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knee and the hilt of his sword. Reynard shoved him off.
Gabriel righted himself with an effort. Blearily trying to focus, he swung his
sword at Reynard's neck once more. At the last moment, Reynard's free hand shot out,
and fast as lightning, he seized Gabriel by the wrist and, twisting ruthlessly, brought
him crashing to the ground. Reynard pinned Gabriel's sword hand roughly with his
foot and kicked Gabriel's weapon away as his nerveless fingers released the hilt.
"Now what's to do, Sir Mutt?" Reynard laughed mean and low. "You might have
bested me with your teeth and claws, you know. Better as a wolf than a man, eh?"
Gabriel drew his dagger and stabbed Reynard in the calf.
Roaring in rage, Reynard stumbled off and groped with his free hand to draw
the blade out. Gabriel kicked Reynard's legs out from under him, and as his opponent
fell, he leapt upon Reynard. They rolled over and over in the grass, furiously trading
blows with their fists and legs.
Gabriel tried to push Reynard's face into the smothering ground when Reynard
turned suddenly and latched his mouth on to Gabriel's fingers, his teeth squeezing
Gabriel's flesh and breaking the skin. With a low growl, Gabriel savagely bashed his
skull against Reynard's, the force of which left the both of them stunned.
Reynard recovered first, bucking his knees up to hit Gabriel in his wounded
stomach. Sucking in a breath and biting his lip so hard he bled, Gabriel fell sideways off
him.
Reynard rolled over with a sharp bark of pain, pulling Gabriel's knife from his
own calf. He threw himself on top of Gabriel and pinned him, jarring the air out of
Gabriel's lungs.
Gabriel's hand shot out just in time to block the knife stabbing down toward him.
He wrapped his fingers round Reynar's wrist, mercilessly pinching his nerves, trying to
deaden the hand and make him drop his blade. Reynard's benumbed fingers released
the dagger.
Gabriel shoved the big knight off, then scrambled to pin Reynard's arms to the
ground with his knees. He punched Reynard several times across the face, and the
crunch of bone against bone was brutally satisfying. Gabriel wanted more. He kicked
Reynard and backhanded him, punching the other man over and over and over,
reveling in the feel of flesh turning to pulp under his fists, skin splitting open, blood
staining his nails and hands as he rent Reynard to pieces. Gabriel growled with
pleasure. This was just how he should kill Reynard. Slowly. In pieces.
As Gabriel delivered punch after punch, something glinted just under the edge
of his vision, stinging his eyes, distracting him. He paused and rocked back to sit on his
knees. Reynard groaned but did not move.
Gently, Gabriel cupped the shining thing around his own neck in his palm,
glancing down at the little golden rose.
The jewel . . .
Kathryn's bauble . . .
Kathryn.
Good God, what will she think if you beat Reynard to death? I wanted this, but she
wouldn't.
You knew that when you challenged him. Don't fool yourself you're doing this for her
sake. It's just the wolf in you. Reynard's just another rival who needs to be taken down, another
hunting dog whose throat needs to be ripped out.
Good lord, Gabriel, your first day as a man, and this is how you behave? Might as well
have stayed a wolf. You don't seem to be doing much worthwhile as a man.
You didn't have a choice who you were as a wolf. Now you do, and look what you've
chosen. You're a worse beast than Reynard.
No.
Gabriel recoiled from the ruin of Reynard's face. He stared down at his cut and
bloodied hands, flipping them over, staring at them in surprise. Rasping for breath,
sweat, blood, and dirt mingling freely on his face, Gabriel looked into Reynard's hard,
dark irises as the flesh around them bled and swelled.
"Kill me, then," Reynard choked out through his broken face. "Your precious
bitch might be in heat by now. Wouldn't want to miss that."
Gabriel narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Something inside him wound
tight, ready to snap. His arm shook with tension as he drew back for another blow.
Reynard's battered lips tipped up in a gruesome grimace of a smile. There was
satisfaction in his face.
Gabriel stared at Reynard for a long moment, then slowly let his arm fall back to
his side. Gabriel stiffly stood, clutching at his bleeding gut. "Tch. Such a filthy mouth,
Reynard. May you learn better manners in exile." Gabriel wiped blood from his mouth
with the back of his dirty sleeve. He fetched up Reynard's discarded dagger and
jauntily stuck the blade into the belt of his torn, bloodied jerkin. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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knee and the hilt of his sword. Reynard shoved him off.
