Page 53 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
This can’t be happening…
The labyrinth is a tomb or some sort of prison designed to keep this unearthly creature. I feel the power rippling in his body, dark and mighty.
The ruthless killer stretches his neck, preparing for his hunt. He makes a slow gaze of me from head to toe. A grin slowly spreads across his face, and I finally glimpse the fangs in hismouth. His beautiful smile is now the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. It’ll probably be the last thing I ever see too.
I take a stumbling step backwards.
The air sizzles with the power emanating from him. This charged energy has always been there since the moment I saw him in the dungeon. I was too enthralled that I mistook it for our chemistry together.
I am a damn fool.
A silly, silly girl.
He prowls to me slowly, deliberately. His lips twitch into an almost smile, daring me to run.
That does it. My survival instincts finally kick in. I sprint towards the forest like a hunted deer.
I don’t want to die.
I glance over my shoulder to see that I’ve left him far behind me. The rush of adrenaline pushes me forward like a shooting arrow.
My heart is beating so fast that it’s starting to hurt. I hear a low snarl and pick up my pace despite the burning below my ribcage.
A shadow moves in my peripheral vision.
The monster snatches me around the waist easily, slamming me to one of the thick yews. I gasp in a breath before all the air is knocked out of my lungs.
“Don’t touch me!” I struggle against him. But he’s like an unstoppable force. I’m no match for his strength.
A sense of powerlessness overwhelms me as he backs me up against the tree.
“Please don’t hurt me.” I tremble, my knees threatening to crumble.
I wonder if I’m going to suffer and die like Ragnar. Maybe it will be a quick death like the dismembered Ashmedai. That’s not so bad.
He dives straight for my throat. So, this is how it ends. I wait for death to finally claim me.
Seconds pass, and I am still in the land of the living.
Why am I still breathing?
A soft kiss lands on my cheek. Then another on my shoulder.
“Nel.” I feel his hot breath coasting the sensitive skin over my neck. I open my eyes to find the stranger nuzzling my jaw. He pushes a strand of hair out of my face, his fingers brushing over my cheek in a lover’s caress.
It doesn’t make sense. I force myself to meet his gaze and my heart nearly stops beating. He is staring down at me, his eyes are blazing like burnt metal, full of hunger. Not for blood or my death but for something else. It finally dawns on me.
Heavens save me.
This monster is expecting us to continue where we left off at the altar—as if I didn’t just witness him behead the Ashmedai with a single kick, as if he hadn’t pried open Ragnar’s jaw.
There’s no mistaking the heat, passion, and desire in his taut features. He wants me…
My breath hitches the moment his gaze falls to my mouth. Oh, gods… I was preparing to die. I am not ready for this…
He leans down to my face, pausing momentarily. There’s a silent question in his eyes. Something in my brain clicks. I finally see this for what it is.
This is my chance at survival.
