Page 18

His face… His face.

Gods, there was something about him. I’d seen him before, I was certain of it. My breath shuddered in my lungs, and the fire burning within me faded. I was lost in his gaze, my lips parting and my chest cracking open. Something deep within me cried out for him, reaching as if it had yearned for nothing but him my entire life.

Mine, the desperate voice seemed to say. This male is mine.

I felt his chest above mine tense as his breath hitched. Could he feel it, too?

I blinked rapidly, trying to chase away these strange thoughts. What the hell was the matter with me? Was I going insane? Gran—Gran—I needed to go to her.

And that was when I realized the Wolven wasn’t wearing a shirt. His naked torso was pressed to mine, thick muscles surrounding me. His scent of earth and spice filled my nose, and I was once again struck by the haunting notion that I had met him before.

But when?

In my dreams?

I would have remembered someone like this.

“Kill her!” shouted the other figure, rising to his feet and wiping dust from his tunic.

The sharp voice snapped us out of the strange trance. I shifted, trying to wriggle free, but the male atop me only pressed me further into the floor.

He must have cast some kind of Wolven spell on me. That was why I’d felt so strangely. I couldn’t let him do it again.

So, I did the only thing I could do: I let out a loud scream. My voice rang in the cabin, filling the air and making my own eardrums throb.

The male roared, clapping a large hand over my mouth. I bit down on one of his fingers, but he only hissed, pressing more firmly on my lips.

“She’s not a threat,” said the one on top of me.

The hell I’m not, I thought. I conjured a brief shock of magic and sent it straight into the bicep that was curled around my arms.

He jerked back suddenly with a loud shout. I wriggled one leg loose and kicked him in the balls.

To his credit, he only grunted and staggered backward. But now I was free. I clambered to my feet and spread my hands, nostrils flared. I didn’t care about the strange feeling that had swept over me when I’d looked into that male’s eyes.

It didn’t matter. They were killers, both of them.

They killed her. They murdered her.

I would utterly destroy them both.

Flames ignited between my palms. The two attackers jerked backward in surprise, eyes flaring wide.

For the first time, I took in their appearances. One had long, tawny hair and pale skin while the other—the one who had pinned me to the floor—had dark brown skin and a shaved head, along with a short black beard. The former wore a white shirt and brown trousers, while the latter was bare-chested, wearing only gray breeches. Both of them had gleaming gold eyes and round ears.

“Gods’ breath,” hissed the larger one, his nostrils flaring. His gold eyes slid to his companion. “Do you smell it?”

The tawny-haired one narrowed his eyes at me. I didn’t like the way they were both scrutinizing me. My breathing was ragged, and I didn’t realize I was crying until the tears dripped from my chin.

I couldn’t keep my eyes from straying over to Gran. At the sight of her, my flames died completely, and something shriveled up in my chest. It felt as if everything in my body was collapsing in on itself. I was a crumbling cave, and nothing could stop me from breaking to pieces.

I sniffed, struggling to draw breath. More tears ran down my cheeks. Gods, I couldn’t even process a coherent thought. My mind was a jumbled mess.

And Gran…

I sank to my knees with a broken sob. The chaotic emotions swirling in my mind seemed to explode.

She’s gone.