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I rolled my eyes. If only he knew what lurked in my veins. I grabbed his sleeve, leveling my gaze. “You are the only thing linking me to Kaleb right now—I’ll be damned if I let you die. I’m coming with you.”
“This is not up for debate,” he hissed before he tugged his arm free and walked out.
The male whistled low. “Oy, look what we have ourselves here, boys. Why, are my eyes deceiving me, or is that the advisor of the bloody king?”
I gathered my skirts and marched out.
Arkyn huffed at me under his breath. “As predictable as always.”
I didn’t bother to look at him, instead focusing on the men circled around us. They looked like a rough group, consisting of a variety of ages and sizes. A scar in the shape of a claw branded their foreheads, some of the scars fresher than others, separating the old members from the new recruits.
I counted fifteen in total.
A male, mid-fifties, stepped forward. He smirked at me, revealing a silver front tooth and a sparse smile. “Didn’t know the advisor of the king was married.” He cocked his head to the side, scrutinizing what I wore. “Or are you his whore?”
His men burst into laughter, some chanting the word.
“A whore, my men thinks you!” Theatrically, he jiggled his silver belt buckle. “Tell me, how much for a rub and a tug and a swallow?”
My Curse roared, brimming just beneath the surface. I would happily drown the fucker where he stood.
Above, the clouds groaned, and rain came sputtering down. It wasn’t from me. Still, the air tasted of magic, different from what I sensed from the leader of the raiders, who had clearly been born of the Wind Curse. I couldn’t pinpoint where the magic came from but I knew this storm was not natural.
“What is it you want, raider?” Arkyn asked flatly, bored.
“I want coin, gold coin. Lots of it. And—” He pointed at me with the bloody end of his sword. “—her mouth on my cock.”
“Then you have wasted your time, as well as mine. You will have neither.” Arkyn charged, his sword slung behind him, ready to strike.
I marveled at his speed, but my attention was clipped short as a man ran towards me. I darted around the carriage, searching for something to use. My gaze locked on the broken wheel, a few spindles sheared off. I grabbed one with a jagged end.
I twirled, using the spindle as a sword as my pursuer brought his down. His blade sliced through the wood, leaving me with half the spindle. I tossed it upwards and caught it in the middle, the spikey end pointed at him, and hurled it with all my might.
It met my target and embedded itself just above his heart. His mouth popped open as he looked down, his hands shooting to the wood spindle. He forgot his battle with me and worked on pulling the spindle out, his screams muffled by the sound of heavy rain.
Hands grabbed hold of my waist, and an unwanted nose pressed against my neck, breathing in my scent. My assailant pulled his head back and let out an audible breath as he pulled on my waist, dragging me towards the thicket. “Come, bitch.” He snickered. Bad breath, smelling of rot and decay, seeped into my nostrils.
“You might want to see a healer about that,” I choked out before I rammed the back of my skull into his face.
He stumbled backwards, his hand shooting to his forehead. I wound up my quadriceps and punted his hand, knocking his sword into the air. We raced towards it, but I was faster, catching it before it hit the ground.
I whirled, pointed the blade at him, and smiled ever so sweetly. “Come, bitch.”
He gritted his sparse teeth and then charged. Like a matador, I jumped out of his path, my new sword biting into his flesh as he sailed past me. He fell to the ground, hands clasping his stomach.
Arkyn yelled, the sound so loud, it cracked like thunder.
I ran to the other side of the carriage, adrenaline filling my veins. And that was when I saw him, bent and on his knees, crawling in the mud.
Suddenly, the wind howled around me, pushing me every which way. I held on to the sword, but the wind was too strong, and it tugged it away—right into the hand of the male with the silver tooth.
“These rich folks never learn.” He smirked as he brought the boot of his heel down on Arkyn’s back, pressing his stomach into the mud. He raised the sword, preparing to bring it down on Arkyn’s neck. “Deal’s off.”
Deal’s off? What did that mean? I didn’t have time to contemplate it.
“No!” I screamed, my Curse breaking free.
I hurled a throwing star made of water directly at the man’s wrist. His Wind Curse pushed hard, and it was just enough to knock my star off course. It flew right on by, a hair’s width away.
