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“We’re all going to survive this,”Bright growled.“We haven’t made it this long to lose our lives to the damn Beast.”
I agreed, though my confidence was fading alongside the distance between us and the Beast.
It was a terrible plan, but if we didn’t go, no one would. And we couldn’t just sit back and let our mates die; veil, that wasn’t even an option.
“Here I am,” Kierden’s snarl echoed through the jungle ahead of us.
Fear clutched my stomach as the Beast’s laughter cut through the Wilds.
Finally, we saw Kierden, the Beast, and an unconscious Death in a small clearing on the floor of the jungle. There was only a short distance between the men—and Death separated them.
Bright launched toward the clearing as the Beast lunged for Kierden, moving so fast I couldn’t even see him move. The fae king’s ice swords appeared in his hands as he whirled out of the way, slashing his weapons out.
The Beast roared as ice cut through his arm—and his claws caught Kierden’s side.
The men spun together, the scent of their blood flooding the air as they fought. I couldn’t see who was winning, but Kierden wasn’t anywhere near as fast as the Beast, and I knew that meant he would eventually be overtaken.
“Death is breathing. He’s unconscious, but I don’t smell any blood,”Bright said.“You have to intervene now, if you want me to get Kierden out of here.”
She was right.
Though it went against every one of my instincts, I slipped off Bright’s back and called out, “Beast, I have something you’ll want more than a fae king’s energy.”
The asssassin appeared in front of me.
“Get Kierden out of here,”I whispered to Bright.“I don’t care what you have to do to him—just get him out.”
She practically flew at the fae king, ramming him. He landed on her back, and she bit down on his leg to hold him there as she sprinted back into the jungle with him.
Kierden was snarling into my mind, but I didn’t let myself listen to what he was saying. If I listened, I might get worried, and I couldn’t allow myself to be afraid.
I forced myself to focus on the real threat—the man in front of me.
His lips lifted in a feral grin that told me I was going to regret sacrificing myself the way I just had. “You must be very powerful to think you’re worth more to me than the man I’ve vowed to kill. Or just very stupid.”
Or a little of both, maybe.
“What do you know about mating?” I asked him, fighting hard to keep my voice even.
“Your mating won’t keep me from killing your king, sweetheart.”
“Not my mating;yours.”
His gaze became slightly… curious. “I’m listening.”
“Did you know that mating connects two people’s magic? If I seal my bond with Kierden, I’ll have access to his power, and he’ll have access to mine.”
The Beast’s eyes narrowed.
I added quickly, “The elves’ magic changed you. What if you mated with a shifter? Would it balance out that magic so you don’t have to take contracts anymore? Would it make your power even stronger?”
His eyes narrowed even further.
The words poured out of me, “I’ve been where you are. You’re trapped by the spells the elves put on you; I was trapped in a literal tower for most of my life. But what if there’s a way out? What if taking a mate would free you? Isn’t that worth more than this?” I gestured to the jungle around us.
The Beast lifted an eyebrow “You’re defending him.”
Kierden had grown silent in my head, which worried me, but I couldn’t let it distract me. “Of course I am. He’s mymate.”
