Chapter 15 : Plunging the Knife

*Gemma* Do it. If you can't kill him, at least stab him. If a big male like him could move, I could move faster. I kicked out with all the force I had—my heel collided with Connor's jaw, forcing his head back. He grunted and almost fell to the side. It was the two seconds I needed to twist and snatch the knife hilt. Somehow I found my footing and was already creeping away from him, pointing the knife. The best-case scenario would be for him to run straight into it. Connor rose to his feet, and it was one of the most lethal things I'd ever seen. It was so wolf-like, so predatory, and I felt as small and weak as a rabbit. But when he curled his lip, baring thick canines, I steeled myself. No. I was a predator too. I would not be a victim of a tyrant like him. I bared my teeth too. Connor didn't seem affected in the slightest. He just kept advancing slowly. "Tell me what deal you and Haveleok made," I demanded, forcing my arm not to tremble. "Not just yet, little one." His gold eyes were hungrily raking my fully-naked body. "You suddenly seem very delicious right now. You're trying so hard not to tremble. Just put down that stupid knife, lay down, close your eyes, and let me f*ck you gently." My jaw set. "You can't f*ck gently. And I won't let you. I won't let you touch anyone anymore." Connor rasped a laugh as he kept stalking forward, forcing me backward step by step until soon my back would hit the wall. "Oh, you've formed an attachment to—who? Raisa? Or just that lost king? He seemed captivated by you. Let's just go as planned, hmm? We have our fun, and then I dangle you in front of him until he confesses he is a Liviana. You know, I don't care which one. It would be excellent if he was the Alpha and I could finally crush any hope of Moonwake ever rising again." "You're sick," I breathed, my back finally bumping into the wall. The window was to my left, and the rest of the room to my right—including the open door. Could I make a run for it? Or was his stride too long? "What else is new?" he laughed roughly. "You look crazed." "I've heard that before too. Try again." "You're c*ck is small." At that, Connor halted and straightened; I sucked in a breath. That statement had likely signed my death sentence. Then he burst out laughing. "Now, that is something no one has ever dared to say to me. You have guts, Gemma Brooks; I will humbly admit. But it won't save you in the slightest. I have no need for a jester. Just new females to stick my—" "You talk too much," I interrupted. "If you're going to f*ck me, just do it already." Connor resumed his stalking with a jerk forward, smile snapping off to return to that ugly snarl. He was only a few feet away now. "Watch your mouth—" "You just like to hear your own voice. I'll tell you, it's not pleasant for the rest of us to hear." I had no idea where this idiotic courage was coming from—if you wanted to call it that. All I was really doing was making things worse for myself. The more I insulted him, the more suffering I would endure. But I wouldn't let it get that far. "I have just decided," Connor growled, "that you are not worth the trouble." The Beast lunged; I ducked and swerved, adrenaline making me fast enough that he didn't expect it, and nearly collided with the wall. With all the strength of my combined fear, fury, defiance, and disgust, I plunged the knife down as hard as I could. Connor roared as I drove the blade into his spine. He fell to his hands and knees, swearing gutturally. I didn't wait. The Moon Goddess must have given me luck because there was a cotton blanket tossed on the back of the chaise. I snatched it, already running as I wrapped it around me. My bare feet pounded on the floor as I bolted down the empty hall. I had no idea where to go first, but I decided to risk it all and climbed the staircase to the harem floor. It was also unguarded. That was both good and bad news. All the doors were closed except for mine. I let it be that way as I clumsily dressed in a shirt and pants, unfortunately forgoing intimates. There was no time for bras. I banged on Raisa's door, begging with all my heart that she was in there and safe. "Raisa," I rasped. "Raisa, it's me. Open—" Her door yanked open and I stumbled inside, finding her wielding another knife as she closed it behind me and shoved her vanity table in front of it. "What happened?" she demanded, sheathing the knife. It was now over her jeans, half-hidden by an oversized shirt. She had her satchel, much smaller now, slung over her shoulder. "I stabbed him in the back." She went ramrod straight and stared at me with her mouth parted slightly. "Literally?" I laughed breathlessly. "Don't sound too surprised." "Where exactly? All the way to the hilt?" She gasped and scanned me, grabbing me by the shoulder and turning me around. "Did he hurt you?" Now of all times I felt a rush of weepy joy. Raisa did care. My throat thickened. "Middle of the spine, all the way to the hilt. He kissed me from chest to navel but otherwise, he didn't touch me." Relief made her