With a shake of my head, I faced him. “We must do this, just the two of us. I do not know if any of the other males have been compromised.
“You cannot fight them all alone.”
“The plan is not to fight them. The plan is to sneak onto the estate, find my mate, and get her out. If I can kill Talus while I am there, I will. If not, I will hunt him down later and keep his horns as a trophy.”
Guldan blanched at my words. The practice of keeping the horns of your enemies had been abandoned hundreds of years ago. It was now considered barbaric. In this case, barbarism was called for. The male stole my mate.
I could feel the fire of fury building inside me. The mating rage was filling me, and I knew the red web had filled my eyes.
“You will go to Venna’s door,” I commanded, my voice little more than a snarl. “You will tell her that Leda has run away. You will not call her by her name but say she isthe human. Do not speak of her with respect.”
Guldan’s jaw flexed as he stared at me. “And what purpose does that serve?” he asked.
“I know Venna quite well. She will enjoy the opportunity to disparage Leda and expand on how she is a better candidate as a mate than a mere human.”
My second-in-command nodded.
It would take all my control not to break Venna’s neck for what she had done. But that would have to wait.
My mate’s safety came before vengeance. Always.
Chapter
Thirty
Leda
When I came to, I was struck with a blinding headache and nausea roiling in my gut.
I managed to roll over to my hands and knees before I puked. The motion turned my vision white, and the pain in my skull became nearly unbearable. I heaved twice more before my stomach was empty. I crawled away from the sick and sat back on my ass, blinking to try and clear my vision.
“Disgusting.”
At the sneered word, I turned my head to my right. The movement set my stomach roiling again, but I managed to control it. It was then that I realized I was outside, surrounded by thick undergrowth and tall trees, looking at two daemons.
Venna and Talus stood shoulder to shoulder, watching me. Venna’s look was one of contempt. Talus appeared excited. Too excited considering I’d just thrown up everywhere.
Venna gestured behind me. “Go clean yourself up in the stream.”
I wanted to tell her to fuck herself, but the idea of washing the nasty taste out of my mouth and rinsing my hands and face was too tempting.
I tried to get up, but my legs were trembling too violently to support me. Fuck it, I was going to crawl if I had to. I dragged myself to the small stream and rinsed the dirt off my hands. The water was clear and cold. I took the risk of rinsing my face and swishing some in my mouth. I didn’t know if bacteria and parasites were an issue here, but it was a possibility I would have to face. I drank a little bit too. It tasted as fresh as it smelled. Fingers crossed it wouldn’t make me sick later.
The pain in my head faded slightly after splashing cool water on my face and my mouth was no longer bone dry and tasting horrible. I didn’t want to give away that my energy was slowly returning, so I remained on my rump and turned toward the two daemons still watching me.
“I’m guessing the two of you have a plan for what happens next,” I said, resting my elbows on my knees.
Venna smirked at me. “You are much smarter than you appear, little human.”
I managed not to roll my eyes, but I really wanted to. I looked over at Talus, noting that the dagger I’d stolen off him my first day here was now back in his boot. The exact same boot. He wasn’t smirking the way Venna was, but he was definitely amped up. His muscles were bulging and flexing as though he was holding himself back.
A cold line of fear dragged up my spine, but I refused to react outwardly. I would never let either of them see it. I refused.
If I were going to die, I was going out fighting. I might scream and cry while I did it, but I was going to do my damnedest to take one of them with me.
Venna stepped forward and crouched down. Her broken horn caught my eye. The once ragged edge had been filed down. I wanted to taunt her about it, but I was weak from whatever they’d drugged me with, and I needed time to gather my wits.
Even from her squatted position, she looked down her nose at me. “Talus is going to hunt you. I am not sure why he is so enamored with your pathetic human form, but he will probably find some enjoyment in your screams when his cock rips you in half.”