Gabriel righted himself with an effort. Blearily trying to focus, he swung his
sword at Reynard's neck once more. At the last moment, Reynard's free hand shot out,
and fast as lightning, he seized Gabriel by the wrist and, twisting ruthlessly, brought
him crashing to the ground. Reynard pinned Gabriel's sword hand roughly with his
foot and kicked Gabriel's weapon away as his nerveless fingers released the hilt.
"Now what's to do, Sir Mutt?" Reynard laughed mean and low. "You might have
bested me with your teeth and claws, you know. Better as a wolf than a man, eh?"
Gabriel drew his dagger and stabbed Reynard in the calf.
Roaring in rage, Reynard stumbled off and groped with his free hand to draw
the blade out. Gabriel kicked Reynard's legs out from under him, and as his opponent
fell, he leapt upon Reynard. They rolled over and over in the grass, furiously trading
blows with their fists and legs.
Gabriel tried to push Reynard's face into the smothering ground when Reynard
turned suddenly and latched his mouth on to Gabriel's fingers, his teeth squeezing
Gabriel's flesh and breaking the skin. With a low growl, Gabriel savagely bashed his
skull against Reynard's, the force of which left the both of them stunned.
Reynard recovered first, bucking his knees up to hit Gabriel in his wounded
stomach. Sucking in a breath and biting his lip so hard he bled, Gabriel fell sideways off
him.
Reynard rolled over with a sharp bark of pain, pulling Gabriel's knife from his
own calf. He threw himself on top of Gabriel and pinned him, jarring the air out of
Gabriel's lungs.
Gabriel's hand shot out just in time to block the knife stabbing down toward him.
He wrapped his fingers round Reynar's wrist, mercilessly pinching his nerves, trying to
deaden the hand and make him drop his blade. Reynard's benumbed fingers released
the dagger.
Gabriel shoved the big knight off, then scrambled to pin Reynard's arms to the
ground with his knees. He punched Reynard several times across the face, and the
crunch of bone against bone was brutally satisfying. Gabriel wanted more. He kicked
Reynard and backhanded him, punching the other man over and over and over,
reveling in the feel of flesh turning to pulp under his fists, skin splitting open, blood
staining his nails and hands as he rent Reynard to pieces. Gabriel growled with
pleasure. This was just how he should kill Reynard. Slowly. In pieces.
As Gabriel delivered punch after punch, something glinted just under the edge
of his vision, stinging his eyes, distracting him. He paused and rocked back to sit on his
knees. Reynard groaned but did not move.
Gently, Gabriel cupped the shining thing around his own neck in his palm,
glancing down at the little golden rose.
The jewel . . .
Kathryn's bauble . . .
Kathryn.
Good God, what will she think if you beat Reynard to death? I wanted this, but she
wouldn't.
You knew that when you challenged him. Don't fool yourself you're doing this for her
sake. It's just the wolf in you. Reynard's just another rival who needs to be taken down, another
hunting dog whose throat needs to be ripped out.
Good lord, Gabriel, your first day as a man, and this is how you behave? Might as well
have stayed a wolf. You don't seem to be doing much worthwhile as a man.
You didn't have a choice who you were as a wolf. Now you do, and look what you've
chosen. You're a worse beast than Reynard.
No.
Gabriel recoiled from the ruin of Reynard's face. He stared down at his cut and
bloodied hands, flipping them over, staring at them in surprise. Rasping for breath,
sweat, blood, and dirt mingling freely on his face, Gabriel looked into Reynard's hard,
dark irises as the flesh around them bled and swelled.
"Kill me, then," Reynard choked out through his broken face. "Your precious
bitch might be in heat by now. Wouldn't want to miss that."
Gabriel narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. Something inside him wound
tight, ready to snap. His arm shook with tension as he drew back for another blow.
Reynard's battered lips tipped up in a gruesome grimace of a smile. There was
satisfaction in his face.
Gabriel stared at Reynard for a long moment, then slowly let his arm fall back to
his side. Gabriel stiffly stood, clutching at his bleeding gut. "Tch. Such a filthy mouth,
Reynard. May you learn better manners in exile." Gabriel wiped blood from his mouth
with the back of his dirty sleeve. He fetched up Reynard's discarded dagger and
jauntily stuck the blade into the belt of his torn, bloodied jerkin. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]