Goddess Of The Underworld (Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191

零四

My bike roared under me like a beast unleashed, tyres spitting gravel as I shot forward. The crowd blurred into streaks of colour, the wind tearing at my jacket, at my hair, at the edges of my control and I welcomed it. Every twist of the throttle was fire in my veins, every shift of the gears a promise that nothing in this world could catch me. Adrenaline carved its way through me like lightning. This, this was freedom. No quads breathing down my neck, no expectations of being the Prince of anything. Just speed, just the road, just Macey’s kiss still burning on my cheek like it had branded me. The road bent up ahead, marking the agreed–upon point. My challenger was at my side, grinning through his helmet, but I didn’t care, I leaned into the curve, the bike hugging the asphalt so tight sparks flew. The rush of it made me laugh under my breath, raw and reckless. We spun around and gunned it back, engines screaming, the finish line already in sight where Macey stood waiting. The crowd roared, heat and dust rising off the pavement–And then I saw him. A wolf. Not just standing there, but moving in on her. Low, stalking, his eyes locked on Macey in a way that left no doubt about his intentions. Too close. Too wrong. Something inside me snapped. Not my girl.

The race dissolved. The bike, the road, the crowd, gone. All that existed was her, and the wolf who thought he could put his hands, his teeth, his anything on her. The portal ripped open before I even thought about it. Shadows cracked the air, and I stepped through with the kind of precision I’d been born for. My bike skidded, tyres screaming, crashing hard against the dirt as I abandoned it without a second thought. I came out nose–to–nose with the shifter, the smell of his intent still hot in the air. His eyes widened as he realised too late that I wasn’t his prey, I was his reckoning. My chest heaved, rage clawing at my ribs, the crowd frozen behind me. Somewhere, someone screamed. Somewhere, Elias cursed. But all I saw was the wolf, and all I felt was the fire burning through me, whispering one undeniable

truth. She’s mine.

The wolf’s eyes were still wide when my fingers curled into his shirt, a flicker of power rolling off me like heat off asphalt. My shadows coiled at the edge of the portal, whispering to drag him back down into the dark. I could already taste the iron tang of hell on my tongue

“Elliot!”

Macey’s voice cracked across the noise like a whip. A small hand slapped at my arm, sharp enough to snap me out of it. I blinked, the portal flickering, and turned just enough to see her standing there, helmet under her arm, eyes blazing with more fury than fear.

“He was just being nice!” she scolded, stamping her foot like she used to when she was small. “You don’t have to attack every guy who tries to talk to me!”

My jaw clenched, the shadows trembling as I forced them to retreat. Nice. That wasn’t what I’d seen. That wasn’t what I’d felt.

“He was not trying to ‘just‘ be nice,” I bit out, my voice low, dangerous. “Don’t tell me you didn’t feel it.”

Macey rolled her eyes hard enough to make herself dizzy, throwing her hands up. “So?! So what!? Maybe I want that. Maybe I want someone to like me!”

The words hit like a punch. She stood there, cheeks flushed, shoulders squared, glaring at me as if daring me to contradict her.

For a heartbeat, everything in me wanted to snarl, I like you. I’ve always liked you. You’re mine. But the only thing that came out was a strangled, “You don’t know what you’re asking for. You should be waiting for your mate.”

Her breath caught. For a second, her eyes softened, but then she shook her head, huffing. “You can’t scare every guy away, Elliot. I’m not a kid anymore.”

I swallowed the fire clawing at my throat, the need to drag her back against me and never let go. “I know you’re not,” I said quietly, voice like gravel. “That’s the problem.”

Her lips parted, but no words came. The crowd watched us like a live show, Elias off to the side, pinching the bridge of his nose. The wolf had already slunk back, pale and shaking. And there I stood, heart pounding, power still thrumming under my skin, staring at the only

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15:48 Thu, Oct 2

Chapter 191

person who could burn me down without lifting a finger.

1914

Macey’s eyes flashed one last time, her mouth set in a stubborn line I knew too well. “Forget it,” she snapped, yanking her helmet back

1. on.

“Mace-” I started, but she was already swinging onto her bike. The engine screamed to life beneath her, and before I could take another step, she shot off down the road, a streak of leather and fury vanishing Into the trees.

I stood there, breathing hard, the smell of burnt rubber and shadows clinging to me. Slowly, I turned back toward my own bike. What was left of it, anyway. The frame was a twisted wreck on the gravel, one handlebar bent at a stupid angle, oil dripping onto the dirt. The front tyre was still spinning lazily, mocking me. I closed my eyes, exhaling a long, ragged sigh. Bootsteps crunched behind me. Elias. He came up and took one look at the wreck, then at the road where Macey had disappeared. He didn’t say anything at first, just clapped a hand onto my shoulder, the weight of it half steadying, half teasing.

“Looks like I’ve got myself a backpack for the ride home,” he said with a crooked grin.

Despite myself, a short, humourless laugh escaped. “Yeah. Guess you do.”

Elias’s smirk faded into something more thoughtful. “Telling our parents about this one is going to be fun…”

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