Page 61 of The Princess and the Demon

I turn to go back to my room, pausing again as a feeling in my gut forces me to turn back towards the door.

I pause a moment before turning the knob on the door and stepping inside.

The space is dark, and the only light are the dying embers in the fireplace. I walk to the bed. The furs are rumpled, but not pulled back, telling me Elora never went to bed.

I pull the furs up to my nose, inhaling deeply.

She had been gone a while.

Her scent was already starting to fade.

Fear blooms within me as I walk around the room, looking for any signs of her.

I fling back the tapestry to her washroom, growling when I find it empty.

I stalk to the main door of her chamber, flinging it open to slam against the wall with a deafening bang.

The sound reverberates through the corridor.

Somebody had my mate, and I would tear the filament from the Earth to find her.

Stepping out, I throw my head back, releasing a roar.

20

ELORA

Icome to slowly, my head swimming. I attempt to sit up, but a sudden wave of dizziness has me placing a hand against the throbbing side of my face.

It takes a moment to piece together what happened.

I remember Balial waking me up, and then rushing me from my chamber. I had been under the impression that I was going to see Amon, but quickly realized it had been a ploy all along.

Looking around me, I realize I’m no longer in the castle. I’m in a-a…

Cage.

Pulling myself up to a kneeling position, I wrap my hands around the bars that surround me. Fear blooms within me as I realize I’m hanging over a dark pit in the ground.

My stomach roils, and dizziness overcomes me again as I close my eyes and sit back on my rear.

I swallow numerous times, attempting to calm my nauseous stomach.

Don’t panic.

I try to take a few deep breaths, steeling myself as I return to a kneeled position. I try to move gently to keep the cage from swaying and squint my eyes to try to make out what I can in the dim lighting.

Other than the pit below me, it looks as though there’s only one entrance in and out. A few candles give off the barest light, looking as though they will snuff out at any moment.

I begin to tremble, grasping the bars of the cage again.

A slow clicking begins to echo from the corridor leading from the room, and I watch, my stomach knotting nervously.

The demon that struck me enters the room, his gait slow and lumbering.

“Prettyyyyy awake?”

His voice is gravelly and deep, and I lick my lips nervously.

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