Page 14 of Wilds of Wonder
I shot him a glare, stubbornness rising in me. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Okay, I had. But I hadn’t done what they thought I’d done. And I wouldn’t bow down to this man and his intimidation tactics, not like I always had with my husband. Smiling and pretending like everything was okay while I was dying inside.
I raised my chin. “I’m innocent, and I will not go quietly.”
Driscoll sighed. “Perfect.”
“Well, then there’s only one thing left to do.” The guard raised his other hand, ice shackles forming that floatedtoward my hands.
“Sir,” Leoni said, stepping forward. “I’m Leoni Andora, captain of the guard for Princess Poppy of the sky court.”
The guard paused, the shackles pausing as well, hovering between his outstretched hand and me.
“I just want to say that as a fellow royal guard, I have the utmost respect for you, so please don’t take this personally.”
His blond brows furrowed. “Take what personally?”
I twisted my head to see the other guards shoot each other unsure looks, and Leoni sighed heavily.
“This,” she said right before shoving out her hands, water shooting in a stream straight into the guard’s chest. He flew back with force, his ice magic shattering over his body as he hit the ground.
Driscoll’s mouth dropped open.
“I just assaulted another guard,” Leoni said in a panicked voice, spinning and glancing at Driscoll. “Well, what are you waiting for? Help me!”
He jumped as the other guards closed in around us, and my pulse spiked. I wanted to help them, but... I looked down at the chest cradled in my arms. My artifacts. Everything I’d spent years collecting. Still, I couldn’t let Leoni and Driscoll do all the work, not when they were risking their lives for me. I crouched to gently set the chest down in the snow when a voice rang out in the now-empty street, everyone peering out from behind the safety of their windows and doors.
“Stop!” A man marched down the street.
Everybody whipped around to look at the man, no one moving as we watched him striding toward us.
My mouth dropped open.
His black boots kicked up tufts of snow behind him, and his long black coat billowed in the wind.
Spirits below. It was him. Maverick Von Lucas. And he was looking directly at me.
Chapter Eight
EMORY
“Oh, great.” Driscoll dragged a hand down his face. “Who is this? The executioner, here to cut off our heads with his icy sword right in the middle of the street?”
Maverick stalked forward. Sweat sheened his umber-brown skin, his short black hair cropped close to his head, his copper eyes gleaming with annoyance—and maybe confusion? He frowned at all of us, fists curled at his sides.
Leoni leaned over to Driscoll and whispered out the side of her mouth. “Let’s strike now. While they’re distracted.”
My stomach twisted. They’d hit Maverick in the process. One of the greatest minds of our time.
My companions nodded at each other, pushing out their hands, tendrils of their magic creeping from them.
“Stop!” I yelled, shoving through them right as Maverick stopped in front of the guards. Everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“Why would you do that?” Driscoll groaned. “It was the perfect chance to get away.”
Maverick's gaze lowered to the chest I still held in my arms, and hisbrown eyes snapped up, searing into me. He was tall, shoulders broad, and even from under his coat, I could tell he was fit, muscular. He had to be to go on all the adventures he did.
“Sir!” The guards straightened, all of them saluting Maverick.
“What’s going on here?” Maverick barked.
