Page 64 of The Stolen Bride

Viktor’s words haunted me as we plowed through dense vegetation. Though he’d once planned to do everything possible to save his former friend, he’d now set his sights on death. Even at the risk of our lives, all to save Valkara.

I curled my hands into fists. “This could be a set up,” I pointed out between my huffing breaths.

Neither man responded.

The metallic clang of Bodi’s machete cut through the muggy air. A sharp whoosh followed as he sliced through the thick vines obstructing our path. We ran and ran and ran, and the ongoing, never-ending hustle eventually drained me. I began to lag, until Viktor whisked me off my feet and carried me against his chest, not missing a beat.

Now this was more like it. The only way to travel, really. I rested my head on his broad shoulder, as I’d done several times before, seizing the opportunity to recharge. With my sister’s life on the line–and maybe Viktor’s–I must be at my best.

We whizzed past a clearing littered with bones and a field of decaying bodies. Bile frothed in my throat, and I gagged. Who were these people? Turul-shifters, berserkers or their victims?

Scavenger birds dined, picking rotting organs through the hole in each chest. Severed heads topped scarecrow bodies. The fetid stench made me gag. And that wasn’t even the worst of it! The farther we went, the more gruesome the sights became. Eventually I closed my eyes and focused on my sister’s rescue.

In the back of my mind, I thought I detected an invisible cord between us, growing stronger the closer we came to each other.

Viktor halted abruptly and set me on my feet. Bodi stopped too. Both royals stared at a leather poster anchored to a tree trunk, drawing my attention there. I read the words painted over the surface and ground my teeth.

Come One, Come All

King Deco’s Execution Ball

Off with Their Heads

I didn’t have to wonder who he referenced. His captives, Juniper and Valkara—and us. “He invited me to this ball,” Isaid, the words fraying as I shoved them between gritted teeth. “Right before he stabbed me.”

An H-bomb of rage exploded from Viktor. He spun, facing me fully. Glowing gold rings flared in his irises. “He. Did. What?”

“Oh. Um. Did I not mention that part before?” Oops? “It happened right after I woke up from my tangle with the river.”

Roaring, he swept me into his arms and shot forward like a bullet. The landscape whizzed at my sides. I tightened my hold on him, hanging on for dear life. Then the jungle began to thin, and just as quickly as Vik had grabbed me and sprinted off, he came to an abrupt halt on the outskirts of a vast clearing. A massive fortress loomed less than a fourth of a mile ahead.

An unsettling current surged all around us, raising the fine hairs on the back of my neck. I searched for the source. There! Enormous metal posts planted at the four corners of a square plot of land we now occupied, each post topped with a large glass orb. But were they cameras or something else?

A bluebird flew low, and a lightning bolt shot out of the orbs, striking it. The poor creature fried and fell to the ground, dead and still smoking.

Okay, so, definitely something else. I plastered myself against Viktor’s chest. “Nope. We’re finding another way.”

He kissed my temple and set me on my feet, keeping his arm around my waist. “Shifters are weaker than berserkers, so the fence is the preliminary defense. Meant to weakenuson the way in. Nothing to worry about.”

“I can get us past it,” Bodi said. Then he pointed. “They are the real concern.”

I followed the direction of hisfinger. High atop weathered gray stones streaked with hints of green from years exposed to the humid jungle moss and lichen, was a parapet where an army of shifter guards patrolled. A stunning show of Deco’s force for the ball. They must be on the lookout for specific intruders. Namely us.

The fortress itself was, well, a fortress, a mix of ancient and modern with thick walls designed to withstand an assault. Arrow slits broke up the symmetry, allowing sharpshooters and archers to do their thing. More armed guards patrolled the courtyard amongst the guests, while still others escorted attendees from an unused helicopter pad.

Wind kicked up, strong gusts rustling leaves. Branches clapped, and my skirt whipped at my ankles. We remained in the shadows, at the edge of the jungle.

Torches illuminated the courtyard where turul-shifters mingled awaiting their turn to enter the towering stone monstrosity. The males wore finely tailored suits. The females dazzled in flowing gowns in every color of the rainbow, and the kind of jewels that were so opulent they inspired awe rather than envy. They displayed turul feathers in their hair.

Face painters and jugglers entertained the partygoers who’d already had too much to drink. Acrobats leaped, dancers twirled and fire eaters astounded the growing crowd.

I glanced down at my genie costume and muttered, “I know howI’mgetting in.”

A muscle jumped beneath Viktor’s eye. “You will…” A thousand emotions crossed over his features in an instant, none of which I could read.

“Be careful?” I finished for him. “Yes.” I might not be a super-soldier who’d trained for battle all my life, but I wasa woman determined. Nothing could stop me from helping my team. Well, other than death. But even then, I’d probably keep fighting. “I’m immortal. I won’t die.” I mean, not easily anyway. “Plus, I shouldn’t waste this incredible outfit you picked for me. This girl has no problem working things to her advantage.”

And not to brag, but I was a major asset. Look what I’d done to those shifters. Not that I remembered any of it. But still! I’d defeated ten master warriors with my bare claws.

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