Page 117 of A Cruel Kindness

I LOVE HIM! The Bond screamed like a lovesick teenager, though the voice was entirely my own.

It took seven breaths between the two of us, alternating like we were giving each other the air to breathe, for either of us to move.

As was with the Bond, Clover and Lucky were simple. They only understood that we were Soul Mates and that was the end of the story.

To them, this was a small separation, knowing they’d be back to each other’s sides in seconds.

To me, this felt like saying goodbye.

Even then, Clover and Lucky trotted apart happily, focusing only on the fact they got to explore the forest.

I turned over my shoulder to watch as Soren disappeared into the trees, feeling my throat close as his form slipped into darkness.

“It’s just you and me now, sweet girl,” I told Clover as she trotted east. She could tell through our connection that she had to be careful, but I was scanning the ground for her, looking out for anything that might be a minefield.

I would alternate with looking up, making sure there was no one lying in wait in the trees.

Everything seemed fine, I thought, though it wasn’t bringing relief. As Clover and I stepped out of the canopy of the forest to hug the tree line, I felt something like dread pool in my chest.

It felt slightly far away, like the emotion wasn’t entirely mine.

Soren.

I was already turning Clover around when an explosion blasted through the silence, pushing out a shock wave that shook the trees.

I whipped around fully, my heel ready to press into Clover’s side to tell her to run to get to Soren as fast as she possibly could when I was stopped by Elijah.

Astride his horse.

Pointing an arrow at me.

“Get out of my way,” I growled at him. I couldn’t see the threat in front of me. All I understood was that he stood in between me and Soren.

Elijah tilted his head like he was genuinely considering it before he shook his head and said, “No, I don’t think I will.”

Clover was shaking underneath me, understanding the terror pumping through my veins. I tried to calm her with a hand down her neck, but she wasn’t convinced.

“What do you want?” I snapped back. It was stupid to have trusted him to do something as simple as deliver a letter to the Prince.

Elijah chuckled under his breath. “I can’t let you save them.”

“You want me to sit back and let you hurt my friends? My people? My fucking Soul Mate?” The fury in my words was palpable. My mind was focusing on Soren right now, seeing Elijah as nothing but an impediment to get to him, but his underlying threat wasn’t lost on me.

This was just the beginning. He would be coming for my people. Entering this war had only solidified my love for Vir. It was the fuel behind everything I’d done. My father may have been willing to set aside their well-being for a power grab, but that didn’t mean I’d stand by and let Muli take revenge.

Elijah smiled, as if the thought entertained him. “There are plans set in motion. Don’t disturb them.”

“You’re a vague asshole,” I snapped at him, wrapping my hands around Clover’s reins, preparing to have her take off in a sprint.

Elijah tsked, “Oh, I was hoping you’d be smarter than that.”

“Smarter than what?” I shot back, right as I kicked Clover’s side.

Elijah was faster and more brutal. “Than to try to run,” he said as he released the string of his bow and sent an arrow flying towards me. He’d moved so fast, I didn’t even see that he’d shifted his aim towards my leg.

Concern for Clover won out, my leg pulling away from her side to prevent her from any harm. I wasn’t fast enough, because Elijah’s arrow tore through my thigh in a clean puncture a second later, and I could feel the point rip through my skin and lodge into Clover’s side.

Clover reared back in pain, both for herself and me. She tried to turn towards Elijah and his horse in retaliation, but her back leg caught on a branch and we both went crashing down.