“She’s not yours,” he growled, each word costing him obvious pain. “Not anyone’s. She makes her own choices.”
“Oh?” Javed raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his golden eyes. “Is that so?”
He lifted his hand, the ring glinting on his finger as red light pulsed from its center. Magic slammed into me, driving the air from my lungs. I felt it crawling through my veins, seeping into my muscles, whispering into my mind.
Submit. Obey. Surrender.
I fought against the compulsion, against the insidious urge to give in, to please him. My knees threatened to buckle as the magic pressed harder, crushing my will beneath its weight.
“Tell me, dear one,” Javed’s voice slithered into my ears, “who is this creature to you?”
I met Zral’s eyes. Too late. It was all too late, and Javed had his claws in us. There were no future tonights, no hope for a future at all.
And still, the truth clawed its way up my throat. I fought against Javed’s control, ground the words out between my teeth, let my orc hear the truth. For as few minutes as we had left, I was his. “My mate.”
Rage flew across Javed’s expression. Power surged, crushing down on me until spots danced in my vision.
“Try again,” he snarled.
My tongue felt leaden in my mouth. “He’s nothing.”
Javed’s smile returned, cruel and satisfied. He crooked a finger. “Much better. Now, come here and watch your brothers erase this nothing from our lives.”
My body moved without my permission, crossing the space between us. Javed patted his lap, and to my horror, I sat down like an obedient pet. His arm snaked around my waist, holding me in place as he nodded to my brothers.
“Kill the orc,” he ordered. “Slowly.”
I screamed inside my mind, fighting against the bonds of magic that held me captive. Zral struggled to his feet, facing my brothers with grim determination. When Kaz’s fist sent him staggering back, something snapped inside me.
The mate bond flared hot in my chest, a connection stronger than Javed’s control. I focused on it, on the warmth that had filled me when Zral touched me, when he looked at me like I was something precious.
When he’d trusted me despite every reason not to.
The knife I’d taken from Malak’s room pressed against my leg where I’d tucked it. The guards hadn’t noticed, too focused on delivering me to this sadistic game. My fingers twitched, fighting against Javed’s control.
Trust me. Just this once.
Zral’s words echoed in my mind, fueling my resistance. The mate bond surged, breaking through Javed’s control just enough for my hand to close around the knife’s hilt.
I drove the blade into Javed’s thigh.
He howled, shoving me away. I crashed into Malak, my hand instinctively grabbing for something to break my fall. My fingers closed around the pendant, tearing it free as I fell.
That split second of broken control was enough. Malak’s eyes cleared, awareness flooding back. He caught me before I hit the ground, spinning me behind him as Kaz and Zane shook off Javed’s influence.
“You bitch!” Javed snarled, clutching his bleeding leg. “You’ll watch your brothers die for that. Or perhaps I’ll have you carve them to pieces first.”
The Fitsum guards moved to protect their prince, but they were no match for my brothers’ fury. Kaz moved like a demon unleashed, disarming the first guard and using his weapon against the second. Malak and Zane fought back-to-back, their coordination born of years fighting together rather than magical compulsion.
Zral, beaten as he was, struggled to his feet and joined the fray. I positioned myself in front of him, knife raised as a guard charged us.
“Stay behind me,” I ordered, blocking the guard’s swing with my blade.
Zral snorted, grabbing the guard’s arm and twisting until something snapped. “Like hell.”
Javed pushed to his feet, his face twisted with fury as his carefully laid plans crumbled around him.
Blood soaked his pant leg where I’d stabbed him, and his golden eyes narrowed as he assessed the losing battle. His gaze fixed on Zral—beaten, injured, but still fighting—and something dark crossed his face.
