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Hel grabbed a passing maiden and snapped her neck so fast Layala barely heard the pop before he shoved her limp body into Layala’s arms.

Layala gasped and gripped her under her arms and around the middle like they were hugging. “What is wrong with you?”

“Better get the body out of here before someone thinksyoukilled her. Right now, she simply looks a little drunk. ThePalenor Scrollwould love that story,” he said and stuffed his hands into his pockets then left her standing there with a dead girl in her arms.

Chapter24

LAYALA

Layala didn’t even have to move before Thane was at her side, taking the dead girl out of her grasp. “It’s alright. I have her.”

Tears burned her eyes and she backed away. He killed an innocent girl because of what she said, because she pissed him off. “I need some air.”

“Go. I’ve got this,” Thane reassured her. Fennan, Piper, and Leif rushed over, surrounding him while she hurried out of the ballroom. She dashed through the torchlit corridors and made a turn out a side door into the fresh night air. Crickets chirped and torches lit the path ahead to a small white gazebo surrounded by red and white roses. It sat empty, thank the Maker. A quiet refuge for her at this moment.

The benches inside were comfortable and made of cherry-colored softwood. She leaned back and observed the little fairy lights twinkling in the rafters of the gazebo. A warm breeze wisped her hair around her face, and she closed her eyes.

“It’s intriguing to find you alone out here. Almost as if it was supposed to happen.”

Layala’s skin prickled as Hel’s voice trickled down her spine. She gritted her teeth and shot to her feet, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but as she turned left and right, he was nowhere to be found.

“Over here,” he said from behind.

She twirled on her heel and his shadowy hooded figure waited near the tall bushes about ten yards out. Out of reach of the torchlight. The hair on her neck and arms lifted. Why would he hide? “Hel, what are you doing?”

“Come have a walk with me.”

Something wasn’t right. She scanned the area, looking for guards or party guests and found them utterly alone. “Why don’t we go back inside?” One foot moved back, then the other. She didn’t want to run but staying felt foolish.

“Come, sweet Layala.” He didn’t move from the shadows.

Alarm bells went off in her head. Hel would never call her sweet Layala. This was a ruse of some kind. The council’s assassins… she turned lifting her dress and dashed out of the gazebo, running down the pathway. Until someone grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her to a halt. She plucked a throwing star from the folds of her dress, whirled around, and nearly fumbled it in shock. The creature holding her must be over eight feet tall with huge horns curling out of long white hair, blue-gray skin covered lean muscle, creepy bright red eyes, different from Hel’s, there was no white at all.

For one moment, recognition flashed across her mind, she’d seen this beast before.

“Hello, goddess.” His voice was gravelly and had a deep bass. “Remember me?”

Layala tried to jerk out of his hold, but he gripped her throat with his other hand and lifted her off the ground. She wanted to scream for help but couldn’t get air. She kicked wildly, and jammed her throwing star into his arm but he didn’t flinch.

“And they said it would be difficult to get you alone and kill you.” He let out a rough cackle and squeezed harder.

Hel, I need you! He’s choking me!

Magic rushed to the surface of her skin and vines ripped out of the ground, coiling around the monster’s legs and up his body. Another shot up from the grass jamming straight through his arm like a spear. With a roar, he dropped her. She hit the ground and gasped for air but coughed from the brutality of his hold. She struggled to her feet in the gown, and it ripped under her foot, but she managed to move forward to the castle.

A sharp blade embedded in the back of her calf, and she went down with a scream.

She rolled onto her side, jerked the blade free and jammed it into the thigh of the beast already hovering over her.

“You’re not invincible anymore,” he said with a raucous laugh. “Just a sad, pathetic, mortal ripe for the slaughtering.”

Layala scrambled back as he moved forward like the dagger sticking out of his thigh didn’t bother him. More vines shot out of the ground, and they slammed into him but couldn’t penetrate, so she twisted them around his legs to at least hold him back long enough to let her get to her feet and run.

Get to the door, get to the door. The injury to her leg caused her to limp but didn’t slow her down much. She slammed into the castle’s side door, stumbled through, and crashed into Hel’s chest. “Hel,” she breathed. “You came.”

He caught her around the waist and steadied her. The flare in his eyes was pure panic. “Who was choking you? Who hurt you?”

Layala stared at him for a moment, then turned back to point but there was no one there. “He was… there, right there.” The mess of her broken vines was scattered all along the path, but the creature wasn’t trapped in them. There was no sign of him at all.