slouch. "Oh, thank the Goddess. Gemma, you are a gift sent by her. Now come on, Bryn is waiting—" We jumped when pandemonium broke out in the hall—shouting, deep voices yelling out the names of the other girls, fists slamming against the wood doors. It wasn't long after that the girls started to scream and protest. "All of you, get out! Get into the parlor!" "Why?" shrilled one of them. "What's happening?!" "Shut your mouth!" The guard's voice was followed by a slap and a yelp. Raisa snarled under her breath and jerked forward as if to burst into the hall and protect her girls, but I grabbed her arm to stop her. "If your plan is to escape," I hissed. "We can't just run into whatever's going on out there." She chewed her cheek in deliberation, wincing at every noise. She opened her mouth to protest when her door banged and jarred. "Raisa!" the guard yelled. "Come out here!" "Why?" she snapped, voice strong but her eyes wary as the vanity rattled and threatened to fall over. She started to back up, taking me with her. "You're an idiot to think that—" "Just shut up! If you're hiding that Eastern b*tch in there, you're dead! She attacked the Alpha!" Our backs hit the wall, a window between us. "Think we can jump?" Raisa whispered. I peered through the glass and almost swayed. "I'd rather not land in a thicket," I whispered back. "Ha! I heard her! Come out here—F*ck!" There were sounds that could only be his body being slammed against the wood and then sliding down it to crumple to the floor. All the commotion outside had ceased while the guard had been yelling at us. There were just faint groans of pain and a single pair of lungs panting in exertion just outside. There was a weak rap of knuckles. Someone rasped, "Can I come in please?" I knew that voice. I exchanged a glance with Raisa, whose eyes flashed with both recognition and warning. She shook her head ever so slightly and mouthed, 'No.' 'Why?' I mouthed back, feelings an unexpected spark of irritation. 'It's him.' "Please?" 'Please?' I repeated silently. 'He's going to ruin our plan,' Raisa snapped with her own flash of annoyance. 'He'll only hold us back. We still don't even know who he is.' "We can't just leave him," I hissed out loud. Darian's laugh was a wheeze. "Yes, please don't leave me. I have a lot to live for." He paused. "And so do both of you. I can help protect you if we escape." I gave Raisa a pointed look. But before she could protest again, I ran to slide the vanity aside and crack open the door. I stifled my gasp when both an unconscious Epsilon fell at my feet and Darian stumbled straight into me. I had to catch him as his head dropped onto my shoulder. Raisa and I swore together. While I stumbled backward to dump Darian's limp, stupidly large body on the couch, Raisa shoved the Epsilon back into the hall. She made sure to get in a good kick and slam the door into the back of his head before moving the vanity into place. But I wasn't known for my grace. My heel hit the edge of the couch and I fell onto it—and Darian with me. The breath punched out of my lungs as he crashed on top of me. Before he could even apologize, I shoved him off. Heavy as a log, he rolled and hit the floor on his back with a pained moan. The three of us stayed where we were, breathing heavily with exertion, for a good ten seconds. Darian broke the silence by saying, "Thanks for catching me. My name is Kael." That name must have been important because Raisa gasped a curse before promptly dropping her satchel on him. Darian—Kael—groaned again. "Kindly don't do that," he said weakly. "You could have gotten us killed!" Raisa hissed furiously. "I cannot believe this. I can't believe—" I sat up and looked at Kael. "Who are you?" It was apparent that he didn't have enough strength to push the satchel off himself. He just lolled his head to the side to meet my eyes. "The 'lost king' Connor's been searching for." Kael's voice dropped to an awed whisper. "I can't believe I found you. Gemma." "Kael," I said automatically. "I can't believe you… got kidnapped." He wheezed a laugh. "I was trying to find my brother. My wig fell off." "Connor damaged your brain," scoffed Raisa. "Gemma, we don't have time for this. Bryn is waiting. If I'm—if we—are not there by—" I was at a crossroads. I was getting the hell out of this place, but the choice was either to leave without Kael or take him with us. The first option was the easiest and what Raisa wanted because apparently, he was big trouble. But I couldn't just leave him here to be tortured and killed by Connor. If Connor wasn't paralyzed, at least. I picked up Raisa's satchel and handed it back to her to fully get a look at Kael. He didn't look any cleaner than he did when we were forcibly parted. He was just a bloody slab of meat. They'd stripped off his shirt to expose the ugly claw marks across his chest along with bruised ribs. His face still suffered the swollen eye and split lip and there was a high chance some bones were broken, but he was grinning wryly up at me despite all the pain he must be in. "Can you hold your own?"