Page 26 of From Frost to Flame

Lex sprinted to the counter under the window and clamored up. His fingers barely brushed the latch when the fae gripped his ankle and ripped him down to the floor. He yelped as his knees cracked against the tile, sending a shockwave of pain through his legs. Desperately, he looked to the archway leading to the living room.

The fae let out a guttural laugh and waved for him to run.

Lex knew he was being taunted, like a mouse trapped with a cat, but he still got to his feet and bolted for the exit. In an instant, he was tackled to the ground and his breath was knocked from his lungs. It was like a pile of bricks dropped on him from the sky. Pinned on his stomach, he clawed wildly at the floor to get away.

“Let me go!” There was a loud bang on the ceiling, reminding him he wasn’t alone. “Silas!”

Only the lightest of sparks left his fingertips as he searched for an ounce of strength to get away.

“As fun as this is, it’s time to quiet down. I can’t have you drawing attention.” The fae gripped Lex’s face with a large gloved hand and fought to pry his mouth open.

Lex bit his lips to fight the intrusion, but his head was slammed back against the floor. He shrieked, and the fae shoved a cold, hard cylinder between his teeth. Sour copper touched his tongue, and he gagged.

He twisted and thrashed, but it was useless. Within seconds, his arms were tied behind his back, and he cried out as the rough rope pressed into his wounds on his wrist. The more he moved, the tighter the bonds became.

“Don’t worry,” the fae said dryly as he bound his thighs. “Once I get you out of here, I’ll drop you in a cage instead.”

No, no, no. Taken to a group of fae, I’ll be powerless. No teleporting away. No flames to scorch them for touching me. They’ll pluck out my teeth one by one like they do with humans. I have to get away from him.

“Arden offered you as a prize to whoever caught you.” He scooped Lex into his leather-clad arms. “Looks like I’m the lucky winner. I may have to share you, though. It’d be cruel to keep such a pretty thing to myself.”

He screamed a slew of curses, but the magic gag kept him entirely mute. The fae cloaked himself in invisibility. To Lex’s horror, when he looked down at himself, he had vanished, too. The cloaking magic swallowed him up right along with the fae.

His kidnapper leisurely walked out the front door and headed up the stone walkway. With every step away from the house, Lex grew more panicked and desperate.

I have to get back to Silas. I have to be with him.

Rough rope scratched and chafed his skin as Lex frantically tried to think of how to escape. Lex couldn’t see the man’s wings, but he heard their subtle flapping and watched the earth grow farther away. Then, a smash rang out into the night.

Something large and misshapen fell from the sky and knocked the fae out of the air with such force Lex wondered if the stars themselves smacked them back down to earth.

“Oof,” the fae groaned as he stumbled but kept his footing. He looked at the lump in front of them and his body tensed.

At first, Lex didn’t understand what they were looking at. Then, he saw the dark blue liquid oozing out around the mysterious figure. It emitted a sharp and sour scent that reminded him of rotting fruits and revealed the truth.

The broken lump was a dead fae. His wings were ripped clean off, and blood gushed from the gashes on his back. His eyes were frozen open in fear.

His kidnapper whirled around to face the house, and Lex was relieved the second he saw Silas.

All werewolves were large, but Silas was a foot taller than most, towering at ten feet tall. He loomed over them, snarling on the roof. His fur was black with a dusting of silver strands that glinted in the moonlight with the glittering glass scattered across the shingles. Each of his six-inch fangs were bared and dripped with thick blue blood.

In a flash, Silas leaped from the roof and landed in front of the fae with an eerie silence, as if he weighed nothing at all. He let out a low, menacing growl as he prowled closer. It reminded Lex of rolling thunder, and he swore the air grew colder with each step Silas took toward them as if he were summoning winter. Lex and the fae were still cloaked in invisibility, but Silas's unblinking eyes were locked on their direction. Lex swore Silas was looking right at him, but that couldn’t be possible.

Silas's presence distracted the fae and made him loosen his grip. Seeing his chance, Lex twisted his body as hard as he could. As soon as he was out of his grasp, he was free from the cloaking magic and could see himself again. He hit the ground with a thud. A black blur shot over him and seconds later, horrible screams filled the air.

With difficulty, Lex sat upright and watched the carnage surrounded by bright yellow lilies. Silas tore wings, ripped flesh, and bit through bone. Each calculated wound left the fae in agony but alive. Lex choked as the sour scent of dying fae strengthened. He grew lightheaded from the sight.

“Please. Please don’t kill me. I’ll do anything,” the fae begged through thick blubbering tears.

Finally, Silas stopped.

He shifted into his human form, gripped the fae’s throat, and kneeled so he was eye level with the dying creature. Still in only his pants, blue blood painted his abdomen, neck, and lips. His muscles tensed with rage while his face remained stoic.

“Your bones are hollow.” He spoke in the low, menacing voice of a king about to order an execution. “Underneath all that pretty armor and magic weaponry, you are nothing but a brittle bird with paper wings. I want you to keep that in mind as I ask my questions.” The fae nodded quickly. “Good, little bird.”

Lex grunted to get Silas's attention. He wanted the bitter gag out of his mouth and to be untied before any other fae arrived. He never wanted to see whatever cage they had planned for him.

“I’ll untie you in a second, darling,” Silas said, keeping his eyes on the fae. “Now, that man over there is mine. You stole him from me. I want to know who sent you to collect him and why. Answer quickly.”

---