Page 130 of Bound to the Shadow Prince

Corlath and Saemon stand nearby, regarding me. Corlath looks uncomfortable, but there’s a hard intensity to Saemon’s eyes that worries me.

“Where’s Jarvo?” I ask. Seeing as he was the only one that didn’t want to kill me, that makes him my new best friend.

Corlath gives Saemon an uneasy look.

“He left,” Saemon replies.

Uh oh. Does “left” mean that they killed him? “Is he all right?”

Saemon shrugs. He moves closer to my chair, and I instinctively press back against the cushions.

“She still looks pretty alive to me,” Corlath whispers, eyeing Saemon. “We could have a bit of fun with her now. While she’s still warm.”

“Mmm.” Saemon reaches out and touches a lock of my dark hair, picking it up from my shoulder and rubbing it thoughtfully.

What in the Gray God’s realm? They’re not even bothering to hide their intentions. I jerk away from Saemon’s touch, even though it makes me dizzy. The shadows stretch and dance behind them, which means I’m probably about to faint again. “Don’t touch me.”

“I think she’s weak enough that she’ll put up just enough of a fight to make things interesting,” Saemon says to Corlath. “I get to go first, though. You can hold her down for me.”

An outraged sound escapes me, and when Corlath grabs me by the shoulders and jerks me up from the chair, I push at him, trying to free the knitting needle from my sleeve. He grins down at me, all cruelty?—

—and then his head turns.

Andturns.

And turns completely around, the bones crunching, as shadows swallow him.

I scream, the chair tipping backward and taking me with it as Saemon bolts for the door. There’s no defending his friend, no fighting back. He runs like a coward, and I watch dizzily as he sprints across the manor house, the floorboards loud with his hurried steps.

As I watch from my vantage point on my back, the shadows swirl again and I catch a flash of gray wing and sweeping horns. Green eyes flash as muscular arms lock around Saemon’s shoulders and he flings him to the floor with a crash.

“You dare,” Nemeth growls, the sound inhuman. “You dare to touch my mate?”

Saemon crawls backward, scurrying like a rat to get away. “No—never?—”

“I heard every filthy word come out of your mouth,” my Fellian snarls. He stalks forward toward his prey, his wings flared and menacing. “I heard your plans. You were going to harm her. While she was stillwarm, you said. And then you were going to cut her throat and leave her here. You thought her weak and useless to you.” He smiles, showing deadly white fangs. “She’s not weak, because she hasme.”

And before I can take a breath, Nemeth plants a huge hand on Saemon’s head and crushes it like a grape.

Blood spatters over him, over the floor.

I gasp.

He turns to me, his eyes feral. “Did they touch you?”

“You’re alive,” I breathe. Hot tears flood my eyes. By the gods, I’m crying all the time now. “Oh Nemeth, you’realive.” I kick my legs in the air, trying to get up from the chair.

He strides to the fallen chair, where I’m still on my back and feebly trying to right myself, and plucks me out of its confines. He pulls me into the air, holding me by my shoulders tightly, but it doesn’t hurt. His wild gaze searches my face, over my body. “Did they touch you?” he demands again, and his wings shiver so violently it’s clear he’s about to lose control.

“Nemeth. I’m all right.” I search his face. “Are…are you?”

My Fellian groans. He crushes me against his chest, holding me tight. One hand cradles the back of my head and he shudders, clasping me to him. I’ve never been so enveloped by him, not even when he cocoons his wings around us. “Candra. My Candra.”

“I’m a little mad at you,” I tease weakly. “Here you are, killing those pieces of dragon shite before I had the chance. Unfair.”

He just clasps me tighter, his fingers digging into my hair, as if he can somehow twine his claws into my locks and hold me forever. “I’m here,” he says in a tight voice. “I’m here, and no one’s going to hurt you.”

His words break something inside me. I press my face against him, not caring that he’s covered in Saemon’s blood and I probably reek of vomit. “I thought you died. Oh Nemeth. I thought I’d lost you forever.” I choke on a sob. “Where the fuck have you been?”

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