Page 177 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

Shadows coil over the Fae’s arms, torso, and legs, pressed against him like living armor, a loyal serpent of darkness. His features vanish beneath the shifting black that forms a helmet, yet his silver eyes pierce through it all, locking onto me.

He stares at me as if he cannot believe I am here, as if he wasn’t aware of my presence this entire time.

My heart hammers, but it’s not just from fear.

Amid the terror, something unfamiliar stirs, a frantic heat that refuses to be ignored. I can’t look away. And he seems equally ensnared by me.

Rian’s silver gaze slides downward, taking in my dirt-streaked, torn gown. Malice flashes in his glowing irises.

I still, caught in the electricity of the moment, oblivious to everything else.

Until a flash of steel shatters it all.

Lev charges across the clearing, sword arm raised, gleaming in the fleeting light that pierces the storm clouds. And he’s riding toward Rian.

My breath stutters as an invisible force grips my lungs in an unforgiving vise.

“NO!” The word tears from me as the sword arcs downward, aimed at Rian’s exposed neck.

And my entire world narrows to the sharp, terrifying edge of that single descending blade.

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Time grinds to an agonizing, slow pace.

Terror seizes every muscle in my body except my heart, which gallops as fast as the stallions racing into the clearing.

Inch by inch, Lev’s sword draws closer to Rian’s throat. An ugly, terrible sensation claws in my gut. I cannot bear the thought of the Fae being hurt. And I won’t.

Fighting against the fear locking me in place, I throw my arm out as two words flash in my mind. Protect him.

Power soars from my fingertips. Bright light zips across the distance separating me from Rian faster than I can blink, aiming for Lev’s sword arm.

But shadows get there first.

Thick, dark tendrils surround Lev’s throat, then zip down his arm and pluck the sword from his hand.

He roars in outrage.

The shadows drag Lev off his stallion, then coil into an opaque wall that snaps shut around him and Rian. My magic slams into the magical barrier and dissipates like an extinguished candle.

I stare, lips parted. Then I run.

Time lurches back into its normal, brutal pace, every heartbeat a hammer strike against my sternum.

“Elara!” Ferria’s voice rips through the chaos consuming my mind.

But I don’t stop.

I leap and stumble over overturned stones and cooking pots. This side of the clearing is empty of bodies. The fighting hasn’t drawn close to the opulent tent where the Shadow Prince rests.

Hoofbeats thunder in my ears.

My head jerks up. A Verdanthian soldier bears down on me, sword flashing atop his steed, his glare burning with the same filthy hatred as the soldier who called me a whore.

I skid to a halt and search for cover. Darius’s tent is too far. Even if it weren’t, dragging this fight to him is unthinkable.

There’s nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. Exposed in the middle of this field, I’m an easy target. At least…I used to be.