The second man moved closer to her, trapping her against the wall, already loosening the fall front of his trousers. A gold chain dangled across his chest in front of her eyes, the gold flickering in the light of the sconce at the end of the hallway.
Her chest seized upon itself, clamping off all air to her lungs.
Panic. This was the panic Talen had been teaching her about.
Panic that she couldn’t let take a hold of her.
Fight. Escape.
Whatever it took.
The world slowed as her right hand let go of her hair and she ignored the pain of her hair ripping from her scalp. The stout one had twisted her half in front of him, her head bent to the side. Which meant his ballocks were directly behind the stiff wooden splint wrapped onto her left arm. It would be brutal against the break, but the board was the only solid weapon she had. She had to save her knee for the one in front of her.
She went still for a long second, coiling her energy as the sounds of their laughter edged away, like they were in a far-off glen surrounded by trees.
One wild swing backward with her left arm, and she hit the stout man square on his already engorged member. Before he could even scream, she shifted her weight and viciously sent her right knee up into the groin of the man in front of her.
Screams erupted almost in unison as they both doubled over.
But the man behind her didn’t release her hair, it was bound so tight around his palm. Instead, his fist at the back of her head punched downward, jerking her to the floor at his feet.
She kicked off from the wall, trying to tear his hand out of her hair. No luck. Their screams ended and she stared up at two raging monsters above her with brutal revenge in their eyes.
“You’ll pay for that, you little bitch.” The stout one lifted his fat hand, ready to swing down at her with the back of his ring-laden fingers.
But then his eyes popped wide, almost out of his head.
An arm flew across his neck, choking him. Choking him.
His right hand tangled in her hair fell to his side and she quickly reached up, ripping her braid from his palm.
A rush of legs jabbed about her in the tight hallway, boots barely missing her limbs as the stout man was yanked away and thrown to the floor.
Talen. Talen over the man, his fists flying into the troll’s face as Declan slammed the other man ruthlessly into the wall.
Whimpers, squeals. The piercing crack of bones breaking.
And she sat in the middle. Blood splattering about her, arms and fists flying. She sat in the middle, perfectly still. Perfectly safe.
Safe because Talen was there and she knew it, just as Juliet had promised.
Knew it down to her bones.
Talen would keep her safe.
{ Chapter 10 }
“Talen—enough.” Declan jumped over Ness on the floor of the hallway, screaming. “Enough. Stop.”
He reached Talen, grabbing his left arm in mid swing and pulling him backward. Backward away from the sniveling bastard he was crushing. Backward from the red rage filling his mind, his sight.
Instinct had devoured him and the only thing he could do was swing. Swing and destroy.
“Talen—you need to stop. Stop.” Declan yanked harder, sending the two of them slamming backward into the opposite wall.
It was just enough to snap him out of the rage. Just enough for him to look down and be able to see what he’d just done.
The man’s face was mush. Cut after cut. A bloody mess. Bones clearly broken. No skin visible.