Naill whistled softly.
I spun back to her. Godsdamn, she was vicious.
And she was also clever.
Poppy had to know I would catch it, which meant…
Godsdamn it.
She dipped, snatching up Phillips’ fallen sword. I halted for half a second. That was all she needed. She twisted, swinging out with the sword. Not at me. At Jericho.
The wolven jumped back, but it caught him off guard, still obviously underestimating her. She sliced him right across the stomach.
I almost laughed, except she’d spilled blood, and shit was about to get out of hand.
“Bitch,” Jericho snarled, smacking his remaining hand on his wound.
Poppy turned as several charged her. I shot forward, catching one of the half-Atlantians in the chest, shoving him back as Kieran snapped forward. A sword sliced through the air as Kieran caught Poppy around the waist, pulling her away from Rolf and another. I caught the wolven by the hem of his shirt, hauling him back.
“No,” I growled, thrusting him into the half-Atlantian. I turned only to see Kieran go down on his back.
Poppy kicked her head back into his face, causing him to yelp. His hold on her loosened.
Poppy tore free, scrambling for the sword. She got there before Delano. He wisely backed off as she rose. I saw her spin, her wild eyes connecting with mine.
She locked up.
I seized the moment. “That was very naughty.” I grabbed the sword, wrenching it from her grip. I needed to keep her attention—her anger—focused on me. If she went after another of them, I would have to kill every fucker in this barn. “You are so incredibly violent.” I dipped my chin and whispered what I knew would ensure she paid no mind to anyone else. “It still turns me on.”
She screamed, jabbing her elbow right into my chin.
“Dammit,” I said, laughing as pain—which I deserved—went down my spine. “Doesn’t change what I just said.”
Poppy whirled to the door.
Elijah blocked the entrance, tsking under his breath as he shook his head.
Stepping back, she turned to her left, where Kieran stood. He blinked slowly. She twisted and took off.
I caught her before she made it two steps, spinning her around. Her legs tangled with mine, tripping us. We went down, her first. I twisted with a second to spare, hitting the floor hard on my back.
“You’re welcome,” I grunted.
Shrieking like a cave cat, she brought the heel of her foot down on my shin. Pain radiated up my leg, forcing the air out of my lungs as she twisted, straining against my arms until I was afraid she would hurt herself. I let go just enough. She turned in my hold, straddling me—
I grinned at her. “I’m liking where this is headed.”
Poppy punched me in the cheek fucking hard, knocking my head back against the straw. She cocked that arm back again.
I caught her wrist, yanking her down so she couldn’t get the leverage needed for that other hand. “You hit like you’re angry with me.”
She shifted, thrusting her knee between my legs, and while I’d let her get a couple of good hits in, that was a hell no.
I blocked her with my thigh. “That would’ve done some damage.”
“Good,” she spat, her braid hanging over her shoulder and that strand of hair in her face. I’d move it out of the way for her, but she’d likely take that moment to claw my eyes out, or worse, go after someone else.
“Now, now.” I kept my voice low, knowing that only Kieran was possibly close enough to hear. “You’d be disappointed later if I couldn’t use it.”
Her lips parted as she stared down at me, disbelief filling her eyes. “I would rather cut it from your body.”
I lifted my head from the straw and whispered, “Liar.”
Perhaps I’d gone too far in my attempt to keep her focused on me because the rage that poured from her reminded me of the sound she’d made when she turned on Mazeen.
Fuck.
That kind of anger gave a person unbelievable strength. She reared back, breaking my hold. Then, jumping to her feet above me, she lifted her foot. I caught it before she could stomp on my throat, pulling her leg down so she didn’t run. If she did, she would likely engage another.
Poppy hit the floor beside me, and not even one breath later, I felt her fist hitting my side with enough force to crack my ribs.
“Damn,” Kieran drawled.
“Should we intervene?” Delano asked as she moved to punch me again. I blocked her with my arm.
“No.” Elijah laughed. The fucker. “This is the best thing I’ve seen in a while. Who would’ve thought the Maiden could throw down?”
“This is why you don’t mix business with pleasure,” Kieran commented.
“Is that the case?” Elijah whistled. I knew damn well he already suspected that, but he was a bastard. “My money is on her then.”
“Traitors,” I gasped as I knocked Poppy’s hands aside as she started grabbing for my head, likely trying to snap my neck. Honestly, I would’ve let her just to see if she could do it, but this had to end before she hurt herself.
Or me.
I moved faster than she could stop, coming over her and forcing her onto her back. She went for my face this time. I caught her wrists. “Stop it.”
Poppy was not ready to stop.
She lifted her hips, trying to throw me. She then pushed with her upper body, but I kept her pinned and scanned the front of her shirt. The material was dark, but it looked darker at the waist.
“Get off me!” she screamed.
“Stop it,” I said. “Poppy. Stop—”
“I hate you!” She tore one hand free, shocking me with her strength. She was strong—stronger than even I realized. Then she—
Her fist snapped my head back again. Stinging pain erupted across my mouth.
“I hate you!” she shouted as I caught her hand once more.
I pressed it back to the ground, lips peeling back as blood trickled from my mouth. “Stop it!”
Poppy stopped.
Finally.
Only her chest rose as she stared up at me.
“That’s why you never really smiled,” she whispered.
At first, I didn’t realize what she meant, and then I knew she’d seen what I’d barely managed to hide from her this entire time. My fangs.
Poppy shuddered beneath me, her arms going limp. “You’re a monster.”
I stilled above her, the pain of her words, the truth of them, stabbing deep, but I shut it off. I felt nothing. I was nothing as I said, “You finally see me for what I am.”
Poppy’s lips trembled, her eyes glistening. She pressed her mouth shut, holding back tears. The desire to comfort her, the want to see how she was injured, threatened to shatter the hold I had on myself. The fight was out of her. I needed that.
But it wasn’t what I wanted.
Still, it was what I deserved.
NOT EVERYTHING WAS A LIE
“When I told Delano to put her somewhere safe…” I told Kieran, who was waiting for me in the now-empty stables as I washed the blood from my face with a clean bucket of water.
He’d waited after I handed Poppy off to Delano and warned the others not to touch her as I went out into the cold woods.
I had to cool off. Physically. Mentally. Everything. Because I was on the brink of losing control, likely to do something I’d regret.