Page 53 of Kingdom of Faewood

My heart felt as though it’d stopped.

“Jax!” I screamed again.

Rough hands grabbed me and yanked me from the tent. Before I could scream again, I was outside, and the cold night air whipped my hair in front of my eyes. My collar vibrated so strongly that painful jolts traveled down my arms. Thrashing, I tried to pull free from whomever held me, but his grip tightened.

“Let me go, you?—”

A large hand clamped over my mouth, the male’s skin rough and damp with sweat.

“Is that her?” another male hissed.

More canvas flapped on the tents, and with a start, I realized the clearing was crawling with male siltenites. Ten, no fifteen...no,twenty. My eyes bulged. So many.

Hair tangled in front of my eyes. Another breeze blew through the clearing, shifting my hair from my face and allowing me to see. My entire body quivered when none of Jax’s friends emerged from their tents, and considering that several of the unknown males did, I could only guess that whathad been done to Jax had also been done to his friends. They were likely all dead.

Oh Goddess.

Groans came from each tent, and my fear halted. Not dead, but obviously wounded. But from the placement of the dagger in Jax’s stomach... If it hadn’t gotten his heart, it’d been damn close. He would likely be dead from bleeding out within the hour, his friends probably in a similar state even if they currently lived.

A twist of regret cleaved my heart. Those males had taken me from my guardian and shown me the truth of him. And now, they were all as good as gone.

“Bring her here.” A rough voice reached my ears, and I stiffened. I recognized that voice.

No, it can’t be. I’m dreaming. This has to be a dream.

But the male I was presented to was indeed Lordling Neeble. Faewood Kingdom colors adorned him. All the males accompanying him wore similar garb. My gaze sharpened in the moonlight, and a few more familiar faces appeared, then more.

Every part of me locked up. These siltenites were Neeble’s fae, the notoriously brutal guards who he’d hand-selected to guard his properties. Most had come from prison, after spending full seasons behind rock walls for their atrocious crimes that usually involved violence against females. They were known for their vicious and abusive behavior. Nobodydared enter Lordling Neeble’s grounds due to what these males were rumored to do to fae.

“Is this her?” the male holding me asked.

Lordling Neeble grabbed my chin and angled my face in the moonlight. A cruel smile curved his lips.

Bile rose in my throat. My skin crawled, remembering the last time he touched me.

I tried to pull away, tried to inch back, but his fingers tightened their hold.

“That’s her. She’s mine now.” He cast a vindictive look over his shoulder to where Guardian Alleron was still bound and deprived of his senses. My former guardian sat entirely still. Jax must have released him from his pain-inducing psychic magic. It was possible Guardian Alleron was sleeping. With only his taste and smell senses activated, he probably had no idea that Jax’s camp had just been overrun, and the Dark Raider and his friends were close to entering the afterlife.

That knife-like feeling again cleaved my heart.

“Stupid fool,” Lordling Neeble said under his breath, then spat on the ground toward my guardian. “He got himself caught.”

“What are you doing here?” I muffled behind the male’s palm, my voice trembling.

Lordling Neeble smiled, a terrifying twist of his lips that had my insides churning. “Before he left for Lemos, Guardian Alleron told the king of your abduction. Naturally, the king wasn’t happy to hear that his favorite lorafin had been whiskedfrom his capital, so he ordered your guardian to send regular updates via dillemsills, and when word arrived that you’d been found in Lemos and your guardian had you, the king sent several teams out to patrol the borders, just in case your rescue failed. Lucky for me, I had just arrived in the north via a ship, so the king asked me to remain on standby, and when Alleron failed to send word back to the king at the appointed time, the king sent me and all teams out looking for you. Hundreds of fae are scouring the borders for you, Elowen, and it’s a good thing our king is so diligent or you never would have been found.” He cast another disdainful glance at Guardian Alleron. “Really, such a disgrace. Even with three dozen guards, he couldn’t bring you back.” He scoffed. “Your former guardian has proven he’s no longer capable of keeping you. He’s obviously lost his edge, so I shall now take on that task.” He smiled, then licked his lips and eyed me hungrily.

Vomit threatened to rise in my throat, and I shrank back more, but the male behind me stopped my retreat.

“Where to now, Lordling Neeble?” the one holding me asked.

“Get her on the domal. If we move fast, we’ll get her to port by sunrise.”

I thrashed again, but the guard’s grip dug into my bare skin, and the stupid gown I wore offered little protection.

Another groan came from the tents, and with a sickening realization, I knew those were the last sounds Phillen, Lars, Bowan, Lander, and Trivan would make. They were all dying.

Even worse, the tent that I’d come from was completely silent. Jax was likely already dead.

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