Page 101 of Blood Red Rage

“Ceasar is getting away.”

“DRINK THE FUCKING BLOOD!” Volken's roar shook the building, which finally gets through to me as I stared at him. My brother's face was covered in blood. Some his, most not. His eyes were fucking terrified. “Drink,” he orders again.

I grabbed his wrist, blood hit my tongue, power followed, hot, ancient, Dragic. My brother's blood. The wound burned like a motherfucking poker was digging into me. I tore away with a roar.

“Fuck!”

“Again.”

“It's not healing.”

“Again!”

I drank as Lucien pressed both hands against my wound. I nearly punched him from the pain. “Hold him!”

Draugr grabbed my shoulders. “GET THE FUCK OFF ME!”

“Stop fighting us!”

“Ceasar!”

“CEASAR DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER IF YOU'RE DEAD!” Lucien's words cut through everything. I froze. Dead? Bryn. My child. Fuck no. No, no, no. The bond. I reached for it. Bryn. I sensed her there, warm, alive, safe. Fear rushed through it. She felt something, of course she fucking did.

“Phone.” I grunt but nobody moved. “My fucking phone!”

Lucien stared at me. “You're bleeding out and you want your phone?”

“Bryn.” That was all I needed to say. Draugr immediately reached into my jacket. The screen was cracked but he handed it to me. My fingers barely worked.

“Don't tell her,” I said.

Lucien stared. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Don't tell her how bad.”

“Viking.”

“She is pregnant.”

Volken's wrist was still against my mouth. His blood ran down my chin as I shoved it away. “Enough.”

“No.”

“Volken.”

“You stop fucking bleeding and I'll stop feeding you.”

I almost smiled. “Bossy cunt.”

“Drink.” I did, because suddenly I wanted to live more than I wanted Ceasar dead. That realization hit me harder than the blade. Once, I would have crawled after my uncle until my body gave out. Once, revenge would have been enough. Not anymore because I had Bryn, I had a child, a future, and I wasn't fucking dying on a warehouse floor before I got to hold my baby.

The phone rang, once, twice, then Bryn answered immediately. “Viking?”

Her voice almost broke me. “Angel.”

“You're okay.” I looked down at Lucien's hands covered in my blood. At Volken's torn wrist and Draugr's face. At the wound refusing to close.

“I'm okay.” Lie…mates don’t lie to each other, but there is no fucking way that I am going to worry her more than she already is.