Page 4 of The Dragon King's Curse
That wasn’t good enough. I stabbed him over and over in the face and neck. When he staggered back and almost fell, I used my sword to finish him off.
Standing over the pile of ash he’d become, my chest heaved as I sucked air into my lungs. Despite having impressive strength and stamina, a vampire bite was incredibly draining. I wasn’t sure how much blood I’d lost. The wolves were coming. I had to keep moving.
“Take me to the water,” I said to the forest. Maybe if I made it to the stream of flowing water, the wolves would be unable to track my scent.
Holding tight to my sword, I broke into a run. Panic drove me. The thought of the Fae King getting his hands on me was enough to keep me moving despite my injuries. I could not let that happen.
The trees moved and swayed, guiding me toward the water. The howls that rang out felt dangerously close. I didn’t think I had much time before they would be upon me.
Finally, I reached the stream and dove into the water. The strong current eased off at my request, allowing me to cross without difficulty. I dragged myself onto the shore on the other side and collapsed to the ground.
Instinct told me to get up. To keep running. I had no way of knowing how many fae were out there. They’d had no problem tearing through the remaining vampires as well as my people. They had come prepared.
Even though I would have loved to lie there and take the time to mentally and physically regroup, I didn’t have the luxury. There was no time. Three wolves emerged from the forest on the other side of the stream. Fuck.
Their predatory gazes locked on me. Without hesitation, they jumped into the water. So much for losing them.
A fresh dose of adrenaline got me up and running again. To my relief, the current began to rage, throwing the wolves about as they struggled to swim against it. I thanked the forest for buying me some precious time.
Unfortunately, even the forest could not thwart every one of the fae. A large black bird swooped down from above me. As it came in for a landing, it shifted back to the form of a man. A fae with eyes as black as sin and a smile that reeked of sinister intentions.
“There’s no more running, princess. You’ll be coming with us now. Although I understand your instinct may be to fight, I wouldn’t recommend it.” As he spoke, two more black birds swooped down, landing next to him, turning back into fae warriors.
“Fuck that.” Because I couldn’t possibly go down without a fight, I raised my sword. The odds were not in my favor. We all knew that I would not win this battle. Still, I had to try.
The first man who’d spoken nodded. “I assumed as much. That’s why we came prepared.”
He held out a hand to his companions. A fourth fae that I hadn’t seen stepped from between the trees. He held a struggling Leif in his grasp.
Leif had been horribly beaten. His face was a mottled mask of bruises and cuts. His arm hung awkwardly, like it had been broken. None of that stopped him from trying to fight. His efforts were tired and useless.
“Now,” the black-eyed fae spoke. “You can surrender and come with us willingly, or you can watch your friend die.”
“Don’t do it, Feryn. Don’t let them take you.” Leif gave up the fight. His eyes locked on mine as he pleaded with me.
The fae who held him placed a sharp dagger against Leif’s throat. His fingers crackled with lightning, a deadly magick. “Make your choice, princess.”
There was nothing I could do. I would never choose myself over my best friend. Even if I continued to fight, we were greatly outnumbered. No doubt there would be more fae arriving. Already Leif was a battered, beaten mess. I wouldn’t let them kill him.
“Fine. I will surrender. You can take me, but I want you to let Leif go first. I want to see him freely walk away from this.” Although I was in no position to make demands, I was elven royalty. I would act like nothing less.
The fae didn’t seem to care either way about Leif. They really had only come for me. At the leader’s command, the man holding Leif released him.
“Leave now,” said the man with black eyes. “Leave while you can or die. We will take her either way.”
Leif hesitated, his gaze darting to mine. “I can’t leave you, Feryn. I won’t.”
“You don’t have a choice. Please. Don’t put your death on my conscience, Leif. Go back to the city, to the castle. Do it for me.” Those were the magick words. I held Leif’s gaze, silently begging him to leave. The sooner he got back to the castle and got help the sooner I would be freed.
I saw how much it pained him to turn around and walk away. Before disappearing into the trees, he paused and turned back to say, “I’m coming back for you.”
Then he was gone.
Even though everything in me wanted to keep fighting, I stood there and allowed the fae to take my weapons. They surrounded me on every side, escorting me back to the rest of their kind.
I walked along in silence. My mind raced as I sought a way out of this. For the first time since I’d joined, I wondered if perhaps I wasn’t worthy of being a warrior after all.
CHAPTER THREE
