Page 54 of The Guardian (Dark-Hunter 20)
"You really think you can hurt me?" he challenged whoever he was talking to. "Think again, bitch."
Tucking her wings in, Lydia crept through the shadows until she found him. Her stomach lurched as her gaze focused what was happening. Not again ...
He was speared against a tree. Literally. Three long-handled spears were planted in his stomach and chest, holding him there while he was surrounded by four women.
The one she'd heard earlier grabbed his hair and wrenched it hard. "Call for her. Now!"
"No."
She slammed his head back against the tree. "Have we not done enough damage to you already?"
"Is that what this is?" Seth asked derisively. "I thought it was foreplay."
Lydia couldn't believe what she was seeing or hearing. Those were Dream-Hunters torturing him. They must have been waiting for him to sleep so that they could grab him and drag him back into this hell.
Damn it. She hadn't even thought to warn him about a danger she'd known from birth. Stupidly, she'd assumed everyone knew to be wary of Dream-Hunter powers.
But Seth wasn't Greek.
The Dream-Huntress sank her hand deep into his hair again so that she could yank his head down to hers. "Shame we didn't know how pretty you were the other night when we had you. Even the Phonoi would have been impressed."
"Fuck you."
She smiled at him, then jerked his lips to hers.
Seth growled as she pulled back and left his lips pouring blood. He spat the blood at her, but she dodged it and laughed before she backhanded him.
Lydia felt sick as she realized why he hadn't kissed her earlier.
How could I forgotten? After all she'd seen?
But then she'd been so wrapped up in her own damaged past, she'd lost sight of the fact that Seth didn't know kisses could come without blood and pain.
Even I bit him when he kissed me.
No wonder he'd pulled away. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He'd only been trying to protect himself from more harm.
Somehow she'd forgotten about biting him. But she'd lay money that Seth hadn't. How could he? He'd only been trying to give her a voice and she'd hurt him for it.
Strange how you always remembered the pain someone gave you, but seldom the hurt you caused them first.
"Here, Maia." One of the Dream-Hunters passed his tormentor a knife. "What say we castrate him? You think it would carry from his dreams into his real life if we did?" She looked up and tsked at Seth. "What? No smart retort for that?"
Seth didn't say anything as he tried again to pull one of the spears out of his chest.
The damn thing wouldn't budge.
He glared at the four women who'd dragged him to this realm against his wishes. "Do whatever you want. You're just wasting your time anyway. Lydia won't come for me."
He wasn't the one she loved. And even if by some miracle he was, she was still furious with him. Hell, he was lucky she hadn't pinned him to the tree.
When he'd tried to apologize again at Maahes's house, she'd slammed her door in his face.
Devastated, he'd gone to his room. And with nothing else to do and no one to talk to, he'd made the mistake of trying to sleep.
He should have known better. Why would he have ever thought himself safe? Slumber had never once in his life given him peace. It'd only left him weak and open to attacks.
The Dream-Huntress lifted the knife to his neck. "Where would you rather I stab you this time? Hmm?" She hovered the blade over the hollow of his throat. "This is always a painful place to be stabbed."
She trailed it down to his chest, raising a bloody stripe under the blade. "Then there's always the heart, or..." She moved it to his cock. "So what's it to be? If we harm you badly enough in a dream, you'll carry those wounds with you back to your waking state. So if I were you, I'd call her while you're still able."
He shook his head in steadfast denial. "I won't do it." He would never put Lydia in harm's way.
"It sucks to be you tonight." She pulled her arm back to stab his cock.
Seth tensed and held his breath in expectation of the pain he could already feel.
For once, it didn't come.
Before she could stab him, a blur came running from the shadows and tackled her to the ground.
At first, he thought he was imagining things. But there was no mistaking the flash of topaz eyes glowing in the dark.
Lydia was on the woman, beating her down with a ferocity he hadn't known she was capable of. The other three launched themselves at her.
"Lydia, behind you!"
She came to her feet and manifested a staff that she twirled around her back to the front. She caught one of the women with the hard end of it against her face, then knocked a second in the head. The third, she punched in the middle.
He had to give her credit. She knew how to handle herself with a skill he wouldn't have thought possible. It was a good thing he'd taken her powers when he captured her. With her abilities, she might or might not have defeated him, but she would have definitely put a hurt on his body.
In a matter of minutes, she had the bitches on the run. As they fled, she shouted after them. "Send the word out, you whores. If you want to fight me in this realm, you better practice more and bring serious backup."
