“I’m not the one in danger here,” Malakaisaid.
When the Lord beckoned to them, the guardsedged closer. Both dragons had slipped beyond the curtains to sitbeside the throne. Cole didn’t care about any of them as hisattention remained on Malakai.
Lexi stood on her tiptoes as she gazed at himwith wide eyes. The increasing redness of her face proved shewasn’t getting enough air.
“Let her go,” Cole commanded in a voice hedidn’t recognize.
CHAPTER 56
Lexi contemplated elbowing Malakai in theribs and stomping on his foot. However, she couldn’t decide if itwas better to break free or maintain Malakai’s mistaken belief shewas weaker than him.
She doubted it would happen, but there wasstill a very small chance they might make it out of here with alltheir secrets intact. The Lord, and most of those in the room,probably hadn’t fully grasped what was happening with the shadows,but if Cole continued to unravel, they would.
The Lord’s men lifted their spears andunsheathed their swords as they came closer. She couldn’t see thedragons, but she didn’t doubt they were ready to start eating.
When her eyes met Cole’s again, she saw theshadows creeping into the whites of them. For a second, all shecould see were those eyes as they became disembodied from the restof him.
Closing her eyes, Lexi concentrated onslowing the rapid beat of her heart and calming herself as shebreathed in tiny, shallow breaths of air. Lack of oxygen was makingthinking difficult.
She had to do something; she had to figuresomething out.
“Let her go,” Cole said again in thatstrange, guttural voice.
Lexi realized it didn’t matter what she did,Cole would go after Malakai, and he would do it tonight. Malakaihad pushed him too far.
Having Malakai holding her prisoner didn’thelp the situation, and if she didn’t breathe soon, she would passout. That would be theworstthing to happen. If she wereunconscious, she couldn’t open a portal out of here.
From the second they received theirinvitation, she’d known this night was going to turn into anightmare. But she’d been foolish enough to maintain some hope thatescaping, completely unscathed, was a possibility.
That hope was gone. Now, she just prayed theymade it out of here with their lives.
Drawing on the training Cole, her dad, andBrokk had put her through, she clasped her hands together andbashed her elbow into Malakai’s ribs. The explosion of air hereleased blew her hair forward and would have made her smile, butit was impossible to smile when this was all so awful.
While Malakai was still distracted by her jabto his ribs, she stomped on his foot. In response, his head cameforward enough that she could swing her head back and hit him withit.
Something gave way with a loud crack, and awash of something hot spilled down her neck. The coppery aroma onthe air alerted her it was blood as Malakai released her to grabhis face.
“Bitch!” he exclaimed in a voice muffled byhis hands as the Lord’s laughter boomed through the room.
Gasping in air, Lexi lunged forward, her handextended toward Cole. But before she could get to him, another handcaught in her hair.
She couldn’t hold back her cry of pain asstrands of her hair ripped free, and her head jerked back. AsMalakai pulled her back toward him, a roar like that of anapproaching train filled the room.
This time, there was no doubt where the soundcame from as Cole surged forward. But as he was coming, a flash ofsilver glinted past Lexi’s eyes a second before something coldpricked her throat as Malakai’s other arm cinched around herwaist.
She tried to look down at the dagger Malakaiheld against her neck, but all she succeeded in doing was havingher eyes cross. Cole froze, and the joints in his hands popped ashis claws extended into lethal points.
When he took a small step toward them, theblade dug deeper, and a trickle of warm blood slid down her throatto stain the collar of her dress. Lexi ran through the possibleways to free herself, but every scenario ended up with her throatmost likely being slit.
He wouldn’t be able to cut her head off, butwhat would happen if she was seriously wounded? Would her shieldfail as her body turned its attention to healing? Would she stillbe able to open a portal?
Everyone in the room was as still as statuesas they all focused on them. A bead of sweat trickled down Lexi’stemple to the corner of her eye.
It tickled her skin and irritated her eye,but she resisted her impulse to wipe it away. After what she’d doneto him, Malakai would slit her throat before he realized she wasonly wiping away sweat.
He was far too jittery to react sanely rightnow. His hand was steady on the dagger, but his body trembledagainst hers.
She understood his fear as shadows seeped outof Cole to darken the room around him.
