Or worse.
I wouldn’t let that happen.
“Faster.”
His shadows urged me onward. My light brightened inside of me in response, my skin glowing.
“No, he’ll see you,” I hissed. Not a good time to have zero control over my magic.
The trees parted into a small clearing, and I looked around.
“Your fleeing is pointless, Little Rebel,” Kade shouted with the dark edge to his voice. He was too close. “You know I’ll catch you.”
I ran to the left, ducking under an old fallen tree as the bark scraped down my back. I let out a pained hiss but didn’t let it stop me.
“Where can I go?” I asked the shadows.
They didn’t respond this time, and my light panicked as I felt them slip away.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
A growl reverberated around me, and Kade’s body slammed into me, sending me flying to the side.
I screamed as my body skidded across the ground, scraped by sticks and rocks along the forest floor.
“Got you,” he grunted, attempting to roll on top of me. “And now? I think I’ll devour you.”
I lifted my knees, kicking out at him as hard as I could, taking him by surprise. I jerked to the side, pulling my dagger from my thigh as I scrambled to stand.
Kade chuckled as he looked up at me from his knees. “You know I’ve never seen your blade as a threat? Especially not now.”
“You should,” I said, moving to circle him. He jumped to his feet in one fluid movement, ushering his shadows toward me.
They gripped me, but my determination to save the man I loved in the deepest marrow of my soul remained steady. My light surged out of me, entwining with them until they fell back.
“No.” His lip curled as he watched my magic break his connection to his shadows.
I gripped the blade tighter. My body glowed, brightening the space around us in anticipation of his next move. Kade’s eyes narrowed as they blackened.
This time he raised his hands and even more shadows poured out of him, intent on reaching me. They wrapped around my arms and pinned them to my sides. Kade knocked into me again, taking me to the ground and straddling me. He tipped his head back, laughing as the shadows released their hold now that their master had me firmly beneath him.
Still, I fought.
“I always did love your spirit. You should know he’ll enjoy breaking it.”
I shouted in his face, furious at the darkness inside of him and the words it allowed him to say with no remorse.
Let me out.
I swear my light screamed, bursting to escape while speaking to me exactly like Kade’s shadows did.
I lashed out, wiggling my arms from underneath his thighs, aiming to slap some sense into him. Something. Anything to bring him back to reality. “You will submit to my darkness. Submit to me as the Monster of Mysthaven. The alternative is not an option.”
“What alternative?” I spit at him.
He tightened his thighs around my body and pinned my arms above my head. “Thames will kill you.” He hardly looked as if it bothered him.
Seeing him so far gone that even the thought of Thames hurting me didn’t faze him broke a part of me.
