Page 74 of Her Lawless Prince

She lunged at the general, knocking the woman to the ground. Her paws pressed into the woman. The ass-kissing minion struck at her back. The blows barely registered in Payton’s anger.

Payton roared, letting saliva drip out of her fanged mouth onto the general’s face.

“He’s being taken to a clearing outside the Var palace,” the general cried out in fear.

Payton released the woman and charged out of the facility at full tilt.

“You’re too late!” the minion yelled.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins, causing her legs to sprint harder than they ever had before. She saw the land crafts but couldn’t force herself to stop long enough to climb on board and start one. She kept running, driven to get to Nyle.

The scenery blurred until she couldn’t see the trees lining the path. She heard a thundering noise following her but didn’t stop to see who gave chase.

Payton had run this path many times. Normally her stress would blow away under the drumming of her paws, but now it only increased. Her heart pounded, and her breath rasped.

The forest had never felt so big or the path so long. She knew every inch, and those inches tormented her as she pushed her body harder than she ever had.

This couldn’t be happening.

Not Nyle. Not Nyle. Not Nyle.

The thought hammered in time with her feet.

Not Nyle. Not Nyle. Not Nyle.

She leaped over the underbrush as she cut into the dense woods. A sharp slice cut along her hip as she darted too close to a branch, but she kept running. She used to pride herself on getting lost in the trees, outrunning the palace guards, and making it so they couldn’t find her.

Now it was her turn to search.

A clearing by the palace? That could mean numerous locations scattered about the forest. She knew them all and could easily draw the map of the landscape in her mind. The problem was that there were too many.

Payton broke into a small clearing in the forest. The field was empty, so she dug her claws into the dirt, sliding as she turned direction to keep running.

She should have stayed and made the general tell her where to go.

She should run faster.

She should have never left his side to begin with.

Not Nyle. Not Nyle. Not Nyle.

Low grunts escaped her each time her front paws landed. She vaulted up a thick tree and used the leverage of height to soar through an opening.

She landed in another empty clearing.

A frustrated roar erupted from her as she kept going. She saw a flash as her father appeared behind her in his tiger form. He jerked his head to let her know he was going another route. Roderic landed right behind the commander.

Payton charged back onto the main path and sprinted down it.

A small burst of flames drew her attention. Overhead she saw Grier in flight. The dragon swooped to glide over her. He kept pace for a few seconds before his large talons tapped her shoulders.

Payton reared back, retracting the full strength of the tiger as momentum propelled her upright, half shifted on two legs. Grier reached for her a second time, gripping her shoulders tight and not letting go. Her legs kept moving even as he picked her up from the ground. She gripped her clawed hands around his ankles.

Though she trusted her friend, Payton hated flying. Cats were not meant to be in the air.

The wind hit her fur-covered body as he sped her over the treetops toward the palace. From the vantage point, she could see more empty clearings. The Var palace jutted up from the forest in the distance. Grier carried her past it. He lifted higher, causing her to thrash as she held on tight.

Payton saw land crafts parked around a gathering of soldiers.

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