Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,74
of my way.” He lurches forward and breaks free.
I think everyone is shocked at what is coming out of his mouth. They’ve let down their guard, and he’s taking advantage.
He comes at me, swinging wildly. I duck and give him a shove. I feel something. A prickle on my fingers. A prickle in my mind. I think I’m getting something from West. My physical contact is over so quickly I can’t grasp onto the thread. I don’t want to. I don’t want to read him. Things are so fucking complicated already. I don’t want to be inside his head, and he sure as shit doesn’t want me there. I hardly ever read non-humans. Why him? Why now? Maybe it’s because he’s so emotional.
West falls back, landing on his side. He snarls, jumping up to his feet almost as fast. Everyone grabs hold of him before he can come at me. He roars like a madman. He’s completely out of control at this point.
“You’re wrong!” I shout. He needs to know. “You’re so fucking wrong it’s scary. Raven is still completely loyal to you.”
West stops fighting, he’s breathing heavily but he’s listening.
“She still considers you a friend. She didn’t tell me anything about you and hardly anything about your relationship. She never once spoke badly about you. She never told me about you cheating on her. Not a bad word ever. Not fucking once. Maybe she should have, because you’re an asshole. While we’re here arguing, she’s in a fucking cage. You need to grow the hell up.” Someone needs to tell this clown how it is. How he is.
His eyes are blazing. “Don’t you dare talk to me like—”
“I listened to what you had to say,” I talk over him. “You have no idea what you had in Raven. None! I can see you don’t know her like you think you do. Even after all these years. I do feel sorry for you. You lost someone very special the day you lost Raven.”
“I lost jack-fucking-shit.” He tries to pull free, but the guys hold onto him. “Raven will still be mine. I know her. I know everything about her. You can’t erase our history. She is mine!”
“I don’t want to erase your history. You can’t erase history.” I shrug.
“Stop it!” Maddox yells. “Just stop! I agree,” he looks at West, “you’re acting like a fucking child.”
“This dickhead fucked your sister. Is that all you have to say about it?”
“Raven can make decisions for herself,” Maddox says calmly. “I’ve tried to interfere before, and I was wrong.”
West’s eyes go wild. “You can’t be happy about this. Maddox, what the hell… What the…?”
“Let’s go and talk about this,” Maddox urges West. “Somewhere private.” He pulls on his arm. I’m hoping he wants to talk some sense into him. He glances my way. “Start making plans. I’ll be down shortly.”
West just looks at me, leaning forward. His jaw is tense. His eyes on me. His whole body is bristling. Then he relaxes some and nods. “I’m only agreeing because Raven needs help. This is not the end!” he growls at me.
“Stop!” Maddox says to West, sounding frustrated. “We won’t be long,” he says, looking at me. “We need to save her. We need to plan. We also need…help, if we can get it.”
They walk away from us. The rest of my crew follow. Everyone but Jarrod.
“Don’t say it,” I tell him.
“I told you so,” my brother says. “You just stirred the fucking pot, and in a big way.”
“I’d do it again,” I say. “I only hope we’re in time to save her.”
“Before she’s mated off?”
I nod.
“She’ll never be free of her weyr. From the sounds of things, they’ll keep looking for them. Do you really want to be on the run for the rest of your life?”
“No, but I’m not sure I want to live without her either.”
“Holy shit!” Jarrod mutters. “You’re in that deep.” He scrubs a hand over his face.
I nod. “Deeper than deep. This could be something real.” I smile when I think of her. When I think of us. Then I feel all of that crumble away like dust when I think of her being held captive right now. “Let’s go inside. Maddox is right. We need to plan.”
“You need to eat.”
I shake my head.
“You need food and rest. You’re not going anywhere like that. You’re no good to Raven. No good to anyone.”
I nod. “I’ll eat while we wait for Maddox. I’m too wired to sleep.”