Page 30 of What Lies Within Masks & Shadows

His voice cut like the dagger that was meant for her awaiting heart, freezing her to the ground she shook on. “Thought you would take a stroll?” He pushed from the tree by his bent leg; that darkened gaze roamed over her as he very slowly—silently—prowled closer, dagger at his side. “Careful, darling, the darkness”—fingers danced in the air, spreading the whorling shadows around them—“betrays you. They are servants to me. Did you truly believe you could escape the Lord of Darkness? You cannot run from me.” Another step, swirls of darkness hovered around him.

Alora’s grip tightened around her dagger and held it in front of her. Her shaking breaths so sharp they felt like broken glass. “Don’t come any closer,” she warned.

Eyes like the night flashed to the weapon as his grin widened in the moonlight.

Within a blink, he wasgone.

Tendrils of shadow wisped where his body had stood.

The air drew colder. The forest silent in anticipation. She could feel every heartbeat, hear every strained breath leave her body, the vapor clouding in front of her face. Her wary eyes searched the area as her body stood frozen, the dagger positioned in front of her, ready to fight.

Ice-cold breath fanned across her neck.

A low snickering growl pierced the depths of her soul.

His body—his power—the smoke suddenly surrounded her. “Closer”—freezing breath bit her neck—“like here?”

Terror chills trickled down her spine. She smelled the leather and metal scent of him, the smoked dawnwood of the shadows now cascading over her body. His shadow-covered arm laid across her chest, icy to the touch as a dagger pressed against her throat.

Alora pivoted the dagger in her hand, angling its blade to sink into him, but a chilling, dark laugh escaped his lips.

“I dare you,” he growled with bitter amusement.

She forced her hand back in one steady movement, expecting to meet soft flesh. Slicing the air between them, Alora met an invisible force inches from his cock.

No matter the force of her wavering strength, the knife embedded in a wall of nothingness. And if that was not warning enough, before she could wrench it back and retry, darkness engulfed the dagger, disappearing with it in the night.

His grip clamped around her forearm, and he leaned into her.

“Please… Just let me go. I’m nobody—just a barmaid.” From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed his consideration.

“Oh, but you are much more than that, aren’t you?”

The forest succumbed to darkness. Every tree around them began to fade into nothingness. Every nightsong, rustling of leaves, even the breaking of twigs beneath their boots, a distant memory as shadows turned them into cloud and ash and mist.

Her body felt light as if flying on a spring breeze. She was no longer standing in the forest. No longer looking into the moonlight.

A matter of seconds away from the forest passed before the shadows and smoke cleared. They were once again sitting atop the white horse.

She struggled against him, every bit of fear and panic and anger burst through every vein in her body. There was no use. Every futile movement she made was intricately counteracted with a strong force of his resistance.

Her arms broke free, scratching at his legs, arms, and any exposed skin within her reach.

Muffled laughs snickered from behind, and a pleasantly thin, cheerful male voice taunted. “Maybe we should help. Seems to be a bloody wicked little thing.”

“Shut up, you fool,” a raspy female hissed.

Given another opportunity, Alora would have happily ignored them, but their taunting was only heightened by the arms clamping across her chest and the shadows enclosing her legs, holding her motionless against him.

With no other option, Alora slammed her head back, with perfect accuracy and incredible force, into the male’s nose. Resulting in a pleasing crack.

“Fuck.” His broad hand gripped her chin instantly, pulling her back against his shoulder to look up into his darkened eyes before he wiped a trickle of blood seeping down between his lips.

His nose. It looked broken.Good.

“Do that again, I will tie you up and slump you over my horse.” His chilled breath breezed across her face as he bared his blood-covered teeth, threatening the little sanity she had left.

Close behind, the three riders amusedly waited in the darkness. She could feel the rage pulsing through his body, trembling inside every flexed muscle and threatening to ignite his surging power.

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