Within seconds, Malia has blasted apart one soldier’s armor, Taniya has raked her claws through another’s breastplate, leaving deep welts across his chest, and my demon wolves have latched on to demon arms and legs, dragging their targets down to the ground and immobilizing them without killing them.
Within seconds, I’m the only one still fighting, my breathing rapid as I attempt to evade the blond demon’s attacks.
He is beyond fast, his movements expert, but I suddenly realize that his efforts appear aimed to subdue me rather than to knock me out.
I test my theory by forcing him off-balance, dragging his arm back far enough that I could dislocate it and forcing him into a kneeling position on the ground, where I pin him with my leg pressed against his back.
“Stop fighting me,” I say, wrenching on his arm to punctuate my speech.
I’m conscious of Roman watching us closely. I’m also aware of Crone’s dark gaze blazing at me across the distance, the way she leans forward a little, as if she expects me to kill the demon now.
It’s clear from her smile that she welcomes the bloodshed.
I guess if she can’t have my sisters’ blood yet, she’ll take the soldier’s instead.
Fucking bloodthirsty…
“Tell me about your weapons,” I snarl as I press on him. “Could you have killed us with them?”
“We could have,” he says, his voice rasping with pain. “But we used them only to stun.”
“Why?”
“We don’t want to hurt you, Princess.” He grunts as I wrench harder on his arm. “We needed to get you away from your friends so we didn’t risk harming you.”
I churn over his words.
“You don’t want to hurt me?” I ask. “Or… you aren’tallowedto hurt me?”
He’s quiet for a long moment before he says, “To strike a royal is to secure your own death.”
My forehead creases. “But you already struck me.”
He nods, but barely, since the strain on his arm now must be immense. “You have the right to kill me.”
I close my eyes for a moment.Fucking Crone. She ordered the demons to kill my sisters with the high chance that I would fight back… She obviously doesn’t care if she loses some soldiers along the way.
“What is your name and rank?” I ask him.
“My name is Tyrus,” he says. “I’m Captain of the King’s Guard.”
I consider my response carefully. “Okay, Tyrus. Do I have the rightnotto kill you?”
Again, he’s quiet, and, since I can’t see his face, I picture the crease in his forehead when he says, “As a royal, I believe you may do as you wish.”
I smother my anger and frustration.Do as I wish?Except escape this place or the Elimination I’m supposed to take part in. Or protect my sisters. Or… heal my aching heart…
The darkness that was surrounding us begins to fade, the power I don’t yet control easing as I try to force my emotions to calm.
I release Tyrus’s arm with a stern order. “Stand up. Face me.”
He hobbles to his feet, gripping his shoulder. His face is bruised from where I struck him. His clothing is torn from my demon wolves’ attack. He’ll have an incredibly sore arm tomorrow, but at least he’llhavea tomorrow.
“Take your soldiers and walk away,” I say, my order quiet this time.
He stares at me, his focus flitting from me to Crone.
“Walk away and let Crone do her own dirty work,” I say before I swing to the group of royals watching us from behind the protective energy that Malia constructed.
