Page 9 of The Shadowbound King

Gerren ignored me as he clamped an arm around my waist and hauled me off my feet. He was going to shove me through the Covenant!

I clawed at his arm, wings of panic beating in my chest. “Let me go! Please, Gerren, don’t do this!”

On the other side of the Covenant, the elf’s eyes lit up with anticipation. He stretched out a hand.

“No!” I screamed.

With a grunt, Gerren ripped my hand away from his arm and shoved me into the boundary.

Magic brushed my skin, a thousand warm fingers trailing caresses as I stumbled over the threshold and into the elf’s arms.

He caught me against him, and a cruel smile curved his lips as he grasped my jaw with long, elegant fingers. “Don’t fight me, little human,” he whispered. “You won’t like what happens.”

My chest heaved, and my head spun as I grappled with the realization that I was still alive—and standing in Ishulum.

The tattoos around the elf’s neck began to move. Heart hammering, I watched as the ink came to life, some of it sliding down his neck and disappearing under his shirt. It emerged from under his cuff a second later, flowing like water spilling from a tap.

I tried to pull away, but the elf held me fast as the inky strands lengthened and then flowed onto me. Magic danced over my skin, raising goosebumps in its wake. Helpless, I could only stand helplessly as the shadows slithered over my hand and circled my wrist. The other end locked around the elf’s wrist, tethering me to him with a shadowy length of rope between us.

The elf squeezed my jaw, drawing my gaze back to his. A few tattoos still wound around his throat. “Be a good girl,” he said, “and I won’t have to yank your leash.”

Pain and humiliation welled inside me. His fingers dug cruelly into my jaw, forcing my mouth wide. I wanted to close my eyes—to block out the nightmare I’d been thrust into—but I forced myself to hold his stare.

The elf’s eyes widened, something like delight flaring in the purple depths. “You hate me.” He leaned in, putting his mouth next to my ear. His black hair brushed my cheek, and the scent of pine and cloves swirled into my lungs. “If you knew how much that pleases me,” he murmured, “you’d never let me see it.”

I shivered, my heart pumping so hard I felt lightheaded. Over the elf’s shoulder, shadows huddled above the ground like smoky clouds.

“You promised to return Edrin!” Gerren shouted.

The elf drew back. Releasing me, he turned and strode a short distance away. The tether connecting us stretched, forcing me to follow or risk getting pulled off my feet. The shadowy length was black as night, but it felt as solid as a real rope.

The elf scooped a sack from the ground, then returned to the barrier. His long sheet of hair swung away from his shoulders as he tossed the sack through the Covenant. It landed in the dirt at Gerren’s feet with an ominous rattle.

My stomach clenched, a sickening suspicion forming in my mind.

“Come, Lady Mirella,” the elf said, tugging at the tether. “We have a long journey ahead of us.” He stalked away, his cloak flaring behind him. Shadows rolled from his path as he walked.

The rope went taut, and I lurched forward, my arm outstretched as I hurried to keep up. A hoarse cry made me look over my shoulder. Gerren had fallen to his knees, horror on his face as he stared into the sack.

Shadows rolled across the Covenant, obscuring my view of Andulum. The rope tugged at my wrist, and I faced forward as the elf lengthened his strides.

“Don’t dawdle, woman,” he said without turning around. “I am not a patient man.”

Chapter

Three

RANE

The human struggled to keep up.

I didn’t slow as I moved through the Edelfen, leaves crunching under my boots and shadows rolling from my path. The human’s footfalls were a softer echo of mine, her steps lighter and more frequent at my back. Every few seconds, they came in a rush as she ran to match my strides.

Despite her efforts, the tether pulled tautly between us, its weight tugging at my wrist. Maintaining the fetter drained my energy, but it was necessary. If Lady Mirella was half as gifted as her conniving father, she’d slip into the shadows at the first opportunity. She’d regret it, of course, but she’d do it.

Because she was terrified. Good. Let her see what her father’s treachery had wrought.

Not all of the fear in the air was hers. Some lived in the shadows, which beckoned to me as I passed. Trees loomed on either side of the narrow forest path, their twisted branches and blackened trunks blocking out most of the moonlight that penetrated the Edelfen’s gloom.

---