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I struggle against my captor’s tightening grip, but I’m not strong enough to fend them off.

My mind races, trying to think of any solution to this predicament, but nothing comes to mind.

It’s as if my bloody brain decided to take a short reprieve just when I need a brilliant idea the most. Cara’s screaming ceases when tiny bright orbs of burning fire float around us.

The arm of my captor is wrapped in dark obsidian steel, and my stomach lurches.

I trail my eyes up his arms, landing on the face of a king’s soldier. He’s pinned me with only his lower body and left arm, while his right is still swirling in the air above him.

Fire wielder.

A blood-curdling scream sounds from my right as I watch another soldier attempting to restrain Cara.

There’s a spark of fight in her eyes as she kicks and punches with all of her might, but the soldier is bigger and stronger than she is.

He—having enough of her antics—slaps her across the face, stunning Cara, which gives him the advantage he needs to fully pin her down.

The man slowly trails his finger down her cheek.

“Stop! Let her go,” I plead, thrashing against my soldier’s hold.

“Shhhh. You must be quiet. I’d hate for anything untoward to happen to your friend,” my captor whispers against the shell of my ear.

I fall silent.

“What a clever woman,” he purrs. “Don’t worry, angel.

It’ll be over soon.” He nips at my ear, and I shrink back against the wall, as if that would create enough distance between us.

He laughs against my neck, finding my futile attempt to evade him amusing.

His right hand trails along my arm, then my waist in slow, calculating movements.

“I’ve been watching you all night. I must say that the way you dance is quite…

alluring. I know you saw me watching you from the shadows.

Yet, you continued dancing with the others. Was it a show just for me?”

Tears threaten to spill from my eyes as my heart rate thumps at an alarming rate.

I was right.

Someone had been watching us from the dark recesses of the night. He was waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of me and possibly Cara.

His full weight is leaning into me now. “I knew I had to have a moment alone with you,” he continues. “If you cooperate, I promise that I won’t hurt your friend.”

“May the Abyss claim you,” I snarl, spitting into his eyes.

Unexpected delight flits across his features. “Oh, you want to play, angel?” he whispers, gaze darkening. “Good, because I like it when they’re feisty.”

Then, his hands are roaming and gripping me in areas that he has no right to. The physical contact sickens me, and everything in me wants to flee from what is happening and think about something else—to go somewhere else .

“Don’t touch her,” Cara shouts, her tone