Page 187 of Lady of Darkness

“Right. Sorry. Here’s the deal,Lady—”

“I am going to gut you.”

Sorin continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “You can either get on Eirwen nicely, and hopefully we can cross the border without any more disturbances, or I am going to have to have Eliza restrain you.”

“I’d like to see you try to fucking restrain me,” she snapped, jerking against this hold.

Sorin merely sighed, and she found her wrists being snapped together and encircled by manacles of flame. Her shadows immediately began twisting and tightening around the flames, and Scarlett dragged her eyes to Sorin’s. A wicked smile curved her lips. “Looks like you were wrong, General. The Darkness does love me more than you do.”

“Sorin, we need to go,” Eliza said through gritted teeth. “I will not be able to hold these long.”

Sorin swore under his breath, turning Scarlett in his arms. “Give me a shield, Eliza.”

A circle of flames sprung up around them, separating her and Sorin from everyone else. “Scarlett, I know you are mad. I know you have questions, but I need you to understand that if you do not cooperate and get on that horse and willingly go with me, there is a very good chance that Prince Callan and his guards will die here. Do you want that on your conscience?”

“Don’t try and—”

She didn’t get to finish what she was going to say because his lips were suddenly on hers. She jerked back, but his hands held her to him, one sliding up to the nape of her neck, keeping her in place. The kiss was desperate and heady, and Scarlett found herself kissing him back. He pulled back, but only far enough so that when he spoke, his lips brushed over hers.

“I know you still hate me,” he said quietly, “but I do not hate you, Scarlett Monrhoe, and Ineedyou safely across that border. You will be safest with me on Eirwen. I do not want you bound, but if that is how I need to accomplish this need, then that is what I will do.”

There was a beat of silence as she stared into his golden eyes.

“We need to go,” he whispered.

“That seems like it would be a necessity.”

“That it is, Love.” The hand that was cupping her neck reached out and pressed against the wall of the shield, but his eyes remained on her.The shield instantly vanished. “Can she take the restraints off your wrists?” he murmured.

Scarlett nodded, and Sorin stepped back from her, glancing at Eliza. The flame manacles also disappeared, and Scarlett turned to find the female panting slightly.

“Come, Scarlett,” Sorin said softly, reaching for her to help up onto Eirwen.

Scarlett didn’t wait for his help, and she swung herself up onto the stallion. When Sorin was settled behind her, the five horses were worked into runs as they raced for the border.

A few minutes later, the trees broke and across a grassland, perhaps two miles away, two horses were racing towards them. Scarlett tensed, but Sorin said into her ear, “They are friends. They are on our side.”

A minute later, she saw that he hadn’t been lying. Night Children came from both the left and the right. Eliza pulled ahead, shouting some sort of command to the newcomers. One with dark hair like Sorin’s made his way to the middle, and Eliza and the other tossed him their reins. Eyes wide with disbelief, Scarlett watched as Eliza and the other male leapt from their horses, flipping in midair and landing in front of the Night Children. Daggers and arrows flew through the air and met their marks. The other male had fallen back, coming alongside them.

“Get the mortals across!” Sorin yelled. “Do not worry about me.”

The male nodded once in confirmation and fell into step beside Callan and his guards. He yelled to them, but Scarlett didn’t hear what he said because Eirwen was suddenly rearing up. Sorin’s arm tightened around her as he gripped the reins, calling to the horse. Eirwen’s front hooves slammed back to the ground, and he pranced around in a tight circle.

Scarlett saw why when she saw the five vampyres break free of the clamor and race in front of them. Eliza and the other male were in the midst of their own fights, slowly making their way forward.

“Dammit!” Sorin swore. “We are almost there.”

“Where?” Scarlett cried. “How do you know?”

“The border is a quarter of a mile away,” Sorin said, struggling to hold Eirwen steady. “Rayner will come back for us.”

Sorin handed Scarlett the reins and reached down to unhook a bow that was strapped to the back of the saddle. He nocked a black ashwood arrow and let it fly. One of the vampyres fell to the ground. “Get down!” he cried, shoving Scarlett forward. She gasped at the pain that lanced up her side, but when she looked over her shoulder, Sorin had caught a dagger in his palm. He flipped it and threw it back, taking out another Night Child.

Scarlett sat back up and watched as the male with the dark hair seemed to appear out of nowhere ahead of them. He still had one horse in tow, the one the other male had been riding. The other male was running towards him now, only two of his vampyres left alive, and he caught the saddle horn as it came by, pulling himself up.

“Get, Eliza!” Sorin called as the other male came up beside him. The one he called Rayner flew past.

“Sorin, to the left!” the other male cried, and Scarlett whipped her head around in time to see a Night Child fling himself up at them, toppling them both out of the saddle and to the ground. She was ripped from Sorin’s arms as the Night Child hauled her to him. Scarlett jabbed her elbow up and back, striking the vampyre in the face, but just as quickly, her side burst into burning agony. She looked down to find a dagger in the same wound, and while the vampyre held her, he twisted the blade, dragging it up her side.

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