43. Draven

I haven't ran this fast since I was in the maze, charging toward the exit of five to save a life that was good. Too good for this world.

My calves protest the uneven terrain, but I'm grateful the dogs aren't on my heel. I can actually hear them panting and barking ahead of me, which means whether its Max or Ben they are chasing, the hunt hasn't ended.

Or has it?

As I come upon them, they are turned back toward me, ready to return to their kennels. I'm not surprised they pay me no mind, they likely smell Shade on me, the Alpha in their world. He has been with me for years, it's the only reason they would see me as theirs as well.

If I could have had Shade run with Max through here, that would have been preferred. Unfortunately, that would have broken those fucking rules. Even though, in the end, I did anyways.

I'm not at all sure if I took the same route as Max, but as I'm passing the hounds, I don't see her. The safe zone is before me, indicated by the ground that isn't disturbed.

She isn't there, and for a moment, I'm wondering if I may have been too hasty to think she couldn't handle it.

I don't stop running, but I trace my fingers along the necklace that will soon end my life. I recall that if she or Ben had escaped, the collars would have started their own countdown, ticking down to a fatal slice.

She is still here.

And so is Ben.

I'm about to cross the safe areas lining when I hear her…

"Draven! Please!" It's faint, too far. I didn't think it was possible for me to run any faster than I was.

"Draven!!" Something is wrong, so fucking wrong. She wouldn't be calling for me unless it were so. I can't be too late, not again.

Stupid girl… Why didn't you stay with me?

Fucking stupid, perfect, Little Sheep.

Fight!

I see the hedgerow, and the gap she likely slipped through, which is far too small for me. Knowing there is likely a barrier and I can't just throw myself through it, I take one long stride and place a foot onto nearly halfway up the likely nine-foot-high wall.

I don't fumble much when I push forward, finding the top of the solid structure, the bushes cutting into my face as I throw myself up.

"Draven!" This time, it isn't my girl that calls for me; it's the livestock I've come to slaughter.

He is mocking her.

With a grunt, I forcefully throw myself over the hedges. The drop not far as I land, and immediately propel myself forward. They are a yard from me, and the fear I had felt now melted into rage. I can't black out; I have to stay focused. Even if my anger is slowly consuming my vision.

Red, as if my eyes are bleeding, overtakes my world.

"Ben please!!" A high pitch sound pierces my consciousness.

"Open up Max, there's a good girl."

My hand consumes the entirety of the back of his neck as the last of his words come from his lips. A cry is the only thing he can muster before I am lifting and throwing him from on top of her.

I don't even give him the means to gather his thoughts on what is happening. I'm above him as he attempts to cower backward, my foot planting hard against his chest, the crack under it sending nothing but joy through my being.

"Please—" he wheezes, "She's not—"

My eyes round as I lift my boot from his chest, and immediately slam it into his mouth. The break of his jaw under it sounding like crunching leaves in the dry desert heat. His shriek as I move is gargled and muddled. The sight of his teeth falling backward into his throat makes my lips twitch.

As he tries to shift to turn onto his side, I put my foot back onto his chest—right where I kicked the first time. It's then I kneel down, my rage peeling straight from my chest. "I could torture you for the rest of my life for what you just did to what is mine ."

His hands, which were fumbling about move to cover his shrunk cock. Suppose he isn't all stupid.

"Unfortunately for me, I don't have too much of that left. Guess you are fortunate to die quickly." I seethe through the last of my words. It's funny he thinks his hands will stop me.

Taking my hunting knife out I raise it and with as much force as I can muster, I drive the blade straight through his hands and into his cock. He coughs a scream, and I can hear the blood and teeth in his throat fighting to go down. Tears falling from his eyes, drawing lines down his temples.

I can hear Max behind me, but I can't tell what she is saying—or even if she is calling for me. I don't hear anything but his cries.

I'm over him, straddling his torso and landing a punch across his face. The immediate swelling of his temple and eye pleases me, but it's not enough. I straighten his face, and deliver another powerful punch.

Leaning in, "You are filth, and you fucked with Death itself." My whisper is laced with toxic rage I spit across his face. I want as much time with Max right now as I can get, and having him breathing is hindering that. So, as much as it pains me to end his life so quickly, I will do it.

Three fingers tuck into his open mouth, hooking his lower jaw. With my other hand, I mirror the action at the upper teeth. He squirms under me, and with a heavy intake of air, I tear my hands outward.

The cracking of his jaw as it breaks comes with his loud, unhinged scream. Blood spurts upward from his throat, but I completely ignore his calls for survival. His eyes bulge, and with absolutely no remorse, I tear his jaw apart.

I'm unable to separate the skin at the corner of his lips, so I release the bottom of his jaw and reach around for my knife. If I had all the strength in my right arm, I may have been able to tear it. Skin is as tough as leather, and I have torn it before, but I'm incapable of it now.

Without hesitation, I apply pressure as I slice the corners of his lips, straight through to the skin, muscles, and nerves. I cut until I'm satisfied, and drop my knife, before growling, "Open up, Ben."

I pull him so far apart his head bows inward, and his tonsils are visible without obstruction. He died the moment I broke his jaw, or at least went into shock and blacked out. His heart has stopped now, and I release the breath I had been holding.

Piece of shit…

"Draven…" Her voice finally finds its way into my ears, and I turn toward her.

"Max."