Page 137 of The Queen’s Shadow

“You should have answered, my Shadow. One hundred lashings would kill a mortal man.”

He met my gaze head on, and there was nothing but fury and hatred reflected back at me.

“I am not mortal, nor am I a man.” He said, his voice low and even. I nearly screeched in rage at his indifference.

Fine. We would see. One hundred lashings were enough to break even the most stubborn of fools. I stalked around him so that I was stationed behind him once again. I pointed to one of the witches in the audience.

“You!” I called, and her head snapped in my direction. I recognized the look of fear that filled her delicate features. Good. She should be afraid of me. “Come here and make sure he doesn’t die. If he dies, you will be the next one on the post.” I threatened. The witch’s face paled, but she got up from where she was sitting and made her way over to us, close enough to my Shadow that she could monitor his lifelines.

“If you won’t beg my forgiveness that’s fine,” I said, making sure he heard the pout in my tone. “Let’s see if I can make you beg me to stop.” I cracked the whip again. This time, when he flinched, it was because the leather cut a diagonal gash across his back so deep, I could see the wet glint of bone in the stadium lighting. His hiss of pain was music to my ears, and I felt a rush of wetness pool between my thighs at the sight of all that pretty blood.

“That was one.” I counted sweetly. Trenton and his band of magick folk broke out into applause. I watched my Shadow sag against the whipping post, before steeling himself in preparation for the next blow.

“Here comes two!” I laughed, drawing my arm back and bringing the whip down on him again.

And again.

And again.

Rycon

Iwas pretty sure I left a rancid trail of blood throughout the folds of reality as Raven’s shadows tore us through space. I had lost count of how many times I had shifted in the last twenty-four hours, and I could feel my internal organs shutting down as we crashed into the common room. I barrel-rolled across the dark stone in my panther form but leapt to my paws as quickly as my screaming limbs would allow.

With a roar, I ripped back into my human body and immediately coughed up an alarming amount of blood.

“Kasha…” I grunted, more blood dripping down my chin as I forced one foot in front of the other to where Raven had landed much more gracefully than I had. She cradled tiny Kasha in her arms, and every fiber of my being was screaming at me to take her back. Jeremy grabbed my outstretched arm on the way by and I weakly tried to throw him off of me, unable to take my eyes off the small crying child.

Each sob tore my chest open.

Each sniff made me see red.

Every second she wasn’t in the circle of my arms was unacceptable. I needed my scent on her. She was mine and right now she smelled like that fucking brothel.

“Rycon! Stop!” Jeremy ordered. The urgency in his tone caused me to pause and I forced myself to tear my eyes away from Kasha to look at him. It took me a moment to register the look on his face.

He was concerned. A muscle in his jaw was ticking and his eyes kept falling to the torrent of blood I could still feel spilling from my mouth and nose.

“You’re dying.” He said calmly. I glanced at Raven, and tried to make eye contact with her, but it was difficult while she was holding Kasha. She pursed her lips and nodded.

“He’s right. You’re dying, I can feel it.”

“Fuck that,” I spat, before a soul rattling cough took over and I heaved up yet another mouthful of blood. My heart sputtered in my chest and a wave of coldness rushed through my body.

“Agreed… I think we would all prefer it if you didn’t die today.” Jeremy said, and he reached into one of the built-in pockets of his armor and pulled out two vials of hemoglo. I raised an eyebrow in surprise as he pressed them into my hand. “Drink this and lie down.” He ordered, but his tone was gentle.

“I’m not doing shit until I have Kasha back.” I snarled. Jeremy and Raven exchanged a look, then Raven nodded, stepping forward.

“Lie down in the pit, she can rest with you while you heal.” Raven said. She walked past me and hopped into the pit, looking back up at me expectantly. I stumbled after her, reaching for Kasha as I collapsed on the stone outcropping next to Raven, my head coming to rest on one of the large green cushions. True to her word, Raven handed me the still-crying child and I pulled her in close to my chest, curling around her protectively. Her sobs almost immediately slowed as I wrapped my arms around her. The blaring alarm in my head that had been going off since I had been forced to drop her was abruptly silenced. It was suddenly much easier for me to catalogue the physical state of my body.

It wasn’t good. Now that Kasha was back in my arms and I could think properly, I was impressed I had managed to remain conscious. My breathing was beginning to feel wet, and I wondered if the blood had begun to pool into my lungs. I made sure Kasha was tucked securely against me before popping the cork off of one of the bottles Jeremy had given me and tossing back the potion. I downed the second one in quick succession and forced myself to relax into the cushion.

I gently rubbed my palm in soothing circular motions on Kasha’s tiny back as I waited for the potions to kick in.

“Shh. You’re safe. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.” I murmured to her as she cuddled deeper into my side, hiding her face from the world. I felt her drift off, and I breathed a sigh of relief when her sobs finally came to a complete stop. I closed my own eyes, willing the hemoglo to work faster, but darkness pressed in on my mind, and I wondered if the potion would be enough.

“Kitten,” I said roughly without opening my eyes. “If I die, you have to promise -”

“Shut the fuck up, you’re not going to die, you asshole.” She snapped at me, though I could hear the sharp edge in her tone and feel the worry pouring off her through the bond.