Chapter 3 #2
“How many accomplices wait beyond my hedge?” I demanded.
She wiggled again. Her heat and curves sparked desires I had avoided the torture of for quite some time. Since Fleur’s last unfortunate appearance. I yanked the thief tighter, holding her motionless against me, which only intensified my reaction to her proximity.
The familiar stench of wolf snapped me back to reality in time to see a figure darken the opening of the hedge.
“The size of your force is irrelevant,” I announced to her silence, loud enough for anyone listening to hear. “The ward is impenetrable without a pendant, and those are in short supply.”
I concentrated my power to extract moisture from the atmosphere, shaped it into an ice spear, and launched it toward the breach and the second intruder.
“No!”
She wrenched an arm free, driving her elbow into my jaw and destroying my concentration. The ice spear veered toward the undamaged portion of the hedge, promising yet another breach in my defenses. At the last minute, I flicked my wrist and reshaped it into a wall, sealing her exit instead.
Despite her theft, I felt no malice from her. Annoyed by my unwelcome attraction and emboldened by the amulet resting against her skin without burning her, I released my captive and hastened out of her striking range to regain my composure.
Pointing at the hedge, I said, “I spared him, but am well within my rights to demand his head for firing on my estate. You have no escape route, and my gargoyles are on their way. This is the last time I will make this offer. Yield and come peacefully, and I will spare you both.” Her accomplice was beyond my reach, but only a fool revealed their constraints.
Eyes heavy with skepticism, she studied me. “How do I know I can trust you?”
The question rankled. “You broke into my estate and stole my treasure, yet you dare question my integrity? My lineage is pure, thief. My word unassailable.”
Her expression remained unimpressed. “Cool story, bro, but I still need a binding vow.”
Bro?
Ignoring what had to be an insult, I nodded. “Very well. Surrender, and I swear on the honor of my ancestors that no harm will come to you or your henchman.”
“Okay, fine. I surrender.” Daggers still gripped tight, she slowly raised her hands in compliance, eyes lowered, chin dipping in submission. “Just don’t harm us.”
I relaxed my stance and straightened my posture as I accepted her capitulation. “A wise choice.”
She moved to sheathe her blades but spun into a blur of motion.
I had never witnessed such speed, and believing we had struck a deal, I was unprepared. The assault registered barely a heartbeat before both weapons plunged into my chest, searing through muscle and sinew as they sank between my ribs.
Molten agony consumed me.
Unable to wrap my mind around her treacherous assault, I gawked at the hilts protruding from either side of my heart. Later, I would wonder why she had neglected to pierce the organ and take my head, but now, the coppery-sweet scent of my blood thickened the air, filling me with fury.
“Have you no honor?” I demanded.
Unrepentant green eyes crashed into mine. “The only true honor lies in defending my pack.”
She ripped her daggers from my chest, extracting a curse from my throat.
Magic returned my sword to my hand, and I slashed out, but she spun away, increasing the distance between us.
Explosions detonated behind my eyes as blood gushed from the wounds, sapping my strength.
I needed to hold still long enough to close the wounds, but she was backing toward the hedge, gaze darting over the terrain.
I reached for my magic, determined to freeze her in place, but it slipped through my fingers like water, drowning me in frustration.
I moved to follow, but my legs failed me. The world narrowed to the inferno in my chest and the rapid staccato of my heart.
Something smashed against the ice-covered opening in the hedge.
Familiar shouts sounded in the distance; my gargoyles were in range to feel my pain. I sent them images of the situation, then staggered forward. Surely they would arrive soon enough to stop her from escaping.
The thief scurried toward the hedge.
The beast inside me screamed for release, but I held him back.
Darkness crept into the edges of my vision.
Shifting now would only send me into a healing coma when I desperately needed to stay conscious.
I crumpled to my knees, wondering if her daggers had been poisoned or if all grievous wounds bore this much pain.
Her accomplice continued pounding against the ice, creating a crack he widened into a hole. “Ziara!” he shouted.
“Hold on, I’m coming!”
Keeping a wary eye on me, she unstrapped a miniature crossbow from her backpack, aimed at the top of a nearby tree, and fired. The bolt bit into bark several feet above the hedge, and the thin rope attached pulled taut, tracking back to the weapon.
“Wait,” I commanded.
Her head snapped back to face me. A storm brewed in the eyes that beheld mine, and an odd sense of betrayal threatened to finish what her blades had started.
How could she do this?
“You are making a monumental mistake.”
Her crossbow clicked, and she flew toward the bolt with a faint whir and a flash of pale skin on her left biceps. At least she was not completely unscathed. She landed sure-footedly on a narrow bough.
Rather than raising my voice, I sought her mind, finding it remarkably free of shielding. Remove that artifact from my property, and I will have no choice but to hunt you to the ends of the earth. I will be a curse upon your head, the noose around your neck, a sword driven deep into your side.
Resting against the tree, she shook herself, as if trying to evict my words before turning to face me. “That’s… unfortunate, but I don’t have a choice. So stay the fuck out of my head.”
She cut the rope, leaving the bolt behind, and scurried up to a branch that nearly reached the ward. Then she launched herself over the hedge and out of my estate.
She had attacked me, so my sire’s magic should have prevented her escape. I believed it had when she hit the barrier and froze midair. For a split second, she hung suspended before it released her with an audible crack, and she dropped out of view.
The ward wavered. It groaned as fissures formed and spider-webbed across the ward, splintering the sky.
Then, the magical dome shattered.
The protective barrier my sire had erected decades ago to keep the manor and all within it safe was gone.
Along with the artifact I had been sworn to protect.