Fear infused my thoughts. Why was the prince here? Why did an enemy—two enemies—come to my aid?
Castiel lunged. Moonlight glinted from his blades as they clashed against Lucan’s steel.
I crawled the body of the man I had killed, searching for weapons. My fingers wrapped around a knife in his pocket. I scanned the battle, my harried focus caught upon another man—and not one of Lucan’s. The bearded man from the tavern leaned against the trunk of a tree, casually observing me fumble. When our eyes met, I pointed the knife his direction, but he stayed where he was, raising his hands in immediate surrender. A bottle of ale tipped from his fingers.
Drunken fool.
A shuffle of feet drew my attention. One of Lucan’s men joined the battle against the prince before I could scramble to my feet.
My head swirled, but I braced myself, forcing my body to rise. I panted. My breath ground upon broken ribs as I leaned against a tree.
A cry sounded, splitting my nerves. My original helpmate fell against an enemy sword. His black eyes met mine for a fraction of a second, then he crumpled to the ground, dead.
And oddly, my heart reacted. The remaining blood drained from my face. “No!” The word tore from my lips. Lucan’s man spotted me. He ran, aiming his blade at my heart.
Anger rose from deep within, but instead of fighting it, instead of fearing her, I smiled, welcoming it, welcoming the pain, welcoming the release. Heat coursed. Black flames devoured bone and flesh. The Demon Daughter rose from her forced slumber, eager to retaliate.
The hired soldier balked, and she relished in the fear in his eyes. His lifeforce pulsed from him like heat from a blazing fire, so strong she could almost touch it. It called to her. Warmed her.
My limbs obeyed her orders and with a scream that rent the air, I flew.
Face to face, I sneered at my enemy, barely registering my blade already thrust into his ribs. I shoved him away and he collided hard to the ground.
I smiled, but suddenly jolted back. My breath hitched in my lungs and pain exploded. Lucan’s dagger protruded from my stomach. I screamed. The Demon Daughter receded into her hiding place.
Lucan was a blur as he fled into the black shadows of the forest. Dark liquid pooled from a shoulder wound. With a wave of his hand, trees fell beneath Castiel’s power to crush the fleeing spy, but Lucan scampered and weaved through the avalanche like the rodent he was.
I collapsed to my knees, a curse bubbling indistinct from my lips, and the prince halted. Our gazes met and in that instant, I thought I recognized hesitation, perhaps anger, and some other emotion I couldn’t identify.
Sparks rained in my vision. I shook my head to rid the reaction, but it was no use. The world spun. Before I fell, Castiel slid to his knees in front of me, his movements slowed by my mental failings. Strong hands caught me. The ground disappeared from beneath my body, swept up into arms I was never supposed to touch.
The prince saved me—a debt that, in Eira, demanded repayment. Confused and appalled, I gazed up to see a neck thick with strained muscles. Of their own accord, my traitorous fingers pressed against a stubble coated face and carved jawline…
He moved them from his skin, holding them in a tight grasp as he scanned the darkened forest.
I opened my mouth to object, but the words left when he pulled me closer. Crushed to him, Castiel’s husky voice sent a tremor down my body. “I will not hurt you, Ilianna. I will never hurt you.”
He ran with me in his arms. The jostled movement kept the pain in my side fresh and prevented me from fully passing into oblivion. I guessed I should be grateful instead of annoyed as I was, but it was all too much. As I fought for consciousness, my mind stewed in a messy mixture of apprehension and annoyance.
Where was he taking me? Would he dump my body somewhere remote? Perhaps then I wouldn’t be obliged to him. But that wouldn’t make sense, seeing as how we were already in a forest. Would he take me back to his prisons?
Seconds or hours ticked by, keeping a disjointed rhythm with my heart. Soon, the pain from my injuries dulled.
“You should stay awake, Princess.” His deep voice stunned me back into a throbbing awareness. I strained to open my eyes, but they did not answer my command. Instead I hummed a response that sounded a lot more like a groan to my ears. It was no use.
Before I slipped into darkness, his voice fought to awaken me again.
“You’re going to be alright,” he said. “I promise.”
But it didn’t sound as if he believed his own words.
My eyelids were heavy and swollen, my limbs like lead—frozen in a body that buzzed in numbing pain. Whispered voices pulled my attention, and I stopped trying to move at all and focused on their words.
An unfamiliar man spoke low. “Are you sure you heard it right? Her own uncle?”
No response.
“You should have let them kill her.”
Castiel let out an annoyed breath. “They weren’t there to kill her.”
“Then why didn’t you let them take her? It could have solved the problem.”
“Without knowing the source of the problem? Brother, that sounds so unlike you.”
Brother? My heart responded to the connection my mind finally made as both king and prince of Anolyn continued their conversation.
“And this is so unlike you.”
A pause and then Castiel spoke, his oddly familiar voice sending a strange sensation through my body. “It—it didn’t seem right. Six against a single girl?”
A scoff sounded from the king.
Castiel continued. “And we would have learned nothing more than what was already known.”
“That Johan is a madman?”
“Not helpful.”
“I will send for Melia’s mother. Maybe she can solve this riddle.”
“And upset the captain of the guard? I wouldn’t if I were you. Not until it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Very well.” Soft steps moved to the other side of the room. “If anything happens while she’s here, the blame will be on you. I hope I don’t have to order you to death.”
“Go to hell… and get out of my room.”
A laugh sounded, then the door opened and closed.
Silence enveloped the space. Exhaustion pulled at me once again, but curiosity battled the sensation. Concentrating hard, I forced one eye open. Through the watery blur, a face stared back at me, his gaze stoic, his features shadowed by low light.
He reached out, but then drew back his hand.
“Why didn’t you let them take me?” The words were barely more than a whisper, but I knew he understood.
His eyes bore into mine. “Sleep.”
With a sigh, I listened, but sleep did not come easy.
Prince Castiel hadn’t saved me from death.
My traitorous thinking delved much deeper into the problem than I wanted. Lucan would have taken me back to Johan—a fate worse than a painful death. Furthermore, Castiel had spared my life in the prison upon first arrival. The brothers were within their rights to kill me. I was their enemy and had trespassed upon their land, yet the prince saw fit to watch over me, giving me more food than a normal prisoner and keeping my conditions more sanitary than that of my inmates—or so he claimed. The combination of all instances and the obligatory life payment was affixed. My existence was forfeit—not that I would tell him. If he didn’t recognize the significance of what he had done, why should I?