Golden Bonds

Fight

Bradley kicked the swinging screen door open with the heel of his boot. I had my back to him but I could hear everything. The sound vibrated my ear pressed against the ground. The smell of deer only lasted a second before Bradley's sickness overwhelmed everything else.

Gem came out of her grief like a horse from the starting gate. The silver burning my skin was the only reason I kept my form. She surfaced long enough to roar at Bradley before the silver was too much and I gained back control.

"Don't get too comfortable, little bitch. Your wolf and I will have time to play once I kill your mate." He ate the deer. Apparently he drew the line at cannibalism because he didn't touch Charlie's or Zeek's bodies. That horrifying thought strangely enough didn't faze me at all. Shock is weird.

I needed to do something. I couldn't wait for my pack. Bradley had killed too many people I loved. No more. I knew I wasn't even close to strong or dominant enough to stand a chance of beating him, even if I had all my strength. The silver kept me weak but I was going to do as much damage as I could before my family arrived. Even if I weakened him by a fraction or harmed him their chances of survival increased.

"We contacted England you know. Mr. Guthridge invited Bash and me to visit his estate." The giggle I made sounded real though I had no idea how I managed that. I was losing it. "He actually used the word 'estate' in his posh British accent; like we were going to have tea with the Queen. It was all very formal and uptight. I think we should have let Rikkard talk to him. They wouldn't have been able to understand each other. Mostly I thought it would be funny to force something so undignified as Rikkard's deep Norleans speech on the snob." I tried to mimic Rikkard's accent. "I'm sure there has never been anyone so deep fried southern American as Rikkard in Mr. Guthridge's distinguished estate." I put on my best butler impersonation every time I said the London Alpha's name.

It was working; talking about England. I'd hit the nail on the head when I told my pack Bradley hated rich people, but rich British people was a bright red DO NOT PUSH button all on its own. Out of all the different kinds of people in the world I happen to be of the pushers of big red buttons variety.

"Why don't you have an accent? Are all werewolves in England as snooty as Mr. Guthridge? I almost expected him to ask us to call him Sir William Arthur Guthridge the third but maybe he hasn't been knighted. Do they have pedigrees in the London pack? The way Sir Guthridge went on about his duty to England being fulfilled you would think the upper-class werewolves would all have pedigrees. Not you, of course, you've always been a mutt. Is that why they'll kill you if you ever go back? Your mongrel blood not good enough?"

That did it. I could see his bones shifting under his skin before he finished standing. All those months being handed over to Bradley for entertainment and all I had to do was call him a mutt. Seemed so simple. Why hadn't I thought of it before? Which was probably not the sanest thing to think about. I was held down by chains unable to defend myself when Bradley attacked but sanity had left the building.

Bonus. One good thing about the chains is they hurt Bradley as much as they hurt me and they protected vital organs from his claws and strikes. I just needed to hold out long enough. Either he would batter himself against my chains draining his energy and injuring himself or he'd take them off me and I could fight back.

When I heard his knuckles crack on the chain I saw his face. Bradley realized the chains were protecting me and he had them unlocked and off of me in seconds. Which was impressive considering it was a tiny lock and his hands were deformed.

I rolled over the chains once I was released and grabbed a section wrapping it around my hand. I struck Bradley across the face swinging links like a whip. He fell sideways and I climbed on top of him, silver chain wrapped around both fists like gloves. I channeled my inner boxer and jack hammered punches into every part of him I could reach.