Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 139662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
I reach for my power, planning to trap her before she can overpower me. I could do it so easily, but I hesitate. Finn. I can’t risk Finn. I put my weight on her arm instead.
“Who sent you?” I ask, meeting her icy blue gaze. She spits at me, and I grind my heel into her wrist. “What do you want?”
Her gaze catches on something over my shoulder, and her sneer turns to a smile. I turn my head to see what she’s looking at, but I’m too slow, and the needle is plunged into my neck before I see it coming.
I scream as I go down, clawing at my neck and howling as the burn races like fire through my blood.
The male holding the needle has foggy white eyes, and he grabs my wrists roughly, yanking my arms behind me so tightly my shoulders scream in protest. Consumed by the agony snaking through my veins, I can’t bring myself to fight him.
The female in the blue cloak hops to her feet, glaring at me. “You’re lucky she wants you alive,” she hisses. She wipes leaves and dirt off her cloak with her good hand and clutches her bloodied hand to her chest. “Where are the others?” she asks the male holding me.
“They’re being handled. Let’s go.” A whistle comes from the trees, and the male holding me frowns up at them. “Hurry. There are—”
He doesn’t get to finish his sentence before a snarl tears through the morning air and two massive wolves charge toward us through the trees. Dara and Luna. One grabs the arms of the male holding me, yanking him back, the other pounces at the female, returning her to the forest floor before sinking her teeth into the female’s neck. She screams, but the wolf snarls in her face.
I right myself, reaching for my sword as more black-clad males pour from the trees, heading toward me. Dara and Luna howl and take off after them, not letting them get close to me.
Out of nowhere, arrows fly through the air one after another, taking out two men in black.
A third charges for me, and I hesitate with my hand on the hilt of my dagger, waiting until he’s within reach before I pull my blade from its sheath beneath my cloak and plunge it into his chest. He collapses, and I look up in time to see another arrow take out the male behind him.
Bodies are scattered on either side of the stream, and the wolves prowl over and around them, teeth bared as they scan the perimeter for more threats.
A crack echoes from the trees, and there’s another flash of black. Finn is in front of me, breathing hard as he looks me over. “Are you okay?”
I nod then grimace. “They injected me.”
His eyes flash and his nostrils flare as he scans the half dozen dead bodies around us. “Arya.”
“No doubt,” I whisper. “They said she wants me alive.”
He’s half feral, as twitchy and agitated as his wolves. “I’ll kill her myself.”
“Are Tynan and Kane okay?”
He nods. “They were ambushed, but they managed to get the upper hand.”
I count three of my assailants with arrows through their heads.
“I heard you fighting her. Did you even try to use your magic before they could inject you?”
I swallow and drop my gaze to the ground. He already knows the answer to that question.
“Princess,” he growls. “Please tell me you didn’t choose a physical assault over a magical one because you were worried about me.”
“Of course I was worried about you,” I snap. “Why should I risk your life just to save my own?”
“I would’ve been fine. And anyway, they got me too. Tynan and Kane as well, if I had to guess. This group wouldn’t have stood a chance against your power.”
Shit, shit, shit. He’s right.
“I’m stronger than you think, Abriella, and the more you practice using your power with precision, the less you have to worry about pulling from me at all, let alone pulling too much.”
Swallowing, I nod. “I know.”
“Do you?” His eyes narrow as he studies me. “Promise me you won’t hesitate next time. If your life is danger—if a single hair on your pretty little head is in danger—you use your power and pull whatever you need from me. Got it?”
I stare at him, at those fierce silver eyes. “It’s not that easy.”
He arches a brow. “Do you want my pity, Princess?”
“Don’t be an ass.” I scowl, and Finn smirks.
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest. “Gods, you scared me.”
I melt into him and start shaking. “I shouldn’t have come out here alone. I’m sorry.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I’ve got you.” He strokes my back before pulling away. He’s as shaken by this as I am, but he holds out a hand, palm up, and I take it. We walk hand in hand back to the campsite, where we’re greeted by a handful of dead black-clad males, guts spilled, necks sliced open. The carnage would horrify me if the alternative weren’t so unthinkable. I don’t want to imagine what the queen would do if she successfully captured me, but worse is the idea that these bodies could’ve just as easily belonged to our friends.