Page 113

I sprinted over the log that blocked my entrance into the tree line. I’d given Estrella the head-start the magic of the Cove demanded, given her the chance to escape me long enough to be deemed worthy of having her as my mate.

As soon as that magic pull released me, I laughed, darting after her and following the trail of her scent. Her excitement washed over me, striking me in the chest as I ran and sending a growl rumbling up my throat.

Something in the forest laughed, the faintest chuckle on the wind that circulated through those trees. The Cove delighted in this moment, in the opportunity it too had been deprived of for centuries under Mab’s control.

I bared my teeth as I hunted for my mate, then caught a glimpse of a gem glittering on the ground. She’d unintentionally left me a trail of breadcrumbs, and in other circumstances, I knew she might have stripped off her dress to keep me from finding her.

But time was of the essence, so even though she ran…

She didn’t try to hide where she went, running palms slick with her own scent all over the trees she passed. Amusement rippled down the thread, consuming me as if I could see her smiling face as she ran.

The bond was stronger here, as if that thread knew we weresoclose to completion.

Her amusement fled suddenly, the bond between us going silent for a single moment that made me falter and pause my steps as I looked around the forest.

The scream that tore through the air made everything inside me freeze.

Never.Never had I heard that sound come from Estrella’s mouth. Never in all the pain she’d experienced had such sheer, utterterrorbeen ripped from her body.

“ESTRELLA!” I shouted.

I forced my legs to move past my blinding fear. I didn’t know where mine ended and hers began, only knowing that darkness curled at the edges of my vision. The shadows came closer, driving me forward as if they reached beneath my feet and gave me the speed I needed to reach her.

Estrella screamed again. The sound cut off sharply, her voice muffled as she grunted. I roared my rage, putting everything I had into that warning call.

The rumble that replied shook the ground, making me stumble to the side. Horror flooded my veins.

Iknewthat sound. Would know it anywhere—no matter how many centuries separated me from my father’s life and death.

Mab might have killed my father in his sleep, but she’d only been able to do so because he’d been weakened. Because his magic had been stolen.

By the creature that now had my mate.

No.

I jumped over a fallen log, racing toward that burning tree at the apex of the forest.

Estrella hung limp from the creature’s grip, held aloft by a single clawed hand wrapped around the front of her throat. It forced her head back, hanging at an unnatural angle because of the sheer size of his hand. It was bigger than her neck, two fingers splayed across her collarbone—smoke billowing off her where he touched her skin and dress.

Her feet dangled above the ground—her legs too short to touch as the enormous monster lifted her to his mouth. Four tusks pointed out from his mouth, parallel to the ground and in line with what might have been lips if it hadn’t been for the horrific, razor-sharp teeth that he bared at my mate.

“Stop,” I ordered, taking a step toward it. I moved slowly—cautiously, trying to distract the thing from Estrella’s limp form.

How much had he taken from her to leave her unconscious? How much had he fed off my mate?

I swallowed down my panic, taking another step forward. Golden eyes snapped to me—another growl.

“You don’t want her,” I said, willing the shadows to gather around me. Showing him the magic I had, whereas Estrella…

I didn’t dare think it.

His body faded into the glimmer of shadows, his being becoming more and more ethereal with every breath of power he inhaled. Only the faintest tint of shadows remained at the top of his head—wafting off his back.

He dropped Estrella, those long, clawed fingers uncurling from her neck. She dropped to the ground—forgotten—her broken body striking the roots beneath her. She crumpled upon herself as the daemon stepped away from her.

She did not move.

I took a step back, raising two hands placatingly as I willed the creature to put distance between himself and the love of my life.