Page 59 of The Shadowbound King

Rane stood his ground, his weight balanced on the balls of his feet. “Yes. Let me help you.”

Andrin released a deep, mocking laugh. He launched himself into the air, clearing several feet of ground before slamming into Rane. They fell, snarling and punching as they rolled in the dirt. Andrin’s fists flew. The sickening thud of flesh meeting flesh mingled with Rane’s pained grunts.

Horror pounded through me. Rane was losing the fight. I had to get help. Easing away from the door, I kept my gaze on the men as I neared the paddock.

Another whinny drifted from the stable, and I jerked my head toward the doors. Oh gods. The poor thing was probably terrified. And terrified horses lost all sense, kicking their stalls until they went lame.

I hesitated. The animal needed help. But Andrin looked ready tokillRane. And as much as I disliked him, I couldn’t stand by and watch him die.

“You!”

I whirled, my skirts flaring around my ankles. Andrin advanced on me, shadows flowing off him like ribbons. My heart seized, panic freezing me in place. His black eyes widened as if he’d just noticed me. Maybe he had. Either way, evading him was impossible now. My bright yellow gown might as well have been a target on my back.

Fury sparked in Andrin’s glossy eyes. “You have no right to be here,” he growled, his words overlapping as if several voices spoke from his lips. He reached for me.

Rane appeared between us. “You won’t touch her,” he snarled, viciously backhanding Andrin across the face. The blow spun Andrin around, and he staggered, nearly falling.

“Run!” Rane barked at me. He ripped his shirt off and tossed it aside. Feathers and vines flowed down his arms, the shadowy markings covering his skin like sleeves.

With a roar, Andrin tackled him. Rane caught my eye as he went down.

“Go!” he shouted.

I turned and ran toward the path leading to the castle. At the same moment, a black horse bolted from the stable. It tried to leap the paddock fence, but its rear hooves caught the top rails. Screaming, the horse landed with fencing tangled around its legs. Immediately, it bucked, ripping more posts from the ground and scattering them across the path. The thick pieces of wood clattered over the stone, creating an oversized dam.

With another high-pitched whinny, the horse finally freed itself from the fencing. In an impossible display, it leaped a jumble of fence posts and took off toward the castle. I couldn’t follow. The ruined fencing was too high to climb—at least not without being seen.

Men’s shouts spun me around. Andrin and Rane were on their feet again, their fists flying. And they were moving toward me fast.

I didn’t think. Just whirled and sprinted for the stable. When I stopped inside, hay floated in the air. Stacks of bales against the wall climbed halfway to the ceiling. Racing to them, I climbed, my chest heaving as I shoved my feet into the notches between the bales. Hay sucked up my nostrils, but I kept going, scrabbling up the stack until I reached the top. I scrambled tothe wall and pressed my back against it just as the sounds of struggle exploded below.

“Andrin, you stubborn fuck!” Rane shouted.“Na-tesku!”

The sounds stopped. I held my breath as slow footsteps echoed off the stone. A moment later, Andrin’s voice sounded normal, and…broken. “Do you, really?”

“Yes,” Rane gasped. “Yes. Please, let me help you.”

The power grew, expanding like a bubble. My hair lifted away from my face, and a high-pitched whine filled my ears.

The stable doors slammed shut. Shadows flew to the windows, covering the glass and plunging the stable into darkness.

More footsteps. Fabric ripped, and I tensed, my heart racing as masculine grunts followed. Then Andrin spoke again, and this time pleasure curled around his words.

“Get on your knees.”

Chapter

Fourteen

MIRELLA

At first, the stable was eerily silent. Hay poked my legs and backside, but I didn’t dare move. Perched high on the stack of bales, I pressed my back to the wall and held my breath, waiting for something to happen.

A man’s whimper drifted up from the floor below. Booted feet clicked slowly. A sharp whistling sound split the air, followed by asmack.

“Fuck,” Rane gasped, the exclamation laced with pain. He whimpered again, andthatsound was…not pained.

My heart sped up. A tingling awareness spread over my skin. My eyes adjusted, and I picked out shapes in the stable’s darkened interior. Wooden stalls clustered in the back of the long building. My position atop the bales allowed me to see into the first two, both empty except for a few saddles thrown over wooden racks.

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