Ringing in my ears at his words. How long has he known Drayven?
I sense the darkness come over him like a shadow blotting out the sun. It feels like he’s a stranger. But I can’t let myself get distracted. Otherwise, this will end in a bloodbath.
“No seed has entered my womb,” I declare, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “I offer myself in exchange for the freedom of Demaya and the other Vespers.”
“Flori, no!” Drayven lunges for me, but I’m already moving.
I slip between the Baron and Demaya in one fluid motion, forcing his dagger arm to lift or cut me. He knows about my blood, and he won’t risk a single drop spilled. With my lower hand, I brush my fingers against her hipbone—a silent signal.
Demaya’s hand snakes out, swift as a viper, snatching the weapon from the Baron’s grip. In the same breath, she twists away, melting into the shadows with preternatural grace.
His eyes widen, then narrow with fury. His hand closes on empty air where Demaya stood moments ago.
“Seize her!” he bellows to his men.
Chaos erupts. Soldiers and mercenaries scramble, jogging into the darkest parts of the maze, searching fruitlessly for the vanished girl. My heart thunders at the betrayal in Drayven’s eyes, but I force my voice to remain steady.
“You’ve lost your leverage,” I point out to the Baron. “But my offer stands. Me, for the others.”
“Clever girl,” he purrs, eyes raking over me hungrily. “But you’ve only proven your worth. Why settle for one bride when I can have you all?”
He takes my arm in a punishing grip. I bite back a cry, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
Drayven roars, charging forward. “Take your hands off her!”
Three mercenaries swarm him, barely restraining his fury. The Baron laughs, a cold sound that sends chills down my spine. Why does he feel so familiar? That taunt earlier…
“I’m warning you,” Drayven snarls, thrashing against his captors. “The last man who tried to fuck her lost his cock.”
“Tell me, boy,” the Baron sneers, “how does it feel to fail her again?”
He gestures to the mercenaries holding Drayven, and one of them punches him in the gut, winding him.
“Let him go,” I shout. “And I’ll spread my legs. I’ll be the dutiful bride you tried to make me all these years.”
Drayven’s eyes grow wild with desperation. “Flori, don’t do this. Please.”
My heart clenches at the raw anguish in his voice, but there’s no other way. We had our chance, and we lost it.
“You said you would do anything for me.” My throat clogs with emotion. “Then prove it. Let me go. Find Demaya. Get her out of here safely. Save the others.”
Drayven’s face contorts with grief. “I can’t leave you. Not again.”
“You have to,” I plead, even as the Baron’s grip tightens painfully on my arm. “They don’t deserve what he’ll do to them.”
“How touching,” the Baron mocks. “But I’m afraid your little hero won’t be going anywhere.” He nods to his men. “Restrain him. I want him to witness as I claim his precious bride.”
With a growl of frustration, Drayven flings his head back and hits the mercenary’s nose. Two men aren’t enough to hold him.He wrenches free, snaps his hand at the throat of the man on his left and somehow stabs the man on his right at the same time. For a heart-stopping moment, I think he’ll charge us. But he glances up to where two archers are training their arrows toward his head. Before they aim true, Drayven is already running into the shadows of the Labyrinth.
Relief and despair war within me as I watch him go with a heavy heart, but know it’s for the best. At least this way, he’s still alive.
“Find him!” The Baron’s roar shudders through me like thunder. I go cold when he adds, “Kill him!”
Chapter 17
Drayven
No bride leaves the Labyrinth unchanged. No hunter leaves it unbroken.”
