Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
My own mother.
The Teeth have my wife, and I can't allow myself to think about what they're doing to her. I need to raise an army to get her back, and if I can't, I'll march in there and do it myself.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
RYKER
I was beat.
I searched the Kingdoms high and low, looking for Ivory, questioning everyone I met, bribing strangers for information that never amounted to a damn thing. And the entire time, there was a boulder inside my chest, a guilt that was always present.
She’d warned me about Mastodon.
I didn’t listen.
I didn’t fucking listen.
We made camp at sunset, a fire in the center of the circle, all the men sweaty from a hard day of riding. My father had given the order, and I led the search party. I was told not to return until I found her.
But days had turned into weeks.
Weeks into months.
I didn’t want to let the fear come into my mind, but it was already there.
She was probably dead by now.
Raped. Tortured. And then murdered.
“Ahh!”
My head snapped to the left at the sound, hearing a woman’s cries. It sounded just like Ivory. But Ivory wouldn’t scream like that. It was just my mind playing tricks on me.
Karl dragged a woman behind him, a blonde in black breeches with boots, her white tunic ripped at the shoulder from where she’d been tugged. She dug her boots into the ground and fought back, her hair whipping around.
“Piece of shit, let me go!” She fought against him then bit down on his forearm. The blood appeared instantly, and Karl screamed.
He threw her hard to the ground. “Bitch.”
She scrambled away and tried to break free.
Karl dropped his body on top of hers and pinned her to the ground. “I’ll take you right here, then. And then the rest of the men will have their turn.” Her hands were pinned above her head, and then her bottoms were yanked off.
Her screams continued to pierce the night.
The sound was too abrasive to ignore, so I stared. I watched her start to cry, all the while trying to buck him off her. She was pretty. Really pretty. Too pretty to be traveling alone in these woods. She must have gotten lost.
Karl would rape her then kill her.
Her family would never know what happened to her—just the way I would never know what happened to Ivory.
That stung. “Karl.”
He ignored me, getting her bottoms to her ankles.
“Karl.” I left the tree I was leaning up against and walked over. “Knock it off.”
He looked up at me, his face flushed with arousal. “Want to go first, m’lord?”
“We slept in a brothel last night.”
“But a forced woman is much better than a paid woman.” He yanked her shirt up her body, revealing her soft belly and fair skin. He kept going until her breasts emerged, her nipples hard against the cold air.
I admit I stared for a second—because I was a man.
But I forced myself out of it and kicked him in the side. “Off.”
Karl groaned as he rolled off. “You goddamn git.”
She frantically pulled herself together before she stumbled to her feet, trying to run.
“Miss?”
She tripped to the ground and landed on her palms, but she quickly pushed back to her feet.
I grabbed her by the arm before she could get away. “Calm down.”
She twisted out of my grasp and gave me a seething stare. She had bright green eyes and a pretty face, high cheekbones, full lips, an elegant neck perfect for hot kisses in the middle of the night. The tears continued to streak down her cheeks, and that just made my dick hard. “Leave me alone.”
I raised both of my hands as I approached. “Whoa. Does it look like I’m going to hurt you?”
She didn’t turn her back to me now, her breathing heavy, her eyes still terrified. “If you aren’t going to hurt me, let me go.”
“Why are those the only two options?”
She took off again.
“Hey!”
She sprinted into the trees.
“Goddammit…” I took off after her, running into the forest, trailing behind her flowing blond hair. She was fast on her feet and agile, jumping over a fallen log like a horse, but I was faster, and I got her by the arm. “Would you just calm the fuck down for a second—”
She twisted out of my grasp and kneed me between the legs.
My knee blocked it, but it still hurt. “You know what? Tried to have a civil conversation with you, but you’re being a pain in the ass. So this is how we’re going to do this.” I locked her hands together, tripped her, and pinned her to the ground. I pressed her hands into the small of her back and kneeled on her so there was no way she could get free—not this time.
She tried to buck me but quickly realized it was no use.