Chapter 16

SIXTEEN

Cobar

The anger that's been boiling beneath the surface breaks free. Kill. That's the only thought in my mind. I need to kill any and everyone who comes near me–everyone who has been here and worked to hold Cassia captive. Each of these men is complicit in holding Cassia here, keeping her away from me. Each of them deserves to die. We aren't usually harsh on humans, but today is different.

In a frenzy, I charge at the closest man to me. He's dressed in dark, tattered clothing. His dagger looks dull, and his eyes are hazy. A drunk. She's been forced to be in the company of thieving drunks.

I slam into him, surprising him and throwing him off guard. He drops his weapon, and I elbow him in the jaw. I don't need to dirty my sword for him.

My blow doesn't knock him out, but he scrambles to get away. The rage inside of me can't allow that. I bring my sword down through his back. He crumples.

I turn away from this battle and scan the grounds for Cassia. We can fight all day, but we've come here for her. She's all that matters. The killing can be finished later.

More men run at me as I search for my mate. This time I use my sword and my magic. I can't count how many men I've annihilated. How many men are there? Too many, it seems.

I've just killed two men. A third approaches. I see the hesitation in his eyes, the fear etched across his face. I step forward, keeping my gaze on him. We size each other up in the silence that lingers around us. Then he lurches toward me.

I gingerly step out of the way, making him swing his dagger at the air around him. I swipe at him with my sword, and his dagger falls to the ground. Defenseless, he stumbles backward, begging for his life. In my day-to-day life, I'm merciful. I consider it.

That's when I hear her. Cassia screams as a large man carries her off. Mercy is for those who deserve it. I raise my sword high above me, and I cut through the man's chest and leave him to bleed out.

The other princes also move with a new found fierceness at the sound of her voice. We've finally found her, and we will cut and kill our way through all of these humans to get her back.

I take off in Cassia's direction.

A large woman cuts me off. She looks like she can fight. Maybe she's a warrior, but I'm usually opposed to hurting women.

I contemplate this for a beat too long because she manages to punch me in my stomach. I double over, the wind knocked out of me momentarily, but I regain my senses in enough time to stop her next blow with my hand. For a human, she's very strong. I don't want to hurt her, and it's not in my nature to hit women, but I have a nagging suspicion that she plays a big part in this whole operation with Cassia. And when it comes to Cassia, anyone's fair game.

She wrenches her hand out of mine and pulls out a dagger. She jabs it in my direction several times, making me contort my body to avoid being stabbed. She's all fire. Fear hasn't even crossed her face. She's braver than any of those three men I just killed.

Yet, she's also in my way.

"What's your deal, lady?" I yell as I dodge her dagger and leap out of her grasp.

I hadn't expected to see another woman here. Kidnapping's more of a man's technique.

She glares. "You royal fae just take whatever you want. You have no respect for anyone else in this world. The girl is mine now. I'm going to keep her forever."

Her words ignite a fire inside of me. So she was involved in taking our Cassia like she's something to be stolen and locked away. I wind my sword up above my head and bring it down on the warrior woman as she tries to escape. My sword makes contact with her shoulder, slashing it open.

She lets out a guttural scream.

I catch a flash of Cassia disappearing behind the house with the man. My chance to get to Cassia is now . I leap over this woman as she lies bleeding on the ground and sprint in the direction I saw the man with Cassia go in. Pushing my legs, I urge myself to move as fast as I possibly can, teleporting every few feet. I'm afraid to go too far and miss where he's taking her.

My heart thunders in my chest. I have to get to her. Who knows what that man will do to her .

I round the back of the house and stop in my tracks, hardly believing what I see. There's blood everywhere. I blink a few times, trying to make sure I'm seeing this right.

"How do you like that?" Cassia's screaming at the body of the man. She's holding his sword, and there's a gaping wound in his back. "Now you're dead at the hands of a princess. How do you like them apples?"

