Page 150 of Savage Throne
“I let him take you away—”
“You didn’t.” I pressed my lips against his cheeks hoping I could kiss away every bit of guilt spinning in his chest.
He picked up the space.
Gravel crunched under his boots.
The world whirred past in a blur of colors.
The murmurs of the crowd faded as we left the pavilion.
Some of his men and even a few of Leo’s people had been positioned outside of the pavilion. They witnessed him carry me off with widened eyes and stunned expressions. It was as if the very sight of him—defiant against Leo and possessive of me—disrupted the natural order of things.
Whispers buzzed in our wake, low murmurs barely audible over the night’s stillness, but I could feel them still thick with shock and uncertainty.
I checked in front of us and blinked.
I expected Lei to take me back in the direction of the camps but he veered right and headed down a path that cut away from the well-worn trails.
The air around us shifted.
It was subtle at first—a cooling breeze that began to warm.
The scents changed too, moving from the smoky undertones of the incense and roasted meats of the feast to the lighter perfumed fragrance of wildflowers dancing within the mountain air.
I turned back to him.
Although walking us along, he’d been watching me.
“Where are we going, baby?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his arms tightened around me slightly and the faintest of smiles tugged at the corner of his lips.
Next, he directed his gaze forward and there was this confidence in his eyes—no certainty blazing in them—as if the path we were on led not to a place but to a moment he’d planned down to the last detail.
“Lei?”
“Have I told you that I love when you call me baby.”
I blinked.
He curled his lips into a smirk. “We’re going somewhere special. I need to talk to you about something.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re there.”
“Oh wait.” Hope filled me. “Are you going to try and get out of the battle? I’m down. Let’s go right now. Maybe we can hurry off to a helicopter and—”
“No, Moni. Iwantto fight him tonight. I want tokillhim.”
A terrifying shiver ran through me. “Lei. . .”
“He has to dietonight. Not tomorrow. Not next week or next year. Tonight.”
“I know, but. . .I can’t lose you in the process.”
“You won’t lose me.”
