“We have your precious queen, hunter. It seems all your hard work was for nothing.”
His head jerked toward the toppled cart, and he watched as two women tried to pull Aerity from the doorway. She struggled and then gave a strangled scream as one of the women apparently used magic to subdue her. His love, his queen, was in the hands of Lashed, being dragged roughly away.
Never had he experienced such blinding dread. There wasno telling what torturous actions they were capable of in their offended rage. From the triumphant look on Rozaria’s face as she stalked slowly forward, she knew he was afraid. She stopped just short of an arm’s length away from him.
“I pride myself on reading people. Nicola tried to warn me, but . . .” She tilted her head. “I know at least part of you felt what I felt, isn’t that right?” Her smug smile made him clench his fists. “I understand you at a level that no Unlashed woman ever could, don’t I, hunter? Indeed, I believe part of you truly did hate your king and want him gone. So what weakened you, hmm? Was it the attention of a pretty princess? What did she promise you? Lands? A grand boat to fish your life away? A place in her bed?”
“She ismorethan a pretty face,” Paxton said, unable to listen to another word. “She is compassion and integrity at its finest.”
Rozaria sneered and shouted, “You have allowed the weaker parts of yourself to win out! For that, you will not be spared. And neither will your queen. But first she will belong to Vito.”
He felt his face harden, and Rozaria chuckled darkly.
Paxton surveyed his situation. The two women were pulling Aerity away from him, toward the houses. Down the path he could hear hooves and voices. Help would arrive soon, but that almost made him more nervous. It wouldn’t take much to make Rozaria snap. She continued to stare hard at Paxton as she spoke loudly to her women in Kalorian.
They stood eye to eye as the women tugged Aerity toward the door of a far house. Paxton had his bow and arrows and his daggers. In the time it would take him to reach and ready one of those weapons, Rozaria could have her hands on him. However, he did have one thing that could reach her in a hurry. The women were nearly out of sight.
“Oh, hunter,” Rozaria began, but he did not allow her to finish.
Paxton pivoted and whipped his leg out with all his might, sending a kick straight into Rozaria’s mid-chest. He connected, hard, and she flew with anumph, landing on her back. She was gasping for breath when he pulled his bow out and nocked an arrow, pointing it straight down at her. Before he could let loose, a whizzing sound and sharp sting burned the side of his arm.
It was a deep gash, and his right arm suddenly lost strength; he couldn’t grasp his bow as tightly. He looked up to see Nicola with a bow, another arrow pointed directly at him. She rushed forward, caught between wanting to keep the arrow aimed at him and wanting to bend down to care for Rozaria. If she took one hand off that bowstring, Paxton would throw a dagger with his good hand.
Rozaria panted something in Kalorian, clutching her ribs as she pushed to sit up, and then stand. She wore a mask of maliciousness, as if every ugly thing inside her had surfaced and was now showing.
From behind Paxton, sounds of Harrison and the guardsneared. Rozaria pointed at Paxton and snarled a word in Kalorian that he recognized: “Shoot!” Nicola pulled back her bowstring, but Paxton ducked and rolled, feeling his bow and quiver dig into his back, then he leaped to his feet and took off toward the side of the house where Aerity had been taken. He darted side to side so as not to give Nicola an easy target. An arrow missed him, and another. He heard her scream of frustration as he rounded the corner out of view.
Chapter
51
Each time Aerity struggled, she felt a burning sensation in her skin where the women held her wrists, and something inside her would burst into pain, or she would simply not be able to breathe for a moment. They’d also done something to her jaw, locked it so that she could not open it to scream. Their power over her was terrifying.
Inside the house was dark. The women shoved her to the floor and turned to go. She felt her jaw release once their hands were off her. They left her in complete darkness. Aerity scrambled to her feet just as a flame was lit. And then another. And another. Prince Vito and two guards—one of whom was Martone. They were in a single-room house with only onedoor. Aerity lunged for the exit, but Martone grabbed her around the waist and flung her into a chair.
Martone stepped away, leaving her in the chair while he blocked the door and the other Kalorian stood in front of the single, curtained window on the side wall. Her eyes went to Vito, who stood too close, watching her with lazy amusement.
“I was always good at hide-and-seek, you know. And I appreciate a good game as much as the next.” He walked forward and leaned down into Aerity’s face, grasping the chair arms on each side of her. His breath was sour. “But I am quite done chasing you now.”
His eyes lifted from hers at the sounds of tromping feet, shouting, and arrows whizzing. It sounded as if they were fighting just outside the cottage. Aerity opened her mouth to scream, but Prince Vito struck her with the back of his hand, slinging her face to the side in a starburst of pain. She brought a hand up to her mouth, tasting blood where her teeth cut her lip. Aerity pressed away from him in the chair, shaking uncontrollably as she said, “You can kill me, but you will not win this.”
A slow grin came to his face. “Death is too kind for you now. Youwillbe my wife. You will serve me in every way.”
“Never.”
“To keep your brother alive? I think yes.”
Donubhan . . .Aerity turned to a statue under his scrutinizing gaze.Seas no.Vito began to chuckle as she envisionedthe Isle of Evie under attack, and Donnie being captured by these monsters. If they had him, they had the entire royal family.
“The first thing we did,” murmured Prince Vito, “was to shave those vile red curls from his head with our sharpest blade.”
Aerity shut her eyes and her body convulsed. She couldn’t take it. Outside voices were getting closer. The prince looked at the spare guard and ordered in Kalorian, “Bring the cart around now. The fighting wasn’t supposed to get this close.”
The prince turned his head to steal a look outside as the guard left. Aerity took the opportunity. She lunged forward and brought her knee straight into the prince’s crotch as hard as she could, but instead of him doubling over, it was she who cried out at the blast of pain in her knee. He wore some sort of protective metal covering. He swung again, this time hitting her ear, making her entire head ring. Aerity screamed, and Vito laughed once again.
“We can keep going,” he said as she cowered. “I’m enjoying this very much.”
When the ringing had almost stopped she stood, bracing herself, and faced him. Outside the door, a vicious, animalistic roar split the air, causing Prince Vito’s eyes to widen.