She starts kicking his body angrily, gritting her teeth. I gawk, but I don't interrupt. Apparently, she needs to get this out of her system.

"You're just a little punk. A dead punk now. Holding me hostage. Making me clean up after you and your dirty ass cronies." She lands a kick on his expressionless face.

"Some villain you are, being killed with your own sword!" She stands over him, panting.

The other three princes join me. We exchange looks and stare back at Cassia. She's still assaulting the dead man and screaming at him. I don't know if we should step in. We stand in a line and watch. Her one-sided fight goes on for a few more minutes before she takes a deep breath and looks up.

Her eyes widen. "You're here!"

I take a hesitant step forward. She looks down at the man and the sword in her hand. Her face reddens, and she drops the sword. I rush to her and reach for her hands.

"Are you hurt?" I ask, looking her up and down.

Her face is swollen, a bruise growing on her pale skin. There's a miserable-looking mark around her ankle that will need to be treated, but she looks to be in one piece. And her attitude certainly hasn't been destroyed.

"I'm fine," she says and pulls me into a hug. The rest of the guys join in.

And it's nice. More than nice. We're all covered in blood, sweaty and dirty, but we're all together.

The ache in my chest finally eases, and I wish I could hold her forever. I wish this moment could last forever.

"You really know how to make a grand entrance," she says as she pulls away from our hug. "I bet you killed a lot of those assholes, given your stench."

"You don't quite smell like a princess yourself," I tease, and my heart feels so damn full.

We're here. With our mate. Teasing and joking. Together at last.

Her nose wrinkles like I've insulted her greatly. "I was kidnapped. What's your excuse? There's no fae power that simulates a shower?"

I laugh and pull her back into a tight hug. To my delight, she returns it.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Zane asks her, his expression serious, but his eyes filled with concern.

She pulls out of my hug. "I've got some bumps and bruises here and there, but things could've been a lot worse." She nibbles her lip, gives a strange look, and steps to the side to hug him.

Did she really think he wouldn't want her to hug him? He wraps his arms around her, and I can see the relief wash over his face. I know the feeling.

When she draws back, Sulien takes her face in his hands. "Who did that to you?"

She casts her eyes to the guy on the ground. "Him. But I got him."

"We saw that," I tease.

Her cheeks turn red. "What? He really deserved it."

We all laugh .

Sulien looks like he wants to say something, but he lets her go.

Now, it's Forrest's turn. "I killed a lot of men for you."

She grins. "There! You finally learned the way to a woman's heart!"

"So I have your heart?" he asks.

She looks flustered. "How about a hug for now?"

He doesn't hesitate. He scoops her up like she weighs nothing at all, which she does, and squeezes her so tightly I have to tell him to put her down. Forrest does, reluctantly, but he seems pleased that she isn't bolting from him already.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the woman I cut slipping into the woods. I nudge Sulien.

"Should we stop her?" I ask, pointing in her direction. She's moving slowly with that injury. She probably won't make it far on her own.

Cassia turns to see who we're talking about. Her eyes soften as she watches the woman limp away. The woman is practically dragging herself to the trees lining the back of the house. Cassia stares until the woman disappears into the forest. With a sigh, Cassia turns back to us.

"Let her go. She's been punished enough."

And we do. Not because we think that's true, but because all we care about is Cassia, and she's finally here with us now.

Without hesitation, I reach for the iron cuffs at her wrists and bite down on a hiss of pain as I rip them from her wrists. The iron falls away onto the ground, and I feel anger rise inside of me at the burn marks left behind. These bastards. If they could give more than their lives for what they did, I would make them.

But now isn't the time for anger. It's time to focus on our sweet mate. "You're free now, Cassia, and no one is ever going to hurt you again."

She doesn't look afraid, just locks eyes with me. "Is my family okay?"

Of course she's worried about her family. "They're safely at the palace."

There's one second where she looks relieved and happy beyond belief, and then her knees crumple, and I'm there, catching her in my arms. My mate. My bride. My everything. Safe in my arms again.