Page 94 of What Lies Within Blood & Heirs

His eyes darkened, and she knew she’d stabbed thatpreciousmale ego effectively.

Alora’s face dropped in illusioned regret. Pushing herself back a foot at his incoming tantrum and closer to Kyr’s weapon. And Arzen was either too young or too egotistical to see what she was doing.

Good.

She had watched the others tease him. Saw how he swallowed his words like he was the lowest rank of them all. A male’s ego being tarnished by a female? He wouldn’t let that slide. And that egotism was what she needed.

“Big scary Raven. Oh no, I’m shaking.” Another foot.

“I’m going to make you swallow those words before my sword shoves down your pretty little throat,” he growled. Taking a glowering step toward her, metal slid from its sheath, and Arzen clutched the hilt, knuckles white.

A brutal laugh bellowed from her throat. “Go ahead, I bet it’s not even big enough to do any damage.” Her eyes fell to his belt then.

Arzen lunged.

Alora did too.

A blade split flesh, spilling blood on armor and fabric.

Pinned with the weight of a mountain, Alora trembled as Arzen released a ragged breath. She felt the sting of his blade deep in her shoulder. But it was Arzen’s blood that soaked into her leggings.

Deep in his side, Alora’s blood-soaked hand quivered tight around the handle of Kyr’s dagger lodged there, daring to rip it out and let him bleed.

Arzen’s face blanched as her whispered breath crossed the shell of his ear. “Doesn’t feel good, does it?” And pushed him from her.

By some gift from Maker of the Skies, Alora filled with unearthly energy as she ripped his purple cloak from his neck. Wiping blood from her mouth before she walked to the remains of a tree, bent down, and found her shackles. Her side stung, but she gave it little thought. There would be time to heal, to feel, later.

Alora stalked to Arzen and toweled the cloak over her shoulders. “I don’t need my magic to drag you to my camp,” she growled.

A pitiful grunt was his response.

Clasping the shackles around his wrists, Alora linked the chains tight, so they almost touched. Her blood-soaked hand fisted his hair before she kicked him forward. “You will answerto our Savage Prince for abducting one of hisShadow Order, even if I have to put a saddle on you and mule us there.”

But there was another reason Arzen needed to return with her. And if she could drag Rune along with them, she would. But Arzen appeared better off, and Rune would likely be dead within the hour.

They had spoken about a weapon—weapons. More than one of Arzen’s kind—nulls—at Dellisaerin’s wall. Magnelis had created more slaves like Garrik. Working for him and his selfish gain. They had to know more. Whatever Arzen knew. Whatever he had already seen and done…

Garrik needed to know what they fought.

If they had Mystics who thieved the powers of others … then this war had just become a lot more complicated.

Arzen’s eyes widened in fear as if he didn’t know who she was to his High Prince.

Alora only smirked. “Yeah. That’s right. Now,move.”

Awhimper grew from her throat when the glow of camp beamed through the trees. One more hill—just one more hill—and she’d be at the edge of the shield.

She had kicked Arzen along, stumbling and crying, for far too long. Far longer than she thought her body could withstand. Dawn would rise soon. And because his powers were stilldominant, Alora couldn’t call to Garrik—she had tried. And tried.

Whereas Garrik’s powers had diminished when he was unconscious, somehow, Arzen’s remained. He had fainted, and she was forced to wait for the male to wake before continuing, stumbling through a forest of ash, and then under the canopy of living trees.

That was hours ago. Hours ago when her body, pale and bruised and weak, pleaded to stop. But if she did, she would never have moved again.

One more hill.

Alora pulled the rope in her hand, jerking her half-conscious prisoner staggering forward. He bled too, though not as badly as her. But she wondered if he’d ever been injured before by the way tears streaked down his face.

He should try being thrown down stairs and feeling every bone shatter.

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