Page 88 of Her Ivory Flame

“No one is coming for you princess.” The man stood, his eyes meeting hers and the darkness in them made her body go cold. “No one will touch you, or at least they shouldn’t.”

More footsteps got closer and she saw a half a dozen men step out of the shadows close to the fire.

“What a shame.” One of them said.

“It's been a long time since I've felt a female’s skin.” Another rasped.

“No one touches her.” The man she had been talking to orders. “She is to be brought to him unharmed.”

The group of men just nodded, half of them looking at her with a sinister stare and she knew what was on their mind. She pressed her legs together even more, though she knew it did nothing.

“Get to your posts.” The older man ordered and the men disbursed, disappearing into the shadow again.

“We have a long walk tomorrow, better get some rest.”

She watched the man walk into the tent he was sitting closest to, leaving her sitting next to the tree and her hand’s chained to it alone.

Kaden.

She tried not to believe what the man said, the feeling of dread washing over her. Part of her felt like she would know if it was true, feel him fading somehow but there was nothing there. That thread she thought she felt was gone and she hoped it was because of the manacles and not the other option.

If he was alive, she knew he would come for her and she just had to bide her time. If he didn’t show by morning, then she would have her answer.

Rustling next to her roused her from sleep a while later, her senses on high alert and she tried to focus on whatever was around her.

Too quickly hands grabbed at her, three pairs and one covered her mouth before she could let out a noise.

“Don’t worry princes, it will only hurt a little bit.” One of the men from earlier let out a dark chuckle and she tried to struggle out of his grip.

The other two men unlocked her manacles from the chain on the tree, but her hands were still bound behind her. Her mind raced as they threw her to the ground, her head hitting a log close by.

This was not going to happen, not to her. She might not have her power, but Kaden had been teaching her to fight without it and she would prove she could.

A hand covered her mouth, but she was able to kick her leg out and nailed one of them in the face. He let out a wail, the other two trying to get him to be quiet and got distracted.

That was her chance.

She threw her knee up, hitting the second man in the groin making him roll sideways. Now she just had the man covering her mouth, and when she looked up at him she knew he was furious.

“You bitch.” he snarled and she tried to throw her body towards him in hopes of throwing him off balance.

He barely moved but she was able to maneuver her leg around his front and throw him backwards onto the dirt. Rolling away from them she got to her feet.

“Fuck you!” she screamed hoping it would wake someone, anyone.

The first man tackled her from the side before she could start moving, her body slamming into the dirt once again. She was now on her stomach, the man's hand pushing her face into the ground.

Panic started to stir in her, the contact and vulnerable position setting off anxiety. More visions of her torture clouding her vision and she did everything she could to keep from throwing up.

“What is going on out there?” the old man said from his tent, but her attackers didn’t stop.

“I heard you had wings.” The man she had thrown backwards chuckled.

At this point, one was pushing on her head and the one she kicked in the groin had her feet. She could see the flash of a knife out of the corner of her eyes and she tried to get out of their grip.

“Let's see if we can find them.” The man chuckled again and bent down with the knife in hand.

The man held her mouth as soon as the blade hit her skin and she could feel it tearing open along her shoulder blade.