Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The water drops with a splash.
Zev sputters, coughing violently, water spilling from his lips as he sucks in deep lungfuls of air.
I should kill him. End this.
But I can’t.
My hands fall uselessly to my sides.
I just stand there, staring at him, each shallow breath punishing my lungs.
He blinks in confusion, as if he can’t believe the water is gone. And then his steel-gray eyes finally blaze with the cold, unyielding fury I’d been waiting for.
“Run, Mayah,” he snarls, voice ragged. “Run.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Branchescutintothesoft flesh of my arms as I bolt through the forest, the ground slick and slippery beneath my feet. My heart beats in my ears. I chance a look backwards, certain I’ll find Zev thundering behind me, face contorted with wrath.
I should have killed him.
Now he’s going to kill me. He’s going to—
Focus. Focus, Mayah. I only have limited time before the aphrodisiac takes effect. Before I turn and runtowardZev, instead of away from him. I need to put as much distance between us as possible, then figure out some way to restrain myself before he catches—
Thunder rumbles so violently, the ground quakes beneath my boots. The air prickles, heavy with his storm.
Shit.
My husband is free. And he’s coming after me.
I force my feet to move faster, darting through the trees. Rain drizzles steadily, icy droplets chilling my skin where my tunic is torn in half. A sharp ache splinters my lungs, a searing pain inone calf. I veer right, breath stuttering as lightning rips through the sky.
Desire lights a fire in my core.
Shit, shit, shit. My blood thrums in my veins. Desperate. Eager.
I need to run faster.
In the silence between rumbling thunderclaps, angry footsteps slam behind me, growing louder with each second.
He’s going to catch me.
My footsteps slow, just by a fraction. The warmth in my chest simmers in a low, burning heat. My body wants to stop, wants to turn back, but my mind screams at me to keep going.
The footsteps pound louder, in time with the beat of my frantic heart. I crane my neck again, expecting to see Zev bearing down on me, a mask of fury etched on his face.
He’s not there.
But he’s close.
I turn back and—
—promptly collide with an armored chest. Large hands grip my upper arms, bracing me from the impact. I recoil, head spinning, heat curling through my veins. My thoughts fray at the edges, pulled tight by panic and heat.
I crane my head, staring into a worried, deep blue gaze.
