Page 11 of Kingdom of Faewood

“In need of me?” I recoiled and quickly assessed my clothes. I was still dressed. Not ravished. At least, I didn’t think I’d been. Nothing between my legs felt sore.

A rising pulse from his aura filled the tent. “Notthosekinds of services. I’m not going to hurt you.”

I scoffed and replied in a trembling tone, “Says the male who took me against my will and drugged me to sleep.”

His ebony eyebrows slanted together, and it hit me that since I could see his eyebrows, I knew he had black hair. “I never drugged you. You passed out.”

I sat rigidly, and my collar vibrated repeatedly at my throat. My entire body began to shake. Shivers racked up and down my limbs. I was losing it. About to panic.

He held his hands up, and his tone turned slow and cautious. “Again...I’mnotgoing to hurt you.”

But my lorafin magic coiled and writhed more, threatening to rise and come to my bidding, yet if I didn’t get myself under some semblance of control, I wouldn’t have just this male to contend with. I would have the pain of the collar’s full dousing effects as well.

Inhaling more deep breaths, I endeavored to steady my nerves. “Tell mewhoyou are, not your reason for taking me.”

He quirked an ebony eyebrow. “All right, my name’s Jax.”

Jax?Breaths still coming too fast, I studied him. He wore all black, from head to toe.Black, black, and more black.Theperfect color for a nighttime raid. And the reason he’d been named the Dark Raider by the kingdoms.

But he’d just called himself Jax, not the Dark Raider. This male could be an imposter pretending to be the Dark Raider.

I forced myself to take another deep breath and asked as calmly as I could, “What do you need my magic for?”

“You’re a lorafin, are you not? I need you to find someone for me.”

“Then why didn’t you just request that of my guardian? Guardian Alleron would be more than happy to lend my services if you paid him.”

He growled, the low sound filling the tent. “I don’t pay slave guardians.”

I scoffed. “So, you abduct females instead?”

“Not usually.”

The slight twinge of amusement in his words made me pause. I studied him again, waiting for something—I didn’t know what. But despite his wry tone, I was convinced something horrible was about to happen. Him lunging at me or perhaps striking me. This male had attacked us after all.

My heart twisted when I recalled the events of last night. Mushil was dead because of this male. Perhaps my guardian was too. Another rattle came from my collar, and I sucked in a hasty breath.

No, Guardian Alleron’s fine. He’s not dead. It was just a flesh wound. He’ll be fine, and I’ll find my way back to him.

But Mushil had definitely passed to the afterlife. Sweet,uncomplicated Mushil. He’d never been anything but kind to me. Pain at that loss rose up in me so sharply that a small mewling sound emitted from my lips.

Jax cocked his head again, his brow furrowing.

Pulse leaping more, a moment of fear hit me as we stared at each other. This male didn’t know that I couldn’t do what he wanted. I had no way of finding whomever he sought, not with the collar in place. Because without my guardian’s adaptor to loosen it, I couldn’t access my abilities. And perhaps because of that, Jax would dispose of me as easily as he’d done Mushil.

Or maybe he’ll let me go if he knows.

Hope surged through me, and I opened my mouth to tell him about my restrictive collar, but a noise outside the tent stopped me.

Footsteps.

They were soft, barely detectable, but since they were right behind me on the other side of the tent, I heard them faintly.

Tensing, my limbs locked in place when whoever was circling our tent went round to the other side and flapped open the tent’s canvas.

Another huge male entered.

My eyes bulged. The new male was dressed the same as my captor. All-black attire and a concealing mask and scarf. My belief that my abductor could be an imposter impersonating the Dark Raider slipped down a notch.

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