Oscar?
Kade studied the pimply brute of a boy, medium height with a head full of brown curly hair and light green eyes. There was something odd about the mortal, perhaps it was the fact that he stood between three large men who eyed Kade distastefully.
Or rather, it was the fixated way he stared at Larkin. His Larkin.
“Larkin,” Oscar began, stepping forward then halted, eyes lifting to Kade who simply watched with an imperturbable expression. His bemused stare wandered between the two. “I have been searching for you everywhere.” The boy finally managed, still staring at Kade though he spoke to the girl.
Kade’s head cocked to the side, studying the boy from the bridge of his nose. “Oscar.” he finally spoke, eyes glinting with fire and water, together in an unending torrent.
The boy straightened, somehow gathering courage and finally regarding Kade head on, though he simply stood at five foot eight while Kade towered at six foot five.
“Oscar Zeeran,” his chin jutted out, “Larkin is my betrothed.”
Kade arched a dutiful curious eyebrow.
Behind him, he felt Larkin shift to step forward, “Oscar-” her steps are stopped short by the fall of Kade’s cue stick, barricading her from moving any further.
“Your betrothed?” Kade echoed, pointed stare dropping to his ringless finger, “I see no sign of marriage on your hand.”
“She was meant to be mine,” the boy grit out, bristlign beneath the condescension of Kade’s. “But that man-” he spat the words out, Wynter, as though they burned his own tongue, “he took her from me.”
“He bought her.” Kade corrected, “fair and square I presume, hence she is no longer your property.”
Oscar seemed to struggle with the man’s words, his cheeks grew flush with rage. His eyes drop to Larkin who does not move. Kade can hear the juddering of her heart.
“Larkin-” Oscar stepped forward, stopping short as a low vibratory growl echoed from the man. His wide eyes snap up to Kade who only smiled, flashing dangerously subtle sharp canines at him.
“I would not advise you to step any further,” Kade warned cooly, “lest you wish for me to tear that menial head of your mortal body.”
Oscar’s mouth parts then slips shut, the pressure in his mouth causing his muscles to flex and twitch. “I know what you are, animal,” he spits and the three men behind him begin to move around the table, slowly caving in. Their hands slip into the pockets of their jackets, brandishing swords, daggers and knuckle brasses.
Kade sighed, “Be wise and walk away kid,” he points a flippant finger at the men, “withdraw your men as well.”
“I am not leaving without her.”
Larkin shifted and he felt her hand on his sleeve a moment later, diminutive of quivers disturbed her tone, “Kade-”
“Larkin, come here.” Oscar held out a hand towards her.
“Call her again,” Kade interrupted, eyes flashing deadly golden, “and I will have that hand on my wall.”
Oscar’s pupils dilated, slight trepidation trembling his lower chin, but he did not back down. “She is mine-”
“Come get her.” Kade challenged dryly and tense glass-cutting silence settled throughout the bar.
The first man struck from the right. He dashed towards them, a large burly frame pounding the wooden planks whilst brandishing his sword in an arc and sweeping down towards Kade. The werewolf moved lightning-fast, easily side stepping as the sword lands uselessly where he stood a moment ago.
Kade’s hand shot out like a viper, clutching a fistful of the man’s hair and drawing his face down on his raised knee. He felt the shuttering of bone and a blood curdling scream a heartbeat later. Throwing him back, Kade twists the cue stick expertly in hand and takes a wide swing across the man’s temple just as he stumbles back, clutching his bleeding nose.
Jarring pain shot across his scalp as one man hurled a glass bottle against his scalp, shards of glass shattering upon impact, nicking and slicing his skin. Rage surges through him then, a cloud of red momentarily blinding his vision as he turns towards both men standing side by side with menacing looks.
Kade rolls his neck from side to side, upper lip drawing back in a snarl. He reached for a cue stick and snapped it across his knee into two jagged ends.
They lunged for each other in a blur of tangled limbs and deafening growls. Kade grabbed at one man’s face and slammed it against the wall before yanking him back and surging the stick’s jagged end across his neck. Blood spurted out sharply once he dislodged, splattering along the skin of his cheek and neck.
Searing pain spreads across his ribcage from behind and moments later he felt an arm wrap around his neck, yanking him away from the bleeding body that fell with a heavy thud to the floor. Kade struggled for a brief moment, disoriented by the sudden pain as the shard cue stick pierced through his skin and flesh, further twisting inside.
The man’s grip remained unrelenting as he shoved the stick deeper.
“Piece of animal shi-” Using his grip as leverage, Kade kicked up onto the pool table’s edge and flexed his knees before shoving them backwards with surprising force. They crashed through a glass cabinet set against the wall, bottles of alcohol fell all around, stray pieces cutting exposed skin.
He rolled sharply and rose, reaching for the stick still embedded into his side and with a grunt, dislodged it. He growled, his skin shifted, muscles stirring restlessly as the animal beneath him began to surface. Striding up to the man who still lay groaning in pain, Kade grabbed his ankle and yanked towards him before latching a hand around his throat and with inhuman strength, lifted him off the ground.
His claws began to extend into the man’s throat, piercing skin and easing into the bones of his trachea. Wordlessly, Kade tore it out, watching the man slump whilst grasping at his throat now empty, struggling to breath.
Tossing the trachea aside, Kade spat a mouthful on him then turned, the rush of adrenaline subsiding slightly as his vision cleared.
“Larkin-”
He stilled.
She was not there. Neither was Oscar.