Page 39

My hands dusted off my dress as I stood and the guards looked back at me in confusion. That kick would have hurt most, would have sent mostwenchesrunning back to their brothels in fear.

But I was not most, and I was definitely no wench.

“Well, this has been fun,” I crooned, tucking my hands behind my back and wrapping my fingers around my blades, readying to draw them. “The prisoner”—I gestured my head toward Nox—“is mine.”

“I will give you one last chance,witch. Move or be moved,” the leader snarled down at me and I grinned.

“The prisoner, or your men?” I countered, watching as his head slowly turned to look at his guards, his eyes widening in horror as each of them held their own blades to their throat.

Their eyes locked on him, frantic and pleading. His gaze snapped back to me, fury seeping into every line of his scarred face.

“You are beginning to bore me,” I snapped, taking a step toward him and tightening my grip on my blades.

“The High Priest will have your head—”

“Very well,” I cut in as the slicing of flesh and gurgling sounded from behind him.

He whirled around to see his men grasping at their throats, gasping for the air that would not find them as they each tumbled from their horses. Their bodies hit the ground with a loud thud and, for a second, my mind went numb.

My vision went black and all I could see washim.

The way his body rested in my arms, the cut across his throat that drained the life and blood from his body.

My stomach twisted, knotting around itself as my chest tightened.

“I will kill you for this.” The threat echoed into the darkness that covered my vision and I snatched a blade from its holster as my sight came crashing back.

My dagger flew from my hand on instinct as he lunged for me.

Then, there was silence.

His arms were still outstretched as he fell to the ground, the blade buried deep between his brows.

“Where’s Pri?” I hissed, whirling to face Nox as he struggled to lower himself from the horse and clutched his abdomen.

“I do not know, we were raided. Someone knew where we would be meeting.”

I threw his arm around my shoulder and he cried out in pain at the movement. My hand slammed across his mouth, muffling his shrieks as I dragged him off the open road.

There was no way someone hadn’t seen what just happened.

They would find these bodies soon enough and we could not be anywhere near Folkvein Street when they did.

“Find Dukovich,” I said frantically toward the familiar as I slumped Nox down behind the back of the brothel and shifted back into my skin.

It took off into the night, and somewhere in the distance I heard its cawing floating on the wind.

“Where are you hurt?” I asked, clawing at the cloak that covered him. A gasp left my lungs as I peeled away the blood soaked fabric from his abdomen and met his gaze. “How?” I breathed, staring at him in horror.

“The Silliands have been dealing Svech to Ammord.” Nox groaned as I nodded, trying to reign in the fear I knew he could see on my face.

This wound looked exactly how Cin’s had looked when she escaped to Ithia and I knew that meant only one thing.

The Svech was in his organs.

Whatever he had been stabbed with, had left the residue inside of him.

“Help is coming,” I whispered, slowly placing the fabric down over his wound. “I need to get the bodies out of the road,” I said, standing. “I will be back.”