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Prince?

Things started to fall into place and the air seemed to thin. There was only one Verlantian prince that led the elven army.

The beast. A warmonger without a conscience or morals.

The king’s bastard born child.

Her focus snapped to the man lounging on the throne. This was allhisfault. He killed her family.

“I’ll kill you,” she shrieked, trying to dislodge the soldiers holding her in place.

“Feisty one,” the redhead grunted as he wrapped her hair around his fist and yanked, causing her body to bow.

The prince stood and walked down the stairs, looming over Wren. He cocked his head as he watched her struggle. “You have two choices, my lady.”

Wren strained toward him, ignoring the pain in her body. “Let me go.”

“All in good time,” he murmured. His gaze seemed to pierce her as he observed her. “I have been tasked with bringing you back to the king of Verlanti. You will be wed to him.”

“Never,” she hissed.

“I’m not finished,” he said softly. “I am giving you a choice. Death or marriage.”

Don’t be rash.

Wren wanted to die rather than marry the depraved elf king, but her death would be senseless. It would solve nothing. She panted, her pulse pounding in her ears. She already knew what her answer was.

“I’ll marry your king,” Wren answered with calmness she didn’t know she possessed. She’d play their games until a route of escape made itself known. This was an opportunity. Spies did not survive in the Verlantian court, but Wren was being invited into their intimate circle. If she kept her head down, she could tear them apart from the inside and reclaim the Dragon Isles. “I’ll see you dead first.”

A glint of interest entered the prince’s gaze and he smiled. He reminded her of a shark. Predatory and intelligent. “Come and get me, little dragon. I love a good challenge.”

She launched herself at him and pain exploded in her shoulders. Spots crossed her vision a moment before everything went dark.

12

Arrik

“It’s done,” Shane said softly.

Arrik gazed at the unconscious princess laid out on his bed in the small cabin of his ship. She was a bloody mess. There wasn’t part of her body that wasn’t covered in bruises and cuts. Their healer had done his best to clean her up, but she was still a disaster.

“You know I didn’t dislocate her shoulder on purpose?” his second asked.

Arrik glanced to his left at Shane and nodded. His second was many things but an abuser of women wasn’t one of them. “She did it to herself.”

Shane grunted and crossed his arms. “I didn’t expect her to launch herself at you. I’m not really sure how she was able to get to her feet in the first place. It happened so quickly.” A pause. “You’ll have to watch your back with this one.”

Everyone was always out to get Arrik. The moment his father had shown any favor toward him, a target had been painted on his back. “She won’t be my problem for long.”

His second snorted. “I think our journey back to Verlanti will seem longer with her aboard.”

Arrik agreed but not for the reasons Shane thought. There was something compelling and alluring about the woman. She posed a challenge and that excited him. Plus, there had been a glint in her eyes that spoke to his soul. She was unabashedly wild where Arrik had to remain calm. They were opposites. She was the light and he the darkness.

He sighed and rolled his neck, his attention flicking to the windows to his left. Half his navy would stay in the isles while Arrik returned to the capital with the heir and then he’d return.

“Hopefully, she heals quickly,” Shane commented lowly.

Arrik winced and frowned at the unconscious princess. The king of Verlanti was a man of picky tastes. He collected stunning trinkets in all forms, but women were his favorite. If the heir didn’t hold up to his standard, Arrik didn’t want to think about what the king would do with her once he’d legally claimed her land.