13. Evanee #2
“Help—” I lunged forward, yanking my arm away from Aiden. The younger man tensed. The leader stepped forward, mouth opening slightly.
“Evanee,” Aiden clipped.
“I’m a human slave! They’re taking me to Castle Lawryn—please—”
Steel slid from scabbards, and the bow groaned as the man on the horse pulled it taut. I stole a glance back at Aiden. His eyes were murderous as a low snarl ripped free.
Everything happened so fast.
I bolted for the leader.
Aiden roared my name—I didn’t stop.
An arrow whistled past my head. A wolf yelped behind me—I didn’t look.
Blood thundered in my ears as I pushed my legs. The leader held out his arm, and I threw myself at him.
“Go, girl. Get on the horse with Fletcher,” he ordered, pointing to the dismounted young man.
While the leader turned back around and braced himself, the latter linked his hands beside his steed, hoisting me up.
This time, I looked at Aiden. He pinned the leader in a lethal glare, his eyes lighting with that otherworldly glow.
He’d shucked the tattered blanket, steel in hand.
Dimitri crouched low, lips curled back in a snarl as he limped toward the remaining two riders, the arrow sticking out of his front leg.
Fletcher settled in front of me, and we tore down the path back the way they’d come. The scarf loosened, then blew off, setting my hair free. My limbs shook as I held onto him, nerves and adrenaline warring within. Steel clashed behind us, audible over the huffing of the horse.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I didn’t want these strangers dying for me. They didn’t even know me. Maybe they stood a chance.
Suddenly, my marks tingled.
No, no, no.
My teeth ground together, the sound drowning out my panicked thoughts as the pain intensified. The glow of fires danced in the distance as the sun retired beyond the tall trees—their camp. Maybe someone would have a way to douse the pain. Maybe there was a lesser Witch there.
“Ahhh,” I cried out, squeezing Fletcher’s waist.
“You okay?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, screams ahead from where their camp sat reached us. The closer we got, we realized it wasn’t campfires glowing—it was their camp on fire.
“What the hell—” Fletcher yelled, pain in his voice.
My markings stopped burning, and there wasn’t a chance to warn Fletcher before two radiating blue eyes approached.
Fletcher pulled the horse to an abrupt stop, my arms tightening around him.
I couldn’t even think about how the hell Aiden had gotten ahead without us seeing—the horse reared when Dimitri dove from the trees.
I slid off the back, a shockwave of pain striking through my back, sharp from the impact. Fletcher held on, but it didn’t matter—Aiden threw his sword, the steel lodging in the horse’s sternum.
The beast cried, the sound so atrocious it'd undoubtedly burn into my nightmares.
I scrambled to my feet, backing toward the trees.
Fletcher cried out, falling. The last I saw was Dimitri lunging for him, jaws wide.
I ran.
“Evanee!” Aiden’s voice boomed after me.
Bark blurred together as I darted through the forest, refusing to look back and see if Fletcher was okay—I knew he wasn’t. Tears stung my eyes as the image of Dimitri’s jaw stretching wide flashed through my head.
An ear-piercing shriek echoed nearby, making me lose my footing. Pain sliced through my knee as skin broke on a rock.
Air pulled past my teeth as I sucked in a breath.
The shriek was closer—I hastily pushed myself up, limping—
A cry ripped from my throat as I was slammed into a tree. A hard body pressed against my back, my cheek scraping against the bark. A scream built in my throat, but a hand clamped over it.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Aiden ground out, his voice low as something else barreled past us—a skur.
I stopped fighting him, my pulse racing. His body held firm against mine, shielding me. Once the threat had passed, he removed his hand, but didn’t let me move.
“Get off,” I bellowed, trying and failing to push back. He was an immovable wall. Nothing but hard muscle.
My arms were suddenly yanked behind my back. Leather bit into my wrists where he tied my hands, and a snarl tore from me as he whipped me around to face him.
My neck craned, defiance in every fiber of my being as I let him see the hatred and pain I felt. He leaned in, the corner of his mouth lifting in that damn smirk.
I spat at him.
Spittle hit him on the cheek, but his expression didn’t waver as he rubbed his face against his shoulder. It made me angrier.
“What did you hope to accomplish by running?”
“If you’re going to kill me, then get it over with,” I hurled, ignoring the taunt.
Shrieks and horrifying screeches came from where the camp burned. Blood drained from my face, stomach turning at the lives lost.
“Why would I do that?” He cocked his head. My gaze darted past him to the darkened woods.
“I’d rather you kill me than take me to Castle Lawryn.” The words came out hoarse and broken, at odds with how I felt. Anger simmered hot and fierce—but I was also tired. Tired of living with unanswered questions and monsters.
The glow in his eyes dimmed. A cacophony of skur noises reverberated through the forest, yet Aiden just stood there, gaze fixed on me—dark and unreadable.
I might not have been afraid to die, but I refused to be a skurs’ dinner.
Or worse—turned. That wouldn’t be freedom.
It’d be a worse fate, or so I imagined. Didn’t plan to find out.
I tugged at my bindings frantically—too tight.
"I have orders. And they aren’t to kill you.” Without warning, he grabbed me, throwing me over his shoulder.
I screamed, my eyes burning from the fury coursing through my veins. I kicked my legs, but he locked his other arm around my thighs.
“Quiet. Or you’ll force me to use a gag too.”
Had it not been for the skurs, I would have screamed until I went hoarse. However, I stayed silent. But that didn’t mean I cooperated—I bucked around like crazy, fighting him every step he took to the point he grunted with the effort to keep me in place.
We were out of the forest in what felt like seconds, making me deflate further—I hadn’t even gotten far. It was laughable. Pathetic.
Aiden put me down, but held my arm so I couldn’t move. I cursed him as he checked my bindings.
He only chuckled, as if this were a game.
Malachai approached, bow in hand.
“Shit ton of skurs at that camp. No survivors. The corpses were already burning when I got there. Someone else is here.” His eyes flashed to me before focusing on Aiden.
“Horses?” Aiden clipped.
“Right here, boss.” Dimitri rode up with no shirt on, pulling our horses behind him.
Aiden dragged me over to Shadow, putting me astride.
“What about my hands?”
Aiden looked at me with a blank face. “What about them?”
“You can’t seriously leave me tied like this.” I glared at him through narrowed eyes.
“You’re right.” He smirked. He pulled a knife from the holster on his waist, and I held my head high as he cut the strap, trying to mask the relief I felt at being freed.
But my relief was short-lived when he pulled my hands in front of me with a new strap.
“What the hell—”
“You shouldn’t have tried to run,” was all he said as he pulled the leather tight and winked.
A frustrated cry tore from me, blending with the approaching skurs’ horrific sounds.
Aiden settled in behind me, locking his arm around my waist. Dimitri and Malachai rode ahead of us, and as Aiden set Shadow at a rapid pace, a feral roar tore out in the night, reverberating in my chest. It was terrifying, but something deep inside me sparked—something I couldn’t explain.
A shiver coursed through my back, making me shudder. I twisted to look past Aiden. Two silver beacons laced with blue flashed briefly before they were gone. Heat sizzled in my veins. Aiden nudged me to face forward as the air charged—a storm brewed around us. Just like the one brewing inside me.