My stomach fell as I realized we’d been spotted by the royal guard.
Rock: guards. Hard place: selkies. Why were all our options total crap?
“Grab them!” one of the selkies snarled.
“Rage!” his mother yelled.
I sucked in a deep breath and gathered my magic, preparing for an epic blast.
“Careful, Nai,” Elaine shouted at me, shaking her head. “If you kill Declan’s guards, he’ll have one more reason to ask Surlama to break the shield oath and then kill you.”
Break the shield oath… can he do that?
I gulped, unsure what to do now. Did I protect us by fighting the guards, or go for the selkies who were creeping closer?
Rage shifted into his wolf instantly and bared his teeth at the selkie warriors.
“Stop!” Elaine shouted to the advancing guards, her voice deep and commanding. “Protect us from the selkies. That’s anorder.”
The guard pulled his sword and pointed it at Rage. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’ve got different orders.”
He looked to his right at a huge beefy dude. “Get the prince. At all costs.”
Shit.
Elaine growled low in her throat, and I knew we were screwed. Try to fight a hundred royal guards or half dozen selkies? My gaze jumped from Rage’s mom to the selkie who’d commented about the royal family reunion. He advanced on me quickly. I was distracted between the two foes and who needed my help more, Rage’s mom or Sadie and Audrey.
The selkie nearest me curled his upper lip, and I didn’t like the glimmer in his eye. I decided he was the bigger enemy right now as the guards were further away, and it looked like we were going to have to retreat back into the water. There was no way we could fight off these many royal guards. My magic thrummed just under my skin as if begging me to release it.
Rage’s wolf spoke into my mind:‘Get selkies. Try another way to get to Justice and Noble.’
‘Read my thoughts,’I told him and prepared to blast these water creatures back from where they came.
“Look out!” Audrey yelled, and I spun to see a selkie lunging for me from behind. Rage snarled and dove for the selkie as I sprinted forward, plunging myself between my mate and the warrior.
Pain lanced through my arm as the blade of one of the warriors gouged me. It was there quickly and then gone. I whimpered, knowing I’d caused my shields more agony. Yanking the blade from my bicep, I brandished it as my blood dripped down the cold steel. “If you touch him, I’ll gut you,” I growled.
“Come with me willingly, and no one gets hurt,” the warrior said.
I pulled my lip back in a snarl. “Never.”
And that’s when the female selkie I hadn’t noticed before began to sing.
How many Mariah Careys are there?
Before I could do anything, a hard thwack landed at the back of my neck, and pain laced through my skull, spotting my vision. Someone approached holding a black bag, and I sucked in a breath just as he or she tossed powder right at my mouth. I inhaled the acrid cloud, and a cough erupted from my lungs. My mind went hazy, and a random thought popped into my brain.
If only Kaja and her sisters were here.
“Kaja,” I mumbled drunkenly.
The image of my bestie appeared, sitting in the living room with Nell and Rue—and she turned to look at me as if she’d heard me yell her name. Then, my mind, and the world, went dark.
Chapter 6
Warbled voices enteredmy consciousness and I groaned. My first thought:How am I knocked out when I had the shield bond with Noble, Justice, and Rage?I remembered the powder. Some type of magic? Probably from Dark Row. Did Justice and Noble pass out too?
I shifted my weight and realized my hands and feet were restricted. Yanking my arms, I growled when I realized my efforts were futile. Not only were my hands tied behind my back, but they were tethered to my ankles. My wet clothes clung to me, not sopping, just damp. How long had we been here? My eyes flicked up to the setting sun, and panic filled me. We’d been knocked out all day.No. No. No.Too much time was passing.
