Page 45 of Demon Bound

“He killed the Paladins,” she replied, deciding not to bring up the one he’d let go.

Nirlan cursed under his breath.

There were several other Paladins in the crowd, she realized. She caught glimpses of silver armor and scarlet cloaks. They were quietly searching the room, trying not to attract attention.

“You went to the Paladins for help dealing with the demon?” she asked. “What happens when they realize you were the one who summoned him?”

“There’s no point in tattling on me, wife. They work for me.”

That gave her a chill. “The Paladins are a religious order, not mercenaries for hire.”

“There’s not a man or woman alive who won’t sell themselves for the right price. You should know that.” He shifted, and something prodded her in the side. He had a knife, and he was casually bumping the blade against her ribs.

Her heart stuttered, leaping into a panic. Gods help her. He was going to kill her.

“I’d prefer not to make a scene,” he said. “And don’t you dare touch that baton in your belt.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Come with me without making a fuss, and I won’t have to do anything at all.”

Raiya didn’t move. If she called for Azreth, he would come, and then all hells would break loose. Either he would end up dead, or everyone else would, or both.

Trembling, she pushed away from the counter.

Nirlan smiled. “Good girl,” he said, like she was a dog. He slowly guided her through the crowd toward the door.

“What are you going to do?” she asked again.

“Don’t sound so pathetic. You’re not fooling anyone. This is all your own doing. If you weren’t so impulsive, none of this would have happened, and we’d both still be sitting comfortably at home. You’ve forced me to go through a lot of trouble.”

“What are you going to do, Nirlan?” she asked firmly.

“I’m taking you home. And after that, I’ll do whatever I wish with you. You’re mine.”

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, Raiya grabbed her baton. Without drawing it out of her belt, she jabbed the handle backward into Nirlan’s crotch. He shouted and doubled over, and she jerked out of his grasp. A sharp pain sliced through her hand. His knife had cut her. A rivulet of blood ran from thecut, but she didn’t have time to examine it further. She drew her baton and sprinted down an unfamiliar path.

The rain had made the town muddy and slick. Raiya leapt onto the wooden boardwalk that curved through a maze of buildings, ducking under eaves as she ran. She flew by the entrance to another lively tavern, dodging through a group of people standing on the boardwalk in front of it. She didn’t bother to ask anyone for help. Nirlan would find a way to spin it so they ended up turning on her.

It wasn’t long before she heard his footsteps hitting the ground, rapidly gaining on her. She stopped in the middle of the walkway and whirled around, pointing the baton at him. “Don’t come any closer!”

He stopped a dozen paces from her, but he was smiling. Two more men came running around the corner and stopped beside him. Paladins. The bystanders by the entrance of the tavern had looked up when she’d yelled. She realized how bad this looked for her. Paladins didn’t chase innocent people. Everyone would assume she’d done something wrong.

She backed away from them, her feet slipping slightly in the mud. Drizzling rain was making her hair and clothes cold and heavy. The baton wouldn’t do much good here. She didn’t know how many shots it had left before it ran out of magic, but it wasn’t many.

“Put down the weapon, Raiya,” Nirlan said. He was still smiling. He knew he had her trapped. Raiya took a step back, but then she heard footsteps behind her. More Paladins had appeared at the other end of the path. She was surrounded. The people by the tavern backed away, huddling in the doorway as they watched the confrontation unfold.

“You’re being foolish,” Nirlan said, coming closer. “You’ve had your fun. It’s time to come home now.”

“I told you, we’re done,” she snarled.

“We’re married.”

With a frustrated roar, she discharged the baton. Sending a tendril of her will into the metal in her hand, the enchantment activated. The runes along the shaft glowed bright. Violent energy surged from the tip and shot outward in a beam of blinding light. It blasted into Nirlan’s chest, and he shot backward. The baton’s runes went dark as they lost power. It was out of magic.

A mass of metal hit her from behind, and then she was on the ground. A gauntleted fist struck her cheek. Something else hit her stomach. Someone grabbed her braid and yanked her head back, and then something heavy dropped on her, and she couldn’t breathe.

“Azreth!” she cried, though he was much too far away to hear her strained voice.

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