Page 93 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

The pain in my shoulder made it easier to ignore the protesting of my thighs and arms.

I moved to the offensive, slashing out with my stolen knife wildly, trying to push her back more than hit her. I needed to get out of the cluttered area and get back to the clearing where I didn’t have to worry about tripping. The terrain needed to be in my favor. If I could get her by the stairs, maybe I could make her lose her footing. I just needed her distracted for a moment to incapacitate her.

Kylie let out an ugly laugh. “You really learn fast. You know that?”

Her sneer sent ice through my veins. I wasn’t pushing her back anywhere. She was toying with me. Giving me a glimmer of hope so she could twist it away.

I swung at her harder, aiming for her throat. She raised her blade to meet mine, and with a flick of her wrist, she had Sif’s knife sliding across the floor towards her unconscious daughter.

“You really are rather astonishing;” she said, walking towards me.

I backed away, keeping my eyes on her blade as she waved it around casually.

“I would have liked to see you as you reached your full potential. You have such a natural talent and ferocity that I admire. I hate that I have to kill you. It really isn’t personal.” Kylie shrugged and gave me an apologetic look, like she had taken the last cup of coffee instead of about to murder me.

“Then why not let me live?” I asked, backing away, trying to move faster than she was. I was unarmed, and my left arm hung useless at my side. The only thing I could do was put a bit of distance between us.

“Because you weren’t supposed to know about this place, Arik, or the Folkvang until much, much later.”

“Later?” I asked, keeping distance between us, giving myself a few seconds to glance around for a weapon.

Her dagger casually hung from her hand. “Eventually, I would have showed you everything bit by bit. After you had already married Rune and secured your position of power, of course. I would show you the truth about Hell and the oppressors. You’d be in the perfect position to make the men who hurt me pay. Then I could rule Hell, the way it should be ruled through you. But my daughter is shortsighted, so here we are.”

“To rulethroughme?” This bitch was crazy.

“Obviously. But not yet. I wanted to make sure I could trust you, to mold you into my image before I brought you in when you were ready. You aren’t ready now. You’re still weak of mind and conviction. If I were to let you live, you’d run back to Rune and his father and tell them everything, which would be very inconvenient for me.”

“What if I didn’t tell them anything? What if I swore to never tell them a thing?” I asked, hoping Kylie liked the sound of her own voice enough to buy me more time. I still couldn’t find anything I could use as a weapon, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to stall her much longer.

“You would.” She gave a disappointed sigh. “You wouldn’t be able to help it. You are a classic damsel in distress. You have the potential for greatness, but right now, all you do is look to a man to fix your problems. I haven’t had the chance to beat that little habit out of you yet. So, you can’t be trusted… You know, it might be better this way.”

“How is killing me better?” God, why hadn’t my backup arrived? I needed help.

“Well, before I knew how strong you’d be, I was just going to hold you prisoner to make Arik do what he was told. I thought the daughter he knew would be the better motivator, since he’d never even seen your sister before.” Kylie pressed the tip of her dagger against her lip like she was lost in thought, but she kept coming forward.

I wasn’t fooled into thinking her guard was down for a second.

“But no,” she continued. “Vivi is just as effective in making him do what I need, and as an adroit, she is much weaker and just easier to handle. You would be too much of a liability when you hit full power.”

I took another step back and tripped over a steel beam. I was so focused on what Kylie was saying, I hadn’t realized I had moved back across the room. Twisting my ankle, I fell hard, landing on my ass. I cursed when my limp arm hit the floor, sending waves of pain through my body.

Kylie gave me a bright smile. “Yes, this is going to be so much better in the long run. Not as good as having you on my side, obviously. But here we are.” She stood over me, her stiletto boots on either side of my knees. She placed the knife at my throat, pressing just hard enough I could feel the warmth of my blood swelling on the blade’s edge. “This has been fun, but I’m a busy woman. Governments to topple and all that.” She leaned over me, pressing the flat of the blade into my neck. The edge lay against my skin, cutting at a slight angle. She was drawing it out.

The gleeful smile as she watched my throat turned my stomach. She was getting off on this. Watching people suffer in pain brought her joy.

Kylie leaned down farther, placing one hand on my shoulder while she sank her blade in.

25

Sensible Shoes Can Save Your Life

Tears filled my eyes as a scream ripped from my throat. Her fingers digging into the wound hurt more than when she had stabbed me. Pain seared through my body like a hot poker was slicing through my shoulder.

“Is there a message you’d like me to give to your father?” she asked when my scream subsided. “Or perhaps your baby sister? I can’t wait to describe how you came to save her just to die at the front door.”

The pain of never seeing Vivi again was far more potent than the physical kind. It gave me the strength I needed to keep fighting.

This psychotic bitch was smiling while leaning on a fresh wound and pressing a knife to my throat. She was enjoying the pain in my eyes and the sound of my screams.

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