Page 152 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
And just like him, they’re all intoxicated…
“What did the Silverra mean when he said stop her?” Rooster asks curiously.
“Stop her movement, stop her breathing, stop her heart,” another voice replies, more carefree.
I can hardly see their features clearly. My eyes are foggy from that hit by Rainer earlier.
Phantom cracks his neck both ways before approaching. “Who cares? Orders are orders.”
“I am not the enemy!” I tell them desperately. Like the orcs in the battlefield from earlier, these assassins can’t seem to see reason in this state. Their eyes are red from the drug they took.
Rooster growls like a wild animal. He lunges towards me, throwing his wild punches without hesitation. I manage to block all his hits, but I know he’s herding me towards the rest of his pack.
The other five are about to strike. I measure their stances from my blurry eyes. I miscalculated and it cost me. Phantom’s metal gauntlet rattles as it meets with my ribs.
I land a blow to Rooster’s face, but not quick enough to block his pointed boot from digging into my shin. His knee meets my gut and I choke on empty air. I see stars before I stumble forward to the ground. One of the Grimsbanes sits on top of my body. My lungs feel crushed by his weight.
Promise me you won’t throw yourself in harm’s way again.
Svenn’s words ring in my head at this very last moment. I was brash and reckless, and now I pay the price.
But I never thought this would happen. My eyes glaze to the male who keeps on punching the helpless dwarf on the ground.
“Help me…” I beg to my uncle.
Rainer is my guardian, my protector. He has always shielded me from danger.
“Finish her,” the guy pinning me down says.
Phantom taps his boot on the ground. A flash of metallic sheen—a thin blade withdraws from the tip of his shoe.
He’s aiming it straight for my neck.
I’m going to die.
In the fraction of a second before my death, a memory flashes across my mind.
I’ll come back to you.
I told that to Svenn earlier. Tears swim in my eyes over my unfulfilled promise. My body makes one final effort to move, to rise.
The action is futile.
I don’t want to die.
Suddenly, the male sitting on top of me is whisked away like petals on a windy day. I hear a couple of grunts and groans until a voice pierces through the haze of my mind. “Can you stand?”
Shade’s smoky gray eyes meet mine. I take his offered hand and rises to my feet.
“You know, once the Silverra comes to his senses, he’ll kill you for hurting his niece,” Shade mutters to his fellow Grimsbanes, his tone hollow.
Rooster barks a laugh. “He won’t know we’re the ones who hurt her. We’ll just say it was him who did it.”
“Then we’ll watch him go into a spiral and take everything in his possession,” Catnip says with a nonchalant tone.
I ignore the searing pain over the side of my chest and step beside Shade.
“I still have some fight in me.” I take a stance, keeping my feet steady.
