Chapter 5
5
TALIA
I slammed the door behind me and shrank to the floor.
I cradled my head between my knees as I continued to breathe heavily.
My heart was about to burst, my vision blurred at the seams, and my lungs were burning.
In
Out
In
Out
I took a couple more deep breaths and my body began to relax.
Until that smell of rotten eggs filled my nose.
“Hello Princess.”
I jumped up and turned towards the sound of that voice.
My eyes widened as I noticed the figure standing in the corner of my room.
Shadows concealing his form until he stepped out.
Deep gray eyes met mine, and his lips curled up as he said, “I thought I killed you five years ago.”
This cannot be happening.
“Where are your merry band of idiots at? They didn’t want to join you this time?”
I smirked, as I slowly reached backwards and gripped the door handle.
I twisted it slowly as he began to walk towards me.
I ripped the door open running through it.
I slammed the door shut right before he reached the opening.
I pulled from that well of magic deep inside my chest and pushed my hands against the door, the palms of my hands heated as I imagined the door melting against the wall.
The metal frame of the door was now welded shut as I stared into the eyes of my worst nightmare.
My heartbeat increased as I stood up and ran back into the forest.
“ You will not get far princess!”
He roared.
I pumped my arms and legs harder than ever before as I ran for my life.
I knew he wouldn’t be far behind me.
I made it half a mile before my body began to give out on me.
My movements slowed, my knees shook as I stopped.
I bent over and rested my hands on my knees while trying to catch my breath.
I had pulled from my magic too much today.
I could only handle so much before my body shut down completely.
I was just beginning to catch my breath when the crunching of leaves on the forest floor drew my attention.
I closed my eyes briefly and stood up.
“Are you that eager to meet my blade again princess?”
he laughed.
Sionn fought to break free, but I was too numb to do anything.
I was frozen.
I was lost to the memory that had consumed me.
I screamed as my arm snapped.
My vision blurred, as tears raced down my face.
“You should ’ ve died with your mother.”
My eyes snapped shut.
I had no idea what this man was talking about.
I was an orphan.
I was left in the woods and found by some hikers.
I was tossed from foster home to foster home.
I didn’t have a family.
I opened my eyes and tried to speak but could only whisper, “You have the wrong girl.
I’m no one.
Please, just let me go.”
I cried, tears trailing down my cheeks.
He pulled me back against his large body, the hilt of his dagger digging into my back.
“That mark on your body says otherwise,”
He growled as his grip tightened.
His fingers digging into my skin.
My eyes widened in horror as a dagger was shoved into my stomach.
My breathing hitched, air barely escaping my lungs as the dagger was pushed further into my chest.
Burning consumed me as the blade was twisted and yanked out.
Blood began pouring from the wound.
I gasped as I looked up at a man staring at me with a cruel smirk on his face.
One gray eye stared at me, the other covered by messy blond hair.
“Damnit! I wanted to be the first one to make the princess bleed!”
Warm fluid was flowing out of my body, as I tried to push my hands against the wound to stop the flow.
The warmth flowing between my fingers.
But it was coming so fast.
My vision began to blur, my teeth chattered as the cold seeped into my bones.
I gasped as the blade was pressed against my skin again.
Pain enveloped my every nerve as he dragged the blade down my side cutting my skin.
Over
And
Over
“I couldn’t help myself.
Can you smell that?”
He laughed manically as he inhaled deeply.
A deep groan leaving his lips.
A shiver coursed through my body.
I refused to die without a fight.
I pulled against the man holding me back, using what leverage I could get to kick the other one in the chest.
He stumbled back a foot or two, rage clouding the initial burst of shock in his eyes, before tripping and falling onto the ground.
“You bitch!”
he snarled, “Now I’m really going to make you pay.”
He stalked towards me with his dagger in hand, my blood turning the silver blade red, blood still dripping from the blade.
I screamed as I was firmly held from behind.
I struggled against his grip trying to free myself, but everything was beginning to go fuzzy.
“Just make sure you aim at anything vital to her surviving.
We don’t want to leave her with any chance of coming through this.”
He growled.
His breathe hot on my neck as his grip tightened around me.
Agony stole my breath as the knife sank into me again between my ribs beneath my left breast, pressing up towards my heart.
Blood gushed, coating his hands.
I held his gaze even as my body started to feel light.
His grip loosened on my body, I collapsed, unable to hold myself up.
Blood poured from my wounds.
My vision darkened as I felt my heartbeat slowing, my eyes began to close as I heard them laughing, “The king will be so proud of us, there will no longer be any threat to him.”
A fist knocked my head to the side.
I blinked rapidly trying to clear my vision.
Pain shot through my head as I began to taste the metallic tang of the blood pooling in my mouth.
I turned spitting blood out onto the forest floor.
“Don’t you dare ignore me!”
he yelled from above me.
I gasped as the pressure on my neck ceased, gulping down the air needed to inflate my lungs.
His mistake.
The second I had air in my lungs, I lunged.
My wolf broke out, sending him stumbling backwards as I shifted mid-air. “Fuck!”
He snarled.
He backed up, grabbing his gun from his holster.
I guessed he’d finally upgraded from daggers.
Before he could pull the trigger, or shift himself, I pounced, sinking my teeth into his shoulder.
Blood coated my tongue as I tore his skin and ripped the muscle apart.
Until he knocked me on the side of the head.
The heavy impact of the butt of his gun rang throughout my skull, forcing me to release my hold on him.
He leapt to his feet, the warm metal of the barrel of his gun pressed against my forehead.
He smirked as I stared straight into his eyes.
I would wipe the smirk off his face if it’s the last thing I did.
Not even I could survive a shot to the head. Especially if that gun was loaded with silver bullets. I wouldn’t be able to heal fast enough, even in my wolf form. “You really are a pain in my ass.”
He snarled.
I chuffed and pushed my head closer to the barrel of the gun, daring him to pull the trigger.
“You want me to shoot you, princess? Is that it? Put you out of your misery? No…you need to bleed a bit for me first.”
He laughed before lowering the gun.
I released a deep breath, a slight bit of relief filling me.
I went to move just as a piercing pain shot through my body.
Fuck that hurts.
I looked down and deep scarlet blood was spreading through my fur and spreading down my legs.
He had pulled a dagger and stabbed me in the stomach.
“Now that’s more like it, I should bottle your blood and sell it to the vampires.
I’m sure royal blood would sell for a pretty penny.”
He laughed.
Pressure filled my chest as my bones began to snap, agony ripping through me.
My vision darkened as my body was forcing a shift back into a human.
That could only mean one thing… The blade buried in my stomach was made of pure silver.