And he couldn’t bear to be the one to break her.
Before the drakonians even realised they were being followed, Kai had already outmanoeuvred them. He circled swiftly through the trees, a shadow among shadows, and emerged ahead of them, silent, poised and deadly.
He raised one of his hook swords, its curved blade glinting dully in the darkness, and levelled it at the man who appeared to be their leader.
‘I’d advise you let her go,’ he said, his voice low, calm, almost polite.
‘She’s a witch!’ the drakonian at the front snapped, his grip tightening.
‘That she is,’ Kai replied evenly, ‘but she’s alsomyprisoner.’
The men exchanged uneasy and uncertain glances, doubt clear in their eyes.
‘You’ll not object if we burn her, then,’ one of them said with a shrug.
Kai sighed, slow and deliberate, before returning his swords to their place across his back. His posture eased, though only superficially. He caught Dawn’s withering glare the moment she realised he was sheathing his weapons. He offered her a small smile in return and a wink even, which only earned him an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
‘I’ll make this simple, gentlemen,’ he said, dusting imaginary dirt from his palms with a flick of nonchalance. ‘You release her now, and we all go on with every limb intact. Or...’ His gaze slid lazily down to his nails. ‘I break each and every neck.’
The leader spat at the ground, unimpressed. ‘How about we have a little fun with her first?’ He seemed entirely unaware of the way Kai’s eyes darkened. Not with anger, but with promise.
The man turned his back on the wyverian prince and strode towards Dawn, who was still pinned to her knees by two others. He crouched, grinning as he reached for the hem of her skirt.
‘She’s a pretty thing,’ he said, leering. ‘For a witch. Always wondered what they wore beneath these dresses—’
A sharp cluck of the tongue stopped him.
‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you,’ Kai said quietly.
The drakonian glanced over his shoulder, sneering. ‘Why not?’
Kai’s smile was slow and dangerous.
‘Because she bites.’
In that very moment, Dawn let out a roar that echoed like a battle-cry through the trees. Her hands flared an eerie green, crackling with raw magic before an explosive wave of power burst from her tattooed fingertips, hurling her captors into the air like autumn leaves caught in a storm.
The leader hit the ground with a sickening thud. Before he could recover, Kai was already there, striding towards him with measured calm. He crouched slowly, bringing himself to the man's level, eye to eye, breath to breath.
‘Why are you helping her?’ the drakonian rasped, fear widening his eyes. ‘They’ve burnt down our lands!’
Kai tilted his head, voice cool and unwavering. ‘Yes, and we burnt down theirs, didn’t we? That’s no excuse to put your hands on a woman.’ He sighed, almost lazily, as though the moment bored him. ‘Now I’ll have to make sure you never use those hands again. Can’t have you lifting anyone’s skirts, can we?’
‘Kai.’
He ignored the witch’s voice. Soft, warning, but not yet commanding.
‘I was going to bemerciful,’ he continued, drawing one of his hook swords ever so slightly from its sheath. ‘Take your hand clean off, quick and efficient.’ A pause. ‘But I find myself compelled to let you suffer.’
‘Kai.’
This time her voice had more weight. He turned to see her approaching, her steps steady, her eyes, those brilliant purple eyes, filled with something that twisted sharply inside him. Conviction.
Plea.
Control.
‘Don’t,’ she said simply.
