Dragon's Mate

3. Claimed

3.  This was too long so I posted twice.

Recap:
"Stop." a deep masculine voice commanded from the darkness. I didn't even see who it was as I half run and stumble backwards.

"Slow down! You are heading towards a-" I didn't get to hear this new deep unfamiliar voice finish the sentence.

Because the earth suddenly gave away beneath me. I let out another scream as I go tumbling down a low hill into the sharp drop.

Tumbling and catapulting out of control through shrubs and undergrowth, vines and weeds tangling in my clothes and disarrayed hair. Small protruding sticks from the undergrowth slashed against my flesh and small pebbles and stones became a major pain. Digging into my skin as I scramble down the sharp drop.

A sharp pain on my head as my head collides with a particularly hard rock had pain exploding on the back of my head. What felt like a lifetime but was probably less than fifteen second later, I finally landed at the bottom of the ditch with a thump.

Just. Perfect.

You've reached a new all time low Catherine...

★•*•★ Dragons Mate 3 ★•*•★

Temporarily frozen, my body throbs in pain as I lay in a crumpled heap upon the earth. My heart going at a million miles an hour.

So fast I could swear the sight of each individual heart beat was throbbing along with my closed eye lids.

My face was buried in dry and damp soil, the smell of earth and dying leaves literally shoved in my face.

I feel like I had recently just gotten flung out of a vicious whipping tornado.

It took a good while before my spinning vision returned and I was able to roll my throbbing body over onto my back. The tall trees hovered over me looking distant with the crescent moon hovering over all.

Silence rang through my ears as pain throbbed within me.

Yup. It's confirmed. The L in my luck just transformed today into an F. And it wasn't going anywhere soon.

The pain was too intense for me to so much as move slightly without it ripping through my left ankle particularly.

But I stumbled to a semi crawl before moving up to a limp. I had to get away. I had no idea where those guys had gone but I couldn't let them get to me. Lord knew what awaited me wherever they were taking me.

What I did know,  was that the thought of it had bolts of electricity racing down my spine and raising goosebumps along my flesh. Last time a reaction this extreme had happened was moments before I'd seen or ensured the stench of burned flesh and bodies when I was five.

Not just that, but the thought of being owned like an inanimate object was sickening. My freedom, everything I was would be owned by a man I'd never met or cared to. I couldn't go with them no matter what.

"You've really done it now Cathe-" I never get the chance to finish the pained grimace.

Suddenly a hand shoots out from behind and clapped over my mouth, pulling me back into the shadows as my back met a warm chest.

Panic exploded in my chest as cold terror seized me and adrenaline surged. He spins and my body is pushed up against the huge bark of a tree as he traps my body against the wood with his harder bigger body.

I thrashed and kick against him as my teeth sink into the flesh of his palm and the taste of metallic blood sinks into my taste buds.

Except it's almost sweet and send a hymn of something...dark, pulsing through my veins.