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Laughter escaped Thorin’s throat like a burst of dragon flame. “Lord Inferni,” he said with a disinterested slur. “Queen Malvolia’s army has your home surrounded.”
They gasped, looking at Thorin as if he were a ghost. “What?”
“How?” Flora grasped Derrick’s arm, giving him a pleading look. “We were so careful.”
“Not careful enough.” Thorin waved at her extended stomach with a sneer. “No matter how many faces you shift into, Flora, you cannot hide your pregnancy.”
Jealousy surged through Thorin when Derrick wrapped an arm around Flora’s waist, nuzzling her neck.
Chara’s eyes darted to her husband while she chewed her nails. “Will Malvolia kill us?”
Lord Tobias grasped his wife’s hands. “No, your fertility magic is too important to her.”
She visibly swallowed and nodded. If the noblewoman only knew these moments would be her last.
Flora let out a gasp, grasping her mate’s arm.
“Don’t panic,” Derrick murmured, kissing Flora’s cheek. “Marius will be here soon with reinforcements.”
“Marius is dead,” Thorin blurted, repressing a grin at the horror reflecting in Flora and Derrick’s eyes.
“W-what?” Flora breathed and then fell against her mate.
Thorin surged forward, wishing he could catch Flora, but her mate beat him to it, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her through the hall’s tall double doors and into an adjoining room, Lady Chara and her servants making gasping sounds as they followed after them.
The rest of the hall descended into chaos as Lord Tobias barked orders to his men.
Thorin seized on that moment to follow after Flora’s entourage. The human girl followed him like a trained dog, never letting him out of her sight. When two Ravini mages tried to block their path, he hit them with a subtle memory spell, the light invisible even to the Fae eye, though the spell would only last minutes, not years.
“Your lord says you must let us pass,” he mumbled.
“Yes, sir.” The guards obediently stepped aside.
Thorin marched into a large dining hall, snatching a warm, buttery roll off the table. When the human gave him an imploring look, he tossed her the roll and then stuffed several more into his pockets. He scowled at the many dishes piled on the table, a feast fit for an entire village made just for a few aristocrats. When he and Flora defeated Malvolia, he would strip the nobility of their land and titles and laugh when they begged for food in the streets.
Thorin walked into the adjoining drawing room, with floral wallpaper, ivory vases, plush carpets, and flickering, brass sconces. Flora let out a moan when Derrick laid her on one of the brocade sofas.
“Flora,” Thorin breathed when her head rolled back and her hand fell listlessly to the floor. Curse those brothers for impregnating her and making her so vulnerable. The Flora he once knew wouldn’t have fainted over the loss of an expendable mate. The Flora he once knew wouldn’t have mated with those foolish dukes in the first place. She had loved Thorin above all others. Why else had she been so kind to him when no one else would even look in his direction?
Derrick snarled at Thorin, smoke pouring from his fingers when he edged too close to Flora. Thorin snarled back and he hit Derrick with a spell similar to the one he’d used on the guards, telling him that Lord Inferni had invited him here and that he was their only hope in escaping Malvolia. Derrick blinked and shook his head before letting his guard down. How easy these Fae were to manipulate.
“I’m sorry, Flora.” Thorin’s knees cracked as he knelt beside her, taking her hand in his. “He never made it past the Windhaven border.”
Flora cried out, her back bowing as if she was possessed. “No, no, no!”
A warning horn blared in the distance. Thorin looked outside just as the night sky lit up with an inferno. Their time was up.
Lord Tobias flew into the room. “She brought her entire army! They’re attacking the battlements!”
“What do we do, Tobias?” Lady Chara cried, her eyes wide with panic. “Where do we go?”
Tobias flew to Thorin, snatching his arm. “What did you mean when you said you’re our last chance at freedom?”
Thorin shook the nobleman off his arm with a sneer. “I said I was Flora’s last chance, not yours.”
“You can’t leave us here!” Chara screeched like a wounded bird. “Malvolia will kill us!” Clasping her hands together, she gave Thorin a pleading look. “She’ll kill our children!”
The flames outside raced closer to the manor, lapping at the windows as enraged shouts were heard coming from above and below.
