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My lungs burned. I’d always been quick, but the weeks spent in the dungeon had sapped my strength. Than half-dragged me along.
“Come on. Faster!”
I gritted my teeth and pushed myself harder. The creatures snapped at our heels, their unearthly howls echoing through the trees.
Then we burst into a clearing. With a savage chorus of howls, the hounds erupted from the trees. Monstrous, slavering beasts with eyes like glowing coals. Their handlers followed, armed and sneering.
“End of the line, kingslayer,” one shouted.
My knees buckled. After everything for it to end here...
No. I forced myself upright. I would not surrender. Not without a fight.
Than stepped in front of me, chin raised defiantly. For a heartbeat, we stood frozen, hunters and prey staring each other down.
Then the alpha hound leaped with a bloodcurdling snarl. Than spun and shoved me.
“Run!”
I hesitated only a second before obeying. As I raced for the far trees, the sounds of battle erupted behind me—savage barking, Than’s shouts, the guards’ cruel laughter.
At the edge of the woods, I glanced back. Than was grappling with a guard, teeth bared in a feral snarl. Our eyes met across the distance.
“Live,” he mouthed.
Then the hounds dragged him down.
I turned and plunged into the shadows, tears blinding me. Live, he had said. So I would.
The forest swallowed me. And the hunt resumed.
Chapter thirteen
BLEDDYN
Handsbehindmyback,spine straight, I stared out of the window of the war room. Outside of the palace, temperatures were pleasant, despite the hazy dawn. The purple and pink flowers of rhododendron competed with the white roses covering the walls, separating the gardens from the city of Emlyn.
The surplus of stolen magic made the air hum, creating golden flecks that danced in the wind as the sun rose. The floral scents called to my Fae soul. Yet knowing what I did about the origins of the beauty before me made me feel sick to the stomach.
Behind me, Prince Prys finished briefing the captain of the guard. I turned, ready to take my orders for the day. In here, the cold air of the chamber clung to my skin as I faced my liege lord, the man who I would gut with pleasure when the time was right.
His icy presence made the room feel even more frigid, despite the wooden table and chairs. The stink of frosty steel filled my nostrils, and my fingers traced the outline of the hidden dagger in the small of my back.
Just as Prys opened his mouth to speak, the door burst open with a force that startled me. A figure appeared on the threshold, and my eyes widened as I recognized him.
Prys had ordered me to kill the man, a member of the royal guard who had displeased him. His presence exposed the lie I had told the prince when I allowed the man to flee. It had been my first act of disobedience ever.
Thinking quickly, I growled, “You. How are you alive? I left you for dead.”
The shock roughened my voice, adding credence to my feigned outrage.Better to be thought incompetent than a traitor. Although knowing Prys, it would lead to the same punishment.
The former guard paid me no attention. He fell to his knees before the prince, trembling like a leaf caught in a storm.
His head bowed low, he said, “Your Highness, forgive me. But I learned news you must know. Rebel forces are gathering, led by an incubus named Daeary. They march toward Emlyn. The demon means to place your niece, the kingslayer, on the throne.”
My shock morphed into a deep frown. I clenched my jaw and regarded the man with a mix of contempt and anger. The rat had scampered back to the snake who wanted him dead. What a fool.
And the feckless Daeary had apparently stepped up to become a player in this game. An unfamiliar warmth grew in my chest. Despite the sour taste of disappointment at the former guard’s action, I admired the demon’s courage. If he was indeed rallying an army against Prys? Color me impressed.
