“I tried to help her,” I whisper. Rime’s arms tighten around me the moment the quiet words slip from my lips.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare talk to me.” Carlin jars past Kain, his shoulder locking hard with the shifter. “Skovence, take her to the holding center. I’ll deal with this in the morning.” His throat tightens hard and then he spins on the crowd of watchers. “Everyone else go back inside.” His voice is a shaking growl that barks out so loudly people start moving the moment he speaks.
And then big hands are wrapping around my upper arms. “Come with me, please,” Skovence says in calming way.
“Skov, you know she didn’t do this. Low would never harm someone.” Aggie steps close to my side and Rime never once loosens his hold on me.
All I can think about is how Agatha is so sure that I’d never harm someone. But she wasn’t there to see the mess I made in Kreedence’s blood.
“Agatha, it’s just standard precaution. Nothing’s going to happen to her. We just need to go over some questions.” The confident and assured way he says it makes even me a believer. Skovence really knows how to defuse a situation. He has a paternal or grandfatherly way about him, and it makes me completely believe what he says … even if deep down I don’t.
His hold on me pulls at my arms, but I don’t move an inch. Rime’s head tilts to the side as he stares eye to eye with the second in command. The coldness that I remember seeing in the ice dragon’s features way back when we first met is right there on the surface now. It’s a deadness in his gaze really. An emptiness that’s chilling to see.
“Rime, let her go, my friend.”
I feel it before I see it. Frost stings my skin where his hands press against my body. White scales inch quietly up his arms, clacking against one another like armor piecing together right before our very eyes.
“I want you to be careful with your decisions right now, Rime,” Skovence warns in a gentle tone. His voice is steady, but I note the way his fists reflexively tighten at his sides.
Still those scales crawl up my mate’s skin. Massive white wings burst out from his back, shadowing across the man’s shocked features in front of me. Rime’s body shakes against mine and I can tell he’s trying to control something primal inside of him; a battle that he and I both know he’ll lose.
Before Rime can make a decision he’ll regret in the only home he’s ever had, a beast of fuming black smoke and fiery red eyes leaps in front of us. Big paws hit Skovence’s chest hard, tackling him to the dirt. Growls rumbling with wafting heat emitting from Grim’s sharp snapping teeth. Pandemonium erupts. More shifters grip ahold of the hellhound’s thick fur. A barking growl rips from the beast’s throat. Jagged teeth sink into a thrashing arm. A masculine scream and a howl echo into the night at the same time.
And then, someone stabs him.
“Stop!” I fling myself from the safety of Rime’s body the moment the small blade sinks into my sweet hellhound’s flesh. A whimpering sound carries for several seconds and I wrap my arms around him, pulling the beasts massive body against mine.
It’s not fatal. It’s nothing more than a papercut for a demon. It’s my fault though.
All of this is my fucking fault.
Slowly that warm, burning fur fades away. My eyes clench closed and the tension in my body dissolves as Sinister’s palms push down my spine. I feel defeated in my friend’s strong arms.
My life is always like this.
I should have known this village would be no different.
I should have known better than to think I could be happy here.
“Take the girl. And take her fucking dog,” Carlin orders.
Once more someone pulls at my arms, and despite Rime’s pummeling fists, and Chaos’ fuming anger, and Kain’s continuous arguing, this time I go. I don’t resist.
Because it looks like I’m about to ruin Sinister’s life. For a second time.
Sixteen
Just a Misunderstanding
Like mortal idiots,they put me in a metal cell, they lock their little pathetic mortal lock and they look like they feel real good about their choices in life as they turn their backs on me. Two other cells are side by side with ours but we’re alone in the cozy jail cell. Sinister cocks a dark brow at the lock and the smooth metal bars.
“You’d think they’d at least try to imprison us.” Without much thought, his tattooed hand slips through the bars and he rips the hanging lock right off its latch.
“Sinister,” I hiss at him.
“What?” His arms raise defensively, one hand still holding the warped and broken padlock.
“Can you just come sit down and pretend to be a cooperating …”
