Page 140 of Wings of Betrayal

The watcher throws Astelle into Nilo’s arms then slams the doors shut. Zalore walks over to me, and the watcher hands him my chain then backs away. Zalore roughly grabs hold of my wrist and closes his eyes, concentrating hard on something.

What in the gods is he doing?

His eyes snap open, and he smacks me across the face with the back of his hand.

I stumble and almost fall, but he yanks on the chain around my neck, keeping me on my feet. My throat burns at the movement, and I choke out a muffled cry. He smirks, seemingly enjoying the reaction.

“I can’t seem to take back the power of the orb, but I’ll figure out a way in time,” he tells me, then strokes the side of my head.

I rear back from his touch, but there’s nowhere to go. He has me chained up like an animal.

“You’re disgusting! Do not touch me!” I shout.

He hits me across my face again. Only this time, he doesn’t stop me from falling. I hit the ground hard and roll onto my stomach.

Kyle’s growing concerns flow through my body and magnify my own.

Zalore walks toward me. I attempt to get to my feet, but before I do, he grabs me under my arm and hauls me up himself.

“Leave. All of you,” he demands, and his watchers all file out of the room, leaving only the lost ones behind.

He grips my throat and kisses me roughly. I shove my hands into his chest, but my attempts to stop him are useless.

Something shifts the air in the middle of the room, and I stare in confusion as a portal opens.

It’s Amaros.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Amaros steps thorough the portal, and his angry glare immediately homes in on Zalore’s hand around my throat. He launches himself at Zalore and tackles him to the ground. The surrounding lost ones move in, but Zalore shouts at them to stay back as the men both jump to their feet.

“Think you can take me on your own?” Amaros taunts him as the two males circle one another.

Zalore throws his head back and lets out a throaty laugh. “No question.”

A subtle blue glow shimmers over Amaros’s skin, and I realise what he’s done. He’s been to the Spirit Realm and taken the orb, absorbing its power.

“How dare you put your fucking hands on my female!” Amaros shouts and takes a swing at Zalore.

Zalore attempts to pivot out of the way, but Amaros slams his fist into the male, sending him down to the ground again. He kicks Zalore in the side, but he grabs Amaros’s boot, pulling him down with him.

They wrestle about as I eye the portal behind them. Is that Silanthia? I reach for my ability and aim it at the portal, morphing it into a portal to the Realm of Lost Souls. It works.

Then I take control of all the lost ones within this room and guide them over to the portal. Zalore and Amaros are so caught up in their fight that they don’t even notice what I’m doing. The two burley males throw punches and charge one another, oblivious to anything else going on around them.

Good.

I send the lost ones through the portal, and once they’re all through it, I allow it to snap shut.

The chain around my neck weighs heavily, and I attempt to remove it, but it’s impossible. I reach for my mother’s locket and hold it against the metal, and it clicks open. I throw the thick collar to the ground, and it clatters as it hits the stone floor.

I consider attempting to open another portal back into Zarquon. It’s either that or sneak out of the main doors while the males are distracted. I wonder how far I can get before they notice I’m gone.

But I can’t risk it. I may not make it through the portal before one of these males catches me. I decide sneaking out of the room is my best bet. I can make a portal once I’m safely out of this god-awful castle.

I’m almost at the doors when I feel a strange pull. Spinning around, I watch in shock as Amaros pulls the Sword of Silanthia from the holster on his hip. Blood drips down his face as he stalks toward Zalore, who scrambles across the ground away from him. Amaros stands over him, lifting the sword high in the air before bringing it down with both hands and plunging it into Zalore’s chest.

I gasp as the male chokes on his own blood, and then he relaxes back against the cool stone floor, his lifeless gaze focused up at the ceiling.

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