Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,73

us would have been captured.”

“You should have sacrificed yourself, then.” West narrows his eyes.

“Take it easy,” Maddox says.

“I’m stronger and faster than Raven. I’m not convinced she would have made it out, even if I had put myself up as bait. One of us had to make it out. The odds were on me. It’s not what I wanted, I assure you. Leaving Raven was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” I look at Maddox when I say it.

“Don’t say that,” West says. “You don’t even know her. What…? It’s been days since you met her…days.” West takes a step towards me. Then another. “You don’t know her for shit. Not like I know her. Inside and out. She’s not yours.” That finger is in my face again.

“She’s not yours either.” I can’t help myself. If it means getting smacked in the face again, I don’t care. I’m sick of this asshole.

“Do you want to fucking bet? I am—” I see his nostrils flare. He sniffs openly. He blinks a few times. “Why do you scent so strongly of Raven?”

I want to tell him to go and fuck himself. That it’s none of his business. “We’ve been holed up together,” I say simply. He doesn’t need to know anymore.

“No…” He shakes his head. He sniffs again. “No fucking way…” His eyes are moving up and down me. He sniffs some more. Then he sees my hand. “What the fuck is that?” I know he’s spotted the bite Raven gave me. It’s a faint scar, but it’s there.

“What the fuck do you think?” I know I shouldn’t bait him, but I’m done. Maybe I can get a punch in before he breaks me. I’m just too weak to stand any kind of chance.

His eyes move from my hand to my face and back. “You wouldn’t scent that strongly, unless… Fuck! Unless…” I can see his mind working. I see him trying to deny the obvious. Refusing to believe. I see that moment when he can only draw one conclusion. I read murder in his eyes.

I raise my fists. With the way I’m feeling, I’m going to take a beating, but I won’t let him come at me without trying to hit him back…at least once. Maddox and Barrett grab his arms, but West almost breaks free. Again, I stand my ground. I keep my eyes on his. I don’t kiss and tell. Raven means a lot to me. I won’t be discussing her or anything that happened between us with this asshole or anyone else.

Zale grabs West around his waist. He roars and twists and does everything in his power to break free. I’m grateful when Jarrod comes and stands to my left and Lyre to my right. It takes nearly a minute for West to calm down, and even then, I still see hate in his eyes. Pure hate. “You prick!” he pushes out. He looks like he’s ready to cry.

I feel sorry for him. I can’t help it. I still think he’s an asshole, though. I’ll still beat his ass if it comes to it.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that!” he yells. “Like you pity me. You don’t get to pity me! I’m sure the two of you did more than just fuck. You more than likely talked about me. You don’t need to admit it. I know you did. I’m sure Raven told you every-fucking-thing about me…about us. How my mom fucked every god…” He laughs. “That’s why I don’t know who my father is. Could be any of them. It’s how she became addicted to a mixture of wine and nectar. How she died in her own vomit.”

I shake my head.

“Don’t deny it. Don’t you fucking dare. I know. You probably laughed about all of it.”

“No…that’s not—” I start.

“I know she told you about Raider. About that day…” His eyes cloud. “She left me long before she walked out the door. What was I supposed to do? I made a mistake. A fucking mistake. She wouldn’t listen. Did you guys laugh about that too?” His eyes are shimmering. He looks even more like he wants to cry. “I’m sure she told you all about how I cheated on her. What else should I have done? All I got was the cold shoulder. Fuck!” he growls, looking at his shoes. Then his hateful eyes are back on me. “I know she’ll give me another chance. I know she will if you get the fuck out