AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did I kill you?” His voice is soft, alluring, dangerous; laced with a hint of amusement.
“No,”I exhale.Although you nearly made my heart stop, you damn bastard.
“I’m the only one that can help you right now. Tell me where the lads are, my lady.” Somehow, he’s become terrifyingly persuasive. There’s an earnestness in his crimson gaze that makes me want to throw caution to the wind and trust him completely.
Silently, imperceptibly, I shudder.
This creature isdangerous.
But what choice do I have? With all the time that has passed, if I keep quiet and do nothing, Aderick will die.
I take a deep, shuddering breath and try to forget that I’m in the company of a monster.
“It’s about five leagues that way,” I say softly, “if you follow the road. But you’ll need a horse, otherwise it will be too late.” Already, I’ve wasted far too much time. I don’t know how much longer Aderick can survive. “Surely the castle is not far from here. Please, if you would just help me get to—”
The pale stranger holds up a hand. “No need.Iam faster. If you will permit me, my lady.”
Permit?I shake my head in confusion.What is he talking about?
The monster adjusts his hood until shadows fall across his inhuman eyes. He fixes his scarf, wrapping it around his neck and the lower half of his face.
Hiding himself from plain view.
From a distance, and to the ordinary observer, there would be nothing unusual about him except for the braided tail of long white hair that emerges from beneath his cloak.
He’s calm.Toocalm.
His entire demeanor is relaxed; still, he radiates that strange energy—half-amusement, half something else that I can’t quite put my finger on.
It occurs to me that I’m wearing nothing but my boots and my grey woolen undergarments. Although the long-sleeved tunic and long-johns cover almost every part of me—from neck to bloody ankle—they are rather tight and clingy, leaving little to the imagination.
I am indecent right now, but who cares?
The man—monster—disappears before my very eyes, the space around him turning into a blur of darkness and light.
A great force lifts me up.
Suddenly, I’m in his arms again, but this time, he’s carrying me, and we’re moving so fast that the snow and the trees blur.
I gasp.
He’s running. Fast. Faster than even a horse would run.
No mortal is capable of moving this fast.
No mortal is this strong, to be able to carry me so effortlessly. Against him, I have no hope of fighting; no hope of escape.
I entered the lands of Tyron destined to marry an archduke. Instead, I’ve ended up in the arms of a demon.
A strange, white-haired, red-eyed, blood-drinking demon.
I can only pray that he stays true to his word.
9
CORVAN
Just my bloody luck.
