Page 202 of A Soul to Guide

Was he painting Merikh as an uncontrollable beast? That wasn’t fair, not when he was trying his hardest tonotbe. He didn’t want to be a monster, something to be frightened of, to hate and spurn.

Blue flickered in his vision.Raewyn.

He took a step towards them, to her, but the green ropes still attached to his head were yanked. Merikh turned, his orbs flaring crimson as he roared.

He wanted them gone! He wanted them out of his way and to leave him in peace. He’d done nothing wrong. Why did they have to cast judgement on him when he’d never harmed them? Or when they’d never seen him before?

Suddenly, he was flipped upside down, landing on his fucking face! They’d wound the rope around his legs and tripped him. His neck kinked, and he was thankful it was so flexible. Otherwise, he’d likely have broken it with his own weight collapsing on top of it.

The Demon yelled at Raewyn and then everyone else. He tugged on her arm and pointed towards the portal guarded by three other soldiers.

His blood ran cold. It was closing, shutting, shrinking.

They were going to leave him here.

Their argument hadn’t been settled, and he was trying to drag her through it before it was too late. Even one of the Elves had begun helping him.

Raewyn reached for Merikh, screamed his name again, and the white of fear, of anxiety, of the potential loss he’d feel if she disappeared, filled his vision.

I want her. She’s mine.They were stealing her, trying to take her away from him. He didn’t care what anyone said – not her, not his mother, not the rest of her people, or anyone on this stupid, wretched planet – Raewyn was his, would be his, and he wasn’t going to be apart from her.She’s fucking mine!

His quills tore apart his leather, unable to be held back by the intensity of rage, fear, and utter adoration for her that overtook him in that moment.

He wasn’t going to lose her.

He would find a way to get her to forgive him for what he was about to do.

His quills destroyed the rope trappings around his legs, and he bolted for Raewyn. He took a spear being thrown at him from behind, and it cut deeper into his injured side. He didn’t care; he barely registered it.

The Demon holding her shouted before he put Raewyn behind him. She must have heard Merikh running, because she turned to him.

He knew grabbing her himself would result in her pain, in her coming to harm from his claws in his panic. He’d hold her wrong, she’d grip him wrong, and he’d likely impale her with his quills.

They wouldn’t even get to him in time before he turned on her, not with how agitated he already was. That, or someone else would try to separate them, and they’d bleed and shove him into mindless hunger.

His own body was stopping him from taking her, and his own self-loathing redoubled. Why couldn’t he just be fucking normal? He doubted any of his brothers had to combat the deadliness of their own bodies the way he did.

Merikh was skating on the edge of his control, and it was too close to snapping for him to do anything else but what he planned.

He wasn’t even sorry about it.

“Please, it’s not what it looked like,” she pleaded. “I promise I’m not going to leave y–”

He bypassed the Demon, her hands, and shoved his claws straight into her chest. She gasped, her lips parting.

“You are mine, my pretty starshine,” he growled, his sight turning bright pink. “I won’t letanyonetake you away from me.”

At the same time, she was pulled away after only seconds of him being close to her, and he yanked her soul from her with a chuckle. He gave her his sight in the process so she could watch, so she could have him with her, even if it was only in spirit. Hewouldtake it back; he’d promised her that.

At the same time as he took it, soldiers pushed their way between them.

It was obvious he wasn’t going to get the chance to go through the portal with her; he didn’t want to barrel through it and potentially have her be killed by all the weapons these fools were holding.

If he couldn’t go with her, then he wouldn’t let her be gone forever. They could take her for now. Then, within a day, she could come right fucking back here as his bride.

They could work on going to her realm, or whatever they planned, once she was with him again. They could play this day over and over again, forever if need be, but he wasn’t going to lose Raewyn.

Not now, not ever.

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