Page 38 of Willow and the Wraith

He hurried down the ramp, only pausing long enough to set the alarms before hurrying back into the spaceport. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this level of cold fury. Someone had dared to harm those under his protection, and he was going to make them pay dearly. The thought of Willow in Zalek’s hands terrified him in a way nothing else ever had. He pushed the realization aside, focusing on the task at hand. There would be time to examine his feelings later. Right now, all that mattered was getting Willow back.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Willow’s eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry and her head pounding. She was strapped to another one of those portable stretchers, the cold metal biting into her skin. For a disorienting moment, she thought she was back on the space station where her ordeal had begun. Had it all been a dream?

But as her mind cleared, the memories came rushing back. She’d been on the ship, organizing the supplies as Malacar brought them in, when she’d heard a muffled thud outside. When she looked out, she had seen Malacar sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Her heart had leapt into her throat, but she’d assumed he’d simply tripped and rushed outside to check on him.

As she’d bent over him, checking for injuries, a sharp pain pierced her neck. The world had tilted, colors swirling together before everything went black.

She fought back a sudden wave of panic. Where was she? What had happened to Malacar and Sooni? And Wraith—did he even know she was gone?

She tugged at her restraints, but they held firm. Looking around frantically, she tried to figure out where she was. The stretcher was in one corner of a vast empty room, half hidden behind a partial wall. More partial walls, some collapsed, created a twisted maze across the floor. The upper part of the room was open and a row of windows circled it, high above the rusted metal walls. It looked like an abandoned warehouse.

She opened her mouth to call for help, then reconsidered. If her captors were close by, she didn’t want to alert them that she was awake. She closed her eyes, fighting back tears. She’d thought she was safe, that her days of being a captive were over. How naive she’d been.

Fear threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. She needed to stay calm, to think. Wraith would come for her—she had no doubts about that. Until then, she’d have to be strong. To survive.

A loud clang echoed through the warehouse, making her jump against her restraints, followed by another. A door. Heavy footsteps approached, and she held her breath, trying to quell her rising panic.

A figure emerged from the shadows and she had to fight back a scream. Tall and almost skeletally thin, he had blood red eyes and an odd round mouth filled with a double row of pointed yellow teeth.

Terror clawed at her throat, threatening to choke her. She swallowed hard, forcing it down. She couldn’t let him see how afraid she was.

“Who are you? Why did you take me?” she demanded, proud that her voice only trembled slightly.

The male’s mouth stretched into what might have been a smile, revealing even more rows of those shark-like teeth.

“You’re a valuable piece of property,” he said, his voice a gravelly rasp. “I’ll be well rewarded for bringing you to my client.”

Property? Rewarded by whom? She opened her mouth to ask, but he kept talking.

“Humans are quite rare, you know,” he said, circling her stretcher like a predator stalking its prey. “Especially pretty little things like you.”

His eyes gleamed with malice and something that wasn’t exactly lust but sent an icy streak of terror down her back.

“The King of Farlain has a bounty on me too,” she said quickly, her voice steadier than she felt.

The male’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of interest crossing his face.

“How much?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted truthfully, hoping that might buy her some time.

He considered for a moment, then shrugged those thin shoulders.

“I’ll inquire, but I doubt he can outbid my client.”

Her mind reeled. Outbid a king? Who could possibly have that kind of wealth and power?

“Why me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why is everyone so interested in me?”

The male’s lips curled into a cruel smirk.

“You are of no consequence, but you fit the client’s specifications.”

Another chill ran down her spine as he moved closer, red eyes roaming over her.

“The color of your hair, your eyes,” he muttered, as if checking items off a list.

---