Page 49 of City of Promise and Light (Mates of Gods and Fae #1)

We stood, unmoving, the silence growing thicker.

Seconds passed and then he sprang toward me, grabbing me by the front of my leathers, twisting and pushing me into the sand and rocks along the water’s edge.

I yelled out, fighting against his hold, but the strength of his arms felt like boulders.

I scratched, clawed, and kicked at him, every move jarring my wound.

He growled, catching my hands, forcing them above my head and straddling me, the sudden weight of him making me gasp as I strained against his hold.

I tried bucking, pulling my arms out of his hands, but his grip tightened painfully around my wrists.

He moved my hands together and I whimpered.

My body was so weak compared to him, so useless.

Taking his free hand, he slid it down my side until he reached my wound.

He pressed down on it, sending pain through my stomach, and up my sides, making me howl .

“Stop moving,” he commanded gruffly. I stilled under his touch, panting, and he removed his hand to pull out the necklace from my jacket. “Where did you get this?”

Holding the necklace in front of me, I stared at it, my eyes burning. His gaze had a lethal glint in them as they bore into me. If he found out what happened, what I had done, he’d kill me. If I didn’t get away from him now, it would be the last thing I ever did.

My wrists throbbed against his hold, and he leaned in close, his breath mixing with mine. “I asked you a question,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “Where did you get this?”

“I-I don’t know. I found it in the field,” I stuttered, my mouth drying from the lie.

“I can smell your deceit,” he pressed, his voice turning into a threatening growl. “Where?”

Curling my hands into fists, I pulled against his hold, using the last of my strength to lift my hips, pushing him forward.

I struck, lifting my head and hitting him in the nose.

Bellowing, he shifted his body enough for me to kick out, using his weight against him to roll him off me.

I shot forward, hearing his growl behind me as I ran into the trees.

I glanced back in time to see him hurtling closer, blood streaming down his face.

His body slammed into mine, pushing me into a tree, and I yelped at his strength. The impact jarred my senses.

I whimpered, blinking to clear my eyes when I felt him press his body into my back.

My breath hitched when he moved his leg between mine, caging me in.

I should have been afraid. I should have been terrified of him, but I couldn’t stop the heat that was curling low in my stomach.

Not when his warmth and his smell seeped into my body.

“That wasn’t very nice,” he sniffed, his blood dripping onto my jacket .

“Get off me,” I hissed, pushing against him.

“Not until you answer my question. How did you get that necklace?” His voice was softer. I could feel his breath against my neck and ear. I shivered against him.

I could feel him smile, like he knew what his presence was doing to me.

Unbridled anger rushed through my veins, but a memory from my childhood popped into my head and I smirked.

I could feel his eyes narrowing, could feel the confusion and wariness forcing the muscles in his stomach to tense.

My hand twitched against the rough bark before bending behind me, pinching the skin from the side of his stomach, twisting as hard as I could.

Cursing, he pushed away from me. I turned, watching him grimace as he lifted his shirt, looking for a wound that was not there.

I should have used this time to run, but I swallowed, staring at the hard lines of his stomach, pure muscle that I’d only ever seen in magazines and movies.

That moment cost me, I realized, when he whipped his head to me, growling low and deep, baring his teeth at me like a wolf. His crimson eyes turned darker, thunder clapping above us. The wind raged, the trees groaning and swaying as if they were about to topple over.

A quiet curse left me, and I slowly moved away from the tree, keeping my eyes locked with his.

Lightning flashed overhead and I glanced at the sky, at the dark clouds gathering.

When my gaze flicked back to his, my eyes widened.

He closed the distance between us, and I yelped, turning to run, but I was too late.

He grabbed the necklace, yanking me back, choking me.

I gagged, pushing a finger under the necklace, using the force of his pull to break the silver chain.

I stumbled forward, coughing, and the man took a step toward me when Samian’s voice cut through the forest, calling my name.

I breathed, feeling something tugging on my heart, in my very soul, but I stood still, not daring to move.

The man paused, taking a sharp breath. He narrowed those crimson eyes on me, observing me with suspicion. Samian called out my name again and I anxiously swallowed, taking another step back, feeling for the tree behind me. My heart pounded as another clap of thunder sounded above us.

“Go,” he commanded, his lips forming a thin line.

Without hesitation, I ran out of the forest, my legs burning, following that tug that would lead me to Samian.