Savage Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, #2)

by Caroline Peckham

“You’re not just a pretty face.” “Nah I’m mostly a pretty face.” I shot her a grin and she returned it before glancing away to look out the window.

“You make me wanna forget the deal, carina. But I’m never gonna do that.” She released a breath of laughter. “You and Ryder need to sort your shit out.”

“It seems like your ancestors did that shit and now you’re just carrying it on. Why not break the trend?” Elise offered like it was the easiest thing in the world. She had no fucking idea.

She wanted to know who she slept above, who she sat next to in class, who was driving this vehicle right now.

And maybe it was time she knew. Maybe it was the right thing to do by her, rather than let her believe the lie that I was this friendly Dragon she could poke and jibe.

She was the only one in the entire school who got away with that. And I liked playing up to it. But we were supposed to be friends now...

“It starts with my father and Ryder’s father. I was thirteen when shit got bad.

People were always getting caught up in the crossfire. Mom thought about moving for a while, but I don’t think she ever really meant it. We just kept our heads down and tried to ignore the danger.”

so all I could do was stay at home while my cousins shifted into their Werewolf forms and went out to help.”

Jealousy prickled under my skin at the thought of it, even after all these years.

“Ryder’s father came with a huge group of the Brotherhood. They killed everyone in that place then carved up my papa into ten pieces.

Ryder’s father lost an eye for it and three fingers. But it wasn’t enough.” I gritted my jaw as Elise reached out to touch me.

The mouth that had kissed me goodnight when I was a boy. And in that moment, I had shed away what remained of that childish part of me.

I became a man. A man who was determined to be worthy of taking my father’s place and seeking out the vengeance he deserved.

I was so filled with rage and hate, I never stopped to think how dangerous it was.”

Elise’s hand curled around mine but I knew this wasn’t sympathy. This was understanding. But how she could ever understand this, I didn’t know. It seemed she did though.

But I just felt…empty. Hollow. Like there was no heart left inside me to pump blood around my body.

How the people I’d killed hadn’t laid a finger on my father. And how, for the first time in my life, I’d seen the members of the Lunar Brotherhood as more than just enemies from my nightmares.

They were us in reverse. Fae with lives and families and loved ones. And I’d just ripped all of that to pieces with a vengeance that had never been meant for them.

“If there was someone I could blame for my brother’s death then I wouldn’t hesitate to make them pay.”

Did I regret it? Yes. But only because he’d died without giving me the answers I’d needed.

But that wasn’t the point. It didn’t matter to me if killing the person responsible for Gareth’s death made me feel any better.

I was going to do it to get justice. And damn the consequences.

Because my brother had deserved more from life than he’d been given. And I certainly wouldn’t allow him...

there is always some reason for someone to hurt you or for you to hurt someone.

“Qualcuno di cui ero pazzo di cui fidarmi. I won’t make the same mistake again.” “What mistake?” I asked with a frown, for once not liking the way he used his native tongue. It usually felt like he spoke to me in his language out of passion, this felt like he was using it to withhold information.

“Fidati solo del sangue. Famiglia per sempre.”

I could tell he wasn’t going to offer up any more on the subject so I guessed I’d just have to try and figure out if he’d been friends with Gareth or not before working out if my brother could have betrayed him in some way.

“So you don’t trust me then, Dante?” I asked, dropping my voice as I said his name. “Not even a little, carina,” he replied steadily, his gaze trailing over me.

“Do you want me to trust you?” he asked slowly. “Maybe,” I replied.

“What’s your favourite colour?” I rolled my eyes. “Blue,

What’s yours?” A smile tugged at the corner of Dante’s mouth. “Lilac.” He reached out and twisted a lock of my hair between his fingers for a moment before dropping it again.

“Do you trust me now then?” “Even less than before,” he replied. “Why?”

“Because I think if I gave you my trust, you’d use it to steal my heart and once it was yours you’d never give it back.”

“Do you want to play a game with me, Dante?” I asked. “A game? Like what?” “Catch,” I said simply, grinning at him as I curled my fingers around the door handle. “And what am I trying to catch?” “Me.”

The steady thump of his heartbeat called to me like the pounding of a drum.

At the last moment, he whirled around, strong arms catching me in his hold as he pulled me flush against his body.

“Nice try,” he laughed, twisting me around so that I couldn’t get my fangs into him and hoisting me over his shoulder. “Put me down!” I cried, thrashing against his grip as he started walking.

His only response was a laugh and a slap on my ass which mad...

My toes curled at the feeling of him spanking me again and my stomach knotted as I tried to break free of his hold.

“You’re always trying to show me your power, bella. Don’t you want to feel what it’s like to wield mine?” he suggested.

“Press your magic into mine, carina, and we can summon a storm together,” Dante purred.

“Too much?” he asked, his gaze falling back to me though I couldn’t tear mine from the sky. “No,” I breathed. “I want more.”

Dante’s link to my magic tightened and he pulled on it, demanding more of me.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice low like the darkest temptation. “Yes,” I breathed, the word sliding from my lips like honey.

My nails bit into Dante’s flesh and his dark laughter accompanied the raindrops which cascaded from the clouds.

“Fuck, Dante, that was incredible.” “Incredible,” he agreed but his gaze was on me instead of the storm and the intensity in his eyes made heat rise to my cheeks.

Dante’s lips curled into a knowing smile and he tipped his head back to let the rain run over him, enjoying the feeling of his storm as it washed him clean.

I couldn’t help but think that there was something truly magical in the heart of a storm. Especially one born from a Dragon. And I could only hope it might wash me clean too.

wanting to do right by Elise.