Page 107 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
Silently, the black wooden door opened beneath the arch of black and white roses, lilies, and other flowers. My breath caught, and my hands twitched as I forced myself to remain in place.
A shimmering blue skirt ghosted at the entrance, and then—Kaylen stepped out to greet me, dressed as a bride.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Briar
Nausea roiled through my stomach, and when I tried to open my eyes, I couldn’t, not even a little. My head pounded, and my entire body ached like I’d been in a horrible fight and knocked unconscious.
What thehellwas going on?
My heartbeat quickened, and adrenaline pumped through my body. My arms and legs dangled, limp and useless, and my wrists were bound together by what felt like thick rope. Something pressed into my side.
Cold realization settled over me. What thefuck? I was slung over a shoulder and being jostled with every step.
Breathing in, I realized the air was so strong that I could taste its dry, stale, salty flavor.
Where am I?
I shook my head, but the sensation made me feel worse. The world was a smeared, shadowy swirl I was struggling to bring into focus. The wedding dress rustled with each step, and my abductor kept an arm banded tightly over my thigh.
Move.
I had to move.
My eyelids slid shut again. I tried pulling on my wolf, but she didn’t respond. All I felt was heat and nausea.
“Come on. Pick up the pace. I hate this place,” a gruff voice ahead of me said. “Gives me the creeps. It’s like something’s waking up, and I don’t want to be here when it does.”
“Stop,” the man carrying me said sharply. “Bryn Lugh gave her enough to put out a male timber wolf on steroids. No way this little thing is waking up any time soon, and I’m not running. She’s thin but stout.”
Bastard. I’d show him.
Spite gave me an extra edge of energy. My limbs barely responded, but pins and needles stitched their way down to my fingertips. The heat burned hotter, allowing me to curl my hand into a half-fist.
I pried my eyes open and caught a glimpse of the floor—gray, coarse stone littered with dust. Boots. I was being carried over the shoulder of someone in a simple gray uniform without any insignia I could spot. His stride was methodical but urgent. A thick belt wrapped around his waist.
I listened, trying to orient myself, but it felt like a lost cause.
Ahead of us, more footsteps echoed.
I inhaled again, catching a whiff of old sweat and something sharper underneath—blood? My stomach clenched.
This time, I glimpsed the second person. Based on the gold light following him, I guessed he was holding a torch. Perhaps a weapon as well. With my luck, he had more than one. The man carrying me also had a dagger in a black sheath hanging on his belt. With my hands bound together, I could scrape my fingers on it. I just needed to reach a little farther down, and I could grab it.
My wolf remained asleep. I nudged her, trying to rouse her as I blinked, fighting for my vision to clear. She started to stir, but not much.
Come on! Wake up.
We turned a corner, the torchlight flickering. I tried to take in my surroundings and noted we were in an unfinished corridor that looked as if it had been carved out of rock, most of the stone unfinished and rough.
A puff of fresh air reached me, smelling brighter and cleaner. I flexed both hands, clenching and unclenching until the pins and needles intensified, then dissolved into heat.
Finally, my vision cleared.
The corridor opened into a larger, finished stone chamber. Charcoal black marble tiles covered most of the floor, though some were cracked and sat askew, probably due to the earthquake. The dark marble tiles on the walls had cracked and chipped as well, some panels falling away entirely and revealing the same coarse stone as in the corridor. It was hard to see clearly from my position, but there seemed to be several stone doorways standing in a line at the back of the room. Pale light filtered through one, but I couldn’t see a door. I sucked a few more breaths through my nose, the stench of sweat and blood almost grounding.
The longer I took to get free, the harder it would be to get back to Vad. I had to move. Time was running out.
