Page 16 of A Trial of the Heart

“Get off me!” I demanded once more, fighting against the hold of the guards, even though it didn’t seem to make a difference. Their grip on me twisted, and if it hadn’t been for my increased pain tolerance from my capture, I would dare say it hurt a little.

“If you won’t tell me, then fine. My patience is running thin. I’ll have to take a peek inside that pretty little head of yours myself.” Seamus sneered with sadistic glee as he pressed the palm of his hand onto my temple and dove into the confines of my mind with his magic.

I couldn’t help releasing a searing scream of pain through the confines of the darkened alleyway. A red-hot iron was digging into my skull and trying to split my mind in two. I crumbled under his touch, unable to fight against him as he tore through my memories. My animal surged inside me as my own power began to build. Doing all she could to fuel me with magic, encouraging me to find some way to fight back.

“Ah, there it is,” Seamus whispered in a voice that reminded me of a venomous viper.

My body collapsed like a limp doll, held upright by his minions on either side. I heard a sickening chuckle as he dove inside my head again, his intentions set on recalling what I feared most. I could feel the memoriessurging to the surface of my consciousness, and as much as I tried to resist, they all came flooding back.

There was a flash in my mind’s eye, and once again I was in the underground dungeon with Blade hurling the iron-tipped whip at my back. The vision was so real… the sounds, the smell. Everything.

My arms and legs were bound with iron shackles that dug into my skin, making it impossible to heal and reducing my power to a mere whisper. I was hanging between the two posts, beaten, bleeding, and dying. Worst of all, I was alone, without a single ray of hope in the world that someone was coming for me or that I would survive.

With out warning, Seamus pulled his magic back. I could feel my body convulse as tears freely streamed down my cheeks. I could barely breathe, but I still managed to scream at him. “Gods-damned sadist!” I cursed.

“There’s that fire I crave. You’re like a drug that I can’t seem to get enough of. Something in you is calling out to me, your scent is so …enthralling. How intriguing.” Seamus’s voice rumbled as he inched closer.

My animal roared inside of me to fight back. Through everything in my life, I never backed down from a challenge. Was I scared? Yes. But I learned at an early age that running away solved nothing.

I summoned my courage, unhinging the confines of my magic. I focused my mind on creating a shield to push back against Seamus, and to my surprise, it worked.

A shimmering green barrier appeared between us before I shoved it at the High Prince of Aelius, pushing him backward and colliding with the opposing wall.

Laughing to himself, he said, “Ahh, I believe ourpethas learned some new tricks.” With a half-cocked grinhe easily shoved himself forward through my wall of magic.

Pet?Fucking. Hell. He saw—He knew.

That name caused my breath to still as my eyes widened with a deep-seated hatred that drained every rational thought in my mind. That was what Blade had called me. Indicating that I was nothing more than an animal he wanted to keep as his own...pet. Bastard.

“I always did enjoy a challenge,” Seamus said, moving closer toward me once more. “Something I see we have—”

“Touch her again, and you die!” A deep, commanding voice boomed from the opening of the alleyway.

There was a blast of ice-cold wind and a flash of silver light that made everyone pause with looks of dread painted across their faces. They knew that Daxton, no—They knew Silver Shadow was here.

Without hesitation, Daxton teleported between Seamus and me, plunging his dagger into the neck of the guard to my right. Blood spewed from the gaping wound as the High Fae’s grip on my arm disappeared, his body falling lifeless to the ground. With my free hand, I moved to wipe the blood spatter from my forehead just in time to see Daxton create a weapon with his ice magic that impaled the chest of the other guard standing to my left.

Their deaths happened in less than a second. The look in Silver Shadow’s eyes was dark and menacing. I could see that he held no regret for ending the lives of the two High Fae guards who now lay dead at my feet.

Silver Shadow coated his skin with a layer of ice as he shot forward and pressed his forearm against the base of Seamus’s neck. The High Prince of Aelius grunted and groaned, trying to fight against Daxton’shold, but he wasn’t strong enough to break free. Daxton was clearly the superior of the two. In one swift movement, he lifted Seamus off his feet and snarled at him with his exposed sharpened canines mere inches from his face.

“Hello there, Daaa—” the Silver Shadow pressed harder on Seamus’s throat. “Pity you aren’t allowed to kill me, right?” Seamus somehow managed to pull back against his arm just enough to speak. “Wouldn’t want to start a war before the lines are clearly drawn.”

Silver Shadow released a menacing low growl that made the hairs on my neck stand at attention. His eyes were frosted over with a wicked intensity that would strike terror in the hearts of even the bravest warriors. I had never seen someone so fearsome in my entire life. It was a firm reminder of how ruthless and dangerous he could be if pushed to the limits of his self-control.

“Daxton!” Adohan yelled, appearing at his side.

He draped himself in a thin layer of flames to combat Daxton’s ice and shield himself against Seamus’s mind-reading abilities.

“Youcannotkill him,” Adohan warned, echoing Seamus’s earlier statement.

From his expression, I could tell Adohan hated every word he had just spoken to Daxton, but someone had to step in and be the voice of reason. From the looks of it, Daxton was still locked in a blind rage, and his wrath was fixated on the fae male dangling in his grasp. “Daxton!” Adohan shouted once more before lowering his voice. “You can’t start this… not now.”

“If youeverharm Skylar again, Seamus,” he said in a deathly calm whisper that chilled me to the bone, “I will end your miserable excuse of a life. I don’t care if I must tear down your entire realm and the worldcrumbles beneath me. I will ensure your heart stops beating by my hand if you ever come near her again.”

“What if she,” Seamus gasped, trying to find his breath, “is the one who asks formycompany?” He somehow managed to wink at Daxton, and I knew all hell was about to break loose.

Adohan leaped into action, his fires blazing as he fought to pull back Silver Shadow’s arm that was nowcrushingSeamus’s windpipe. The gurgling sounds of his mangled breath echoing across the cobblestone.

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