Page 56 of How Does It Feel?

It was as though he had fallen from the sky silently.

Several black leather strappings and buckles covered his broad chest. A black cape billowed in the wind behind him as he watched me, his pale blue eyes pinned on me with icy ferocity. His wings were spread wide, taking up too much space on the rooftop. Raindrops fell through the black smoke as if afraid to touch it.

“No,” I whispered, scrambling to get back on my feet. “No! No, please!”

He strode forward, his long muscular legs covering the ground too quickly. I spasmed with fear as I tried to scrape myself away from him, but he was too fast, too big.

His palm fisted my hair, wrenching my neck back.

I cried out as he yanked me to my feet by the fistful of matted hair. He roughly pulled me closer to him.

I looked up, fighting against the rain to look into his cold blue eyes. I tried desperately to kick and scream, but the few hits that connected against his hard stomach and thighs seemed to hurt me and not him. Even standing as he was, he towered over me as if I still lay on the ground.

“Please, you’re hurting me,” I cried, feeling completely helpless.

“Why won’t you die?” His voice was so quiet and deep. It was like a tiger’s growl, powerful even in a whisper.

My arms pushed against his chest as I tried to balance myself and ease the pain on my scalp from his grip.

His pale eyes flickered as I touched him. Something seemed to pull at them cracking his stoic expression. Confusion crinkled his eyes as he inspected my features, so close now I could smell his spicy fragrance. He was ungodly attractive, like an angel of death.

Out of nowhere, a gray blur slammed into him, loosening his grip and sending us both to the ground. My body moved me away from the predator before my mind had even registered the command.

A large gray wolf bit into the prince’s throat.

Walter!

A yelp rang out as Prince Mendax slammed the wolf to the ground with a grunt.

“After everything we’ve been through, you betray me.”

The large wolf got up and strode in front of me with a low growl, guarding me.

I couldn’t let him do this again. I would not let him die for my sake.

“Walter! No!” I shouted as I attempted to move in front of him.

The prince straightened slightly as one small corner of his mouth curled up.

“How sweet.” He looked from me to Walter. “The human assassin protects you. I wonder how far she’ll go to save you, brother?”

Brother? Well, that explains the room.

A snake of black smoke shot out from his hand, wrapping around Walter’s furry throat. It was only then I realized he hadn’t really been fighting the wolf. Rather, he’d been playing with him.

“No! Please, let him go! Take me! It was my idea! I convinced him, it’s not his fault!” I shouted as I ran to Walter.

The smoke snake wrapped around the wolf’s neck drew a gargled choking sound from Walter as it squeezed, still attached by a smokey trail to Mendax.

“I must commend you. I thought it was impressive, the scheme you two worked out. Walter kills the bog while you fashion some sort of key? I’m just dying to hear all about it,” Mendax said pleasantly as a twitch of his fingers caused the smoke snake to constrict tighter around the wolf's neck.

“Stop now! He had nothing to do with this! I killed the bog, I used the acid to soften the bone, I carved the key, and I escaped!” I cried, trying to break whatever hold the smoke had on Walter, but it was no use.

My hands swatted through the smoke as if it wasn’t even there. All the while, it held as strong as steel against my friend’s throat. I ran to Mendax and slammed my fists against his chest and arms, blinded by adrenaline and panic for Walter.

He chuckled lightly.

This was a game to him.