his last breath, it was a painful one.