Chapter 5
Huge and tight, the hand gripped her whole chin and covered her mouth and nose, cutting off most of her ability to breathe. Her attacker yanked her head and she stumbled back into a tall, thick body whose arm wrapped around her, locking her own crossed arms tight.
Surprise immobilized Naya, but only for the time it took her to blink.
She jerked her head back, trying to smash it into her assailant”s nose but only hit their chest. Alarm gripped her. This person was incredibly strong and had enveloped her in the wideness of his body.
Alpha.
He dragged her backward, pulling her toward the trees. She kicked at his legs and tried to uncross her arms from the pressure of his thick arm, but his hold on her was firm.
Twisting her body slightly, she loosened one of her arms and jabbed her elbow repeatedly into his lower ribs. In response, her assailant twisted his massive body out of the way, but that was all she needed.
She twisted back in the other direction and elbowed him in the center of his torso. He bent forward, his arm loosening a little, and Naya tried to push out of his grip, but he yanked her back against him, this time wrapped both arms around her. She fought against his weight, struggling against the pressure clenching in from all sides. He began to move again, backward into the forest.
Naya stilled for a moment, breathing heavily. All she was doing was wasting her energy. This was an Alpha. He was stronger than her—a physical struggle wasn’t how she would get away.
Sending her will out into the cool night, she called on magic and sent a scissoring, twisting sliver of it into the flesh of his arm. It dug deep, gouging a spurting wound along his forearm.
He inhaled sharply, but his arm didn’t twitch.
Lifting her left foot and with her free hand, Naya eased out a small dagger from the back of her boot. Gripping the handle tight, she drove it into him, just above the knee where the connecting tissue would be most painful.
Finally, the Alpha let out a grunt and his arm went slack.
Naya pushed away from him and shot into the forest.
Thousands of thoughts surged through her mind as she weaved through the trees—who was this man? How did he get this far into the forest? Was this one of Papa’s tests? She forced herself to concentrate on escaping; this wasn”t the time to figure out any of those answers.
She was smaller and faster, she needed to get into the hard knit of the trees and he wouldn’t be able to follow. No Alpha could brute force their way through those tightly knotted branches.
Still, a shiver shunted down her spine that he’d managed to come so close without a single sound. No Lox warrior should be caught so unaware. Papa would be ashamed she’d let her honed instincts slip.
She glanced behind her and out of the corner of her eye, a dark form darted through the trees. He was quiet. No leaves crunched under his feet, no branches snapped, not even the panting of his breath reached her. It was like being chased by a shadow. It occurred to her that he hadn”t even cried out when she stabbed him.
Ignoring her growing unease, she weaved among the trees. Even though she couldn’t hear him, she sensed he was gaining on her. She had to go deeper into the forest to escape him.
She approached the thick-knit trees and extended her will, yanking the ancient magic from its sleepy, drifting listlessness and into movement. It took a moment to respond, but just as she was about to slam into the branches, they swiftly recoiled creating a passageway so dark she sensed it rather than saw it.
Naya ran through and her pursuer grunted behind her. No doubt he was fighting off the branches trying to close-in from behind.
Glancing over her shoulder, she couldn’t see anything specific, but the dread that had begun to grow simmered away. If this was one of Papa’s tests, she was going to win. However, if this man was truly trying to harm the imperial princess, he would soon find out what a mistake that decision was.
Extending her will again, she directed the magic to lift her into the air, a few feet from the forest floor, and shoot her through the opening forest branches at a faster speed. She twisted in the air so she flew facing her pursuer and created a ball of light, sending it out so she could finally see him.
The blue orb bobbed behind her, lighting up the tangled branches on either side of them.
The Alpha’s face slowly illuminated, along with the rest of his body.
Naya’s dread returned, more terrifying than before.
His dark eyes struck her first. They shone with anger, indignation, and a disturbing enjoyment, as though he was taking pleasure in this chase and had no fear he was going to lose. He was huge—bigger than she’d imagined.
Long dark hair whipped behind him, propelled by each forceful step. A snarl twisted his mouth, baring gritted teeth in a squarish, bearded jaw. His nose was just a little too wide for his face, but it suited him.
Everything about him was charged with dark, sinister intent.
Naya swept down the passageway ahead of him, pushing harder to encourage the forest to close quicker behind her so he’d be caught in its branches. But he ran faster, his whole body in furious motion, face contorting with the effort. The way he moved was captivating. He was like a force unto himself, just as wild and natural and unstoppable as the forest magic itself. Naya could help but watch him, excitement infusing her fascination.
He slipped a hand down to his hip and then held something up in front of him.
Suddenly, her grip on magic slipped.
Her back slammed into a tree, a sickening crack shuddering through her body. Her breath tore out of her lungs and a sharp agony carved through her body. Dazed, Naya dropped down to her feet, trying to blink away the blur in her vision.
The Alpha approached her, his chest heaving. He lifted her chin and examined her face. Naya tried to push him away, but pain seized her. Her whole body felt like it had been battered repeatedly against a wall.
The darkness in his eyes deepened. “Hhe rimarta shti, tmot zmia.”
Naya frowned. That language didn’t sound familiar. Dizziness took hold of her and she blinked rapidly trying to clear it. He uncurled his hand to reveal a strange type of rock, and he continued murmuring.
The trees behind her disappeared and then she was falling.
Naya hit the ground. Heat enveloped her and a bright light seared her eyes. She squinted, groaning at the pain. Maybe she’d broken her ribs. Turning, she dug her fingers into the dirt to drag herself along the ground, away from her attacker, but her fingers burrowed into something hot and silky and smooth. She lifted a handful of dirt and watched gold spill through her fingers. Sand?
His massive hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around onto her back. He stood over her, slightly shielding her from the bright light behind him. Sand and Light? Where was she?
Bending down slightly, he pressed an acrid-smelling cloth to her mouth, sending a sharp kick to the back of her throat.
Naya fought, clawing at his hand and trying to drag herself away along the sandy ground. But within moments she was choking, and the dizziness worsened until darkness rushed in.