Dragonfury 01 - Fury of Fire

of the energy surging inside her.
    Ivar raised his hand again. This time she saw the whites of his knuckles and a closed fist, not an open palm. He was running out of patience, and she, out of time.
    Stay strong. Stay strong.
    The blow hammered her in the ribcage. She listed sideways and fell, hitting the steel floor with a thud. Pink eyes glowing with a fierceness that terrified her, Ivar reached down, fisted his hand in her hair and hauled her to her feet.
    “Give me what I want.”
    Even knowing she fought a losing battle, she struggled anyway, refusing to let him win; to be a victim and go down without a fight. “No.”
    “Fucking female,” he said, breathing hard, ripping at her hair with his grip.
    “Asshole male,” she rasped as he pushed her face-first into the wall. “You like hurting those weaker than you, don’t you? You get off on it. What happens, Ivar, when someone is as strong as you…do you run and hide? Yeah, that’s your style, isn’t it? It’s why you won’t take on Bastian. He’d kick your ass…and you know it.”
    With a growl, he shook her. Her head snapped back, and Myst reevaluated her strategy. Taunting him wasn’t the best plan. But, God. What else could she do? She needed to buy time…enough for Bastian to reach her. Keeping Ivar pissed off and engaged with her meant that he wasn’t out organizing his warriors. From what she knew, the Razorbacks required leadership in a fight. Without a strong leader pulling the strings, Ivar’s warriors would fold, allowing the Nightfuries to breach their defenses. Once behind enemy lines, Bastian and the others would take the enemy out one by one.
    At least, she hoped so. She didn’t know how much more of Ivar she could take.
    “No answer, Ivar? Are you so afraid of my mate that—”
    “Shut the fuck up.” Shoving her against the wall, he pressed his chest to her back, crushing her between himself and the steel wall. As she struggled, he kicked at her feet, spreading her legs to thrust his thigh between her own. The invasion pressed hard muscle against her core. Pressure banded around her ribcage, stealing her air as he growled, “Maybe I’ve been going at you the wrong way. Maybe I should just fuck you instead.”
    Oh, God…no. A beating she could endure, but rape? Would she be able to hold onto the energy…to hold it back and deny him as he assaulted her? Myst squeezed her eyes shut. Stay strong. Stay strong. She repeated the mantra over and over, biting down on a whimper as Ivar slid his hand beneath her shirt.
    His palm settled flat on her bare belly. “Now, who’s the one with no answer?”
    Fighting his hold, she screamed, rage driving her. The battle cry echoed, and she pushed against the wall with her bound hands. “Screw you!”
    “Absolutely…let’s get to it.”
    Hot breath in her ear, he tugged at the string holding her scrub bottoms in place. She bucked, flailing against his immobilizing hold, rebelling against his touch. The knot slipped. The cotton covering her hips slid an inch. Unable to hold them back, tears flooded her eyes. But Myst refused to let a single one fall. She wouldn’t give Ivar the satisfaction. He could go to hell. Bastian would send him there then—
    Boom!
    The explosion sounded a second before the blast wave hit. Metal groaned as the shipping container rocked, sending Ivar back a step. Thrown with him, Myst stumbled and then crumpled when Ivar dropped her. Hinges whined, the shriek of rusty steel reverberating in the enclosed space a moment before the door opened.
    Lothair stuck his head inside. His dark eyes found Ivar. “Nightfuries…coming in fast.”
    “Good.” His mouth curved up at the corners, he glanced at Myst. “He’s taken the bait. Is the C-four set?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Get that bastard in the pipe. Let’s blow the horns off his fucking head.” Ivar’s pink irises flashed, and Myst went tense with dread. Without taking his gaze from her, he pulled another flex cuff from his back pocket. As he approached, she rolled in the other direction, trying to get up. Not that she had anywhere to run. Not with Lothair blocking the exit, and Ivar bearing down on her like a freight train.
    Just as she made it to her feet, he grabbed her ankle and yanked. She cried out, hitting the floor hard. Kicking out with her free foot, she aimed for his head. He dodged, slipped the plastic cuff around her ankle, and then went after the other one. Within seconds, he caught her, immobilizing