Page 36 of Heat of the Everflame

My muscles locked up as I was hauled back into the stout wall of a chest. Whoever it was, he was tall, broad, and inhumanly strong. He single-handedly pinned my head in place against him as I squirmed to get free.

I swung the broadsword in an arc over my shoulder, hoping to catch his skull. His free hand caught my wrist and forced it down until the point of the blade sank into the soil, then he wrenched my fingers free of its hilt.

My other elbow jammed back into his ribs. He grunted and jerked forward, but his grip on me held firm. He released my wrist and snaked his arm around my torso.

I flailed and thrashed, kicking my legs and heaving my body in every direction. I used every trick my father had taught me, but the man was impossibly tough. Nothing I did could shake his hold.

Finally, I fell still, my heart galloping in my chest. The hand over my mouth pulled my face to the side as he lowered his lips to my ear.

“Blessed Kindred, Queenie. You sure know how to put up a fight.”

Chapter

Nine

Isucked in a sharp breath through my nose and tapped my pinned hand against the man’s legs in a show of surrender, and his arms fell away.

“You almost took me out with that sword,” he chuckled, tugging down the hood of his cloak. “I know I promised to give my life for you, but that wasn’t really what I had in m—”

“Taran!” I whisper-shouted. I turned and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. “Gods,am I glad to see you.”

His arms looped around me and squeezed, his own relief showing in the crushing force of his embrace. “You scared the hell out of us, going missing like that. Lu’s about ready to burst a vein.”

I pulled back and stared up at him, unable to keep the smile off my face. He was wearing his trademark grin, his ruggedly handsome features framed by messy dark blonde waves.

When I’d first met him at the palace, Taran had been the only Corbois cousin to treat me not as a Queen or a lowly half-breed, but as an equal. Our mutual love of sparring, dirty jokes, and teasing Luther had quickly earned him a place as one of my dearest friends.

He’d also proven himself willing to tell me the hard, unflattering truths I needed to hear, and that had made him a valuable ally.

“How did you find me?” I asked.

He snorted. “If I tell you that, Luther might slice off my balls. You’ll have to pry the truth out of him, if you can.”

My smile fell away. “I heard him out there. I think the mortals caught him.”

“Oh, he walked right up and turned himself over. We were hoping they would chain him up next to you so I could find you and break you both out. By the time I saw you sneaking around out in the trees, it was too late to stop him.”

I groaned. “I really need that man to stop putting his life at risk for me.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“These mortals have godstone weapons, Taran. A lot of them. If Luther tries to fight them...” I shook my head to clear the dark thoughts of how badly this could go. “What was your plan to get us out?”

“Well, I... uh...” He scratched the back of his head. “I hadn’t really made it that far. I’m not usually the brains of the operation.”

“Taran!You let Luther give himself up with no plan to get him out?”

“He’s High General. He didn’t exactly ask permission. Besides, it was better than whathewanted to do, which was shove swords through their eye sockets until they gave you up.” My mouth hung open, and Taran nodded somberly. “Luther’s always been a little terrifying, but when it comes to you, Queenie...” He shuddered.

I walked to the tent’s entrance and pulled the flap closed all but an inch so I could peer out unseen. Luther was on his knees, his hands bound behind his back, surrounded by a throngof mortals several heads deep. The Sword of Corbois lay in the grass a few feet away. Cordellia stood in front of him, talking too quietly for me to hear. Whatever they were discussing, it had Luther glaring at her with poison in his eyes.

Taran came up behind me and squeezed my shoulders.

“We’ll get him out,” he assured me. “And we have help. Look.”

He pointed to the woods on the far end of camp. At first, I only saw a dark swath of foliage, but slowly the face of a woman edged out from behind a tree, her myriad piercings glittering under the moonlight.

“Alixe!” I gasped.

---