Page 35 of Kingdom of Faewood

But the guards didn’t heed my warning. They continued standing, still firing, completely oblivious to the fact that they were about to be knocked from the carpet.

A burst of movementexplodedfrom the Wood.

Jax, Trivan, and Bowan appeared out of thin air atop three brommel stags. Whatever illusion had been covering them dispelled.

All of them wore black. Their masks and scarves were firmly in place, leaving only their eyes visible, and the glee shining from Jax’s gaze had my stomach tumbling.

Before I could utter another scream, each of them shot three arrows at once from their long bows.

And each arrow struck true.

Nine more guards tumbled off the carpet, but before the remaining guards could fire back, Jax and his friends moved in blurred speed and sliced through them.

Every. Last. One of them.

Their bodies hit the ground with a sickening thump. Limbs splayed out at unmoving, unnatural angles.

“Oh Goddess.” Horror rose in me, making bile rise in my throat. Utter carnage was left in our wake, and my magic again swelled inside me, threatening to rise above my collar’s dousing even though I kept telling myself it wasn’t real. But by the gods and goddesses, itlookedreal.

Either oblivious to how vulnerable we were or so arrogant he didn’t think they would dare fell him, Guardian Alleron shot to standing and roared, “You can’t have her!”

Posture defiant, the wind whipped around my guardian as he stared down the Dark Raider. Lips thinning, fire elemental magic flew from my guardian’s hands, flames erupting from his palms.

But the second that fire reached Jax, it fizzled out of existence. My guardian sputtered and tried again, but the same thing happened. His magic was no match for the Dark Raider’s elemental power.

My chest heaved. Jax was more magical than any fairy I’d ever encountered, and I knew in that moment, I’d been right. Jaxwasthe Dark Raider—the most feared male in the kingdoms, and more powerful than my guardian would ever be.

Jax wielded his stag to the front of our carpet, and Trivan and Bowan closed in on our sides. The enchanted carpet had no choice but to stop since its magic didn’t allow collisions.

The wind abruptly died, and the Wood went eerily still. Only my ragged breathing filled the quiet.

Heart threatening to jump up my throat, I sucked in breath after breath as I tried to stop my magic from rattling inside me. I clutched my chest while gaping at the three males surrounding us.Stars Above, I need to calm down.I was damned near hyperventilating, and my collar was about to blast me to oblivion if I didn’t regain control.

Guardian Alleron hissed and bared his teeth. “You’re not taking her!”

A sound came from Jax that sounded suspiciously like a scoff. “It’s not justherI’m after.” He slipped off Phillen, his booted feet landing on the road so quietly, it was a faint whisper.

I lurched back on the carpet, yet the Dark Raider’s attention stayed fixated on my guardian. Magic clouded around Jax, then it speared right for Guardian Alleron.

My guardian’s mouth opened, then closed, but no sound came.

Oh, Goddess!

My guardian’s hand flew to his throat. He clawed at his neck, and his eyes grew so round all of the white was visible.

“No! Don’t hurt him,” I cried, and I couldn’t help my whimper when I pleaded, “Please,pleasejust leave us be.”

But Jax’s focus remained on Guardian Alleron. The Dark Raider’s eyes narrowed to slits, and power stirred around him.

In a move too fast for me to fully see, he had Guardian Alleron’s face to the carpet and both of his hands behind his back. Guardian Alleron silently kicked and screamed, but it did no good. In my next blink, my guardian’s hands were bound in a rope of stinging magic. Jax had him entirely restrained, and his Ironcrest magic had robbed my guardian of his voice.

Nobody in the surrounding Wood would have heard a thing.

My heart leaped into my throat. Even though I suspected that Jax didn’t kill as freely as I’d initially assumed, that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. I contemplated running. Contemplated jumping off the carpet and fleeing through the Wood. But from the crazed look in Trivan’s gaze as he watched me, followed by Bowan’s crinkling eyes as he no doubt grinned, I knew they would all relish hunting me down.

“Why can’t you just leave us alone?” I yelled.

Jax’s nostrils flared. “Because I need you, Elowen. I thought I made that clear.”

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