Page 67 of What Lies Within Masks & Shadows

It crashed its feet down onto the earth, shaking its body with violent twists to release the weapon protruding from the crystals. Aiden plummeted to the ground, landing on his back, his sword remained wedged in the creature’s side.

Everything was happening too fast. One moment, Aiden had rolled backward, pushing to his feet, wholly unarmed and exposed in that clearing. The next, he was disappearing into the forest.

Emitting a terrifying shriek, the beast expelled its poisoned ink from the wound, causing it to sputter uncontrollably.

In the trees, her ebony-haired rescuer crouched low, patting down his body. Aiden was searching for weapons, she realized. But those shale-colored eyes were so focused, frantically seeking anything to use, that he didn’t notice the razored tail slicing through the air.

Didn’t notice it maneuvering around the trees…

In one swift movement, it didn’t only find bark and empty air.

But sliced into flesh and bone.

No!Alora gasped, eyes wide, utterly frozen as the beast’s tail speared through Aiden’s torso.

Blood crawled like lava out of sliced holes in his once-white shirt. Strangled groans and even more blood trickled from his mouth, eyes half-lidded, bobbing as his skin turned ashen. The only reason he remained standing was because that tail that had stabbed through him now lifted him off his feet.

It finally retracted.

With a fierce swing, Aiden careened from it, slamming the entire weight of his body into a tree with a sharp grunt. His body slid down the bark and landed at the base, unmoving.

Glistening by fading sunlight, a crimson trail streaked down the trunk from where he had impacted, down to where he lay motionless.

His eyes were open, staring off into the dim light. His body still.

Those eyes … utterly soulless, staring at her.

Freedom. It drove her. Drove her to this terrible, horrible thing … drove Aiden to?—

A strangled cry fell from her lips. She may have wanted to escape, but this… Even if she hated them, Aiden didn’t deserve to die like this. Even if every aching and dying piece of her bruised and bleeding life wished to be free,thiswasn’t what she wanted.

And sitting there, as soulless eyes burned into her, she realized her freedom was once again paid with someone else’s life.

That chance at a new life—it was so close—right there. All she had to do was turn and run?—

A gurgle.

Then a breath from Aiden’s mouth.

Aiden. He’s alive…

Alora clenched the reins until her knuckles blanched, head swiveling from the tree line to Aiden. From freedom to who had aided in stealing her from one prison and throwing her into another. A life, a living, breathing life, bleeding and dying on that clearing floor.

Alora slammed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply.Stars be damned…

Freedom would have to wait.

Shoving every ounce of bitterness and fear and heartache deep inside her bones, she kicked her heels and spurred her horse around the stone. With lethal intent, those sapphire eyes burned, searing into the beast that had heard Aiden’s choked breath, too.

“Don’t you dare,” she snarled at it.

Blood slowly trickled from his mouth as he coughed again, pebbling beads of crimson down his shirt, drawing attention to himself. The color had drained from his body.

His hands slowly inched toward the gaping holes in his torso. Shaking. Desperate.

Aiden looked up, only half aware.

A streak of black barreled across the clearing like a raging storm. The horse’s breaths matched her own, heavy and uneven. And as they approached the beast, a damning notion gripped her; the only weapon she carried was the clasp of her cloak and the wooden leg from the bedside table.

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