Page 21

“Are you sure you wish to bring her in for this, Wren?” a male asked.

“If she is to one day take my position, she needs to experience firsthand the extent of her duties.”

“As you wish, Head Elder.”

The man left, and the other two people came forward to crank two wheels he hadn’t realised were behind him – the door guard eventually helping when they couldn’t do it alone. The board his back was firmly against began to lift and tilt, his knees and then feet eventually coming off the ground. He was forced to lie upon it with his legs dangling off the edge from the knee down.

Wren, as the male had called her, came close enough to loom directly over his skull and peer into his red orbs. Her crooked grin caused his blood to boil; he didn’t like it, didn’t trust it. The scarring on her face made it appear evil.

“Let’s see how one of youticks, shall we?”

Emerie stared at Bryce as he lay huffing next to her.

This bout of sex wasn’t particularly his fault, considering she’d been the one to instigate it. Could anyone blame her? They both could have died tonight.

She didn’t know if she’d just been celebrating not fucking dying, or just the emotional high from the fight, but one thing had led to another...

So why did she still feel so frantic and hollow?

Since she was lying over the bed on her front, with her pants around her thighs, she wriggled them back up and turned to sit on the edge. She placed her face in her hands as she leant her elbows on her knees.

She needed a proper moment to digest the night. She needed a moment to breathe. There had been many other times she’d been close to death, but nothing could compare to the frightening visage of a faceless monster roaring, snapping, and eating her companions.

So many people died tonight.By just one creature.Fuck.What if one of her friends had died, and instead of finding out who, she’d been busy getting dicked down because she was freaking the hell out?

Guilt nipped at her chest.

No wonder the guild forbids alcohol from being consumed within their strongholds.Everyone would likely have been useless drunks by now.

Images of the battle played behind her closed eyelids, and she cringed at multiple scenes. New nightmares to be had.

“Hey, Em,” Bryce groggily groaned.

“Yeah?” she asked, her voice breaking an octave.

She wasn’t going to cry. Shesworeshe didn’t feel the tingle of tears tickling her nose and cheeks. Yet, why did water begin to fill her eyes?

He patted the bed next to her without looking. “Can you hurry up and leave already?”

She peeked at him. “Can I stay the night? I’m not sure if I want to be alone right now.”

The last thing she wanted was to be by herself. She’d probably start pathetically crying in a damn ball on the floor of her room, seconds from having a panic attack. Already she could feel the constriction in her chest, like she was one rushed breath away from freaking the hell out.

With lazy lids, he lifted his head and leaned it on his bent elbow.

“You know why you can’t do that.” He walked the index and middle fingers of his free hand up her biceps. “You know what the other guildmembers are like. They pick on and try to break up guild couples for entertainment.”

She knew that was partly true, but that was usually for new couples. Eventually they all came out of secrecy, and Emerie had been waiting for Bryce to approve it so she could tell her friends.

Gosh, she wanted to tell her friends so badly. Maybe they could help her piece her muddled thoughts together about this confusing, and sometimes one-sided relationship.

“Can I just stay a little longer then?”

He shook his head and turned to lie face down. “I’m about to pass out. Coming took the last bit of energy I had out of me.”

She couldn’t believe this! He was seriously kicking her out when it was obvious she wasn’t okay!

“Are you seriously not concerned about the events that happened tonight?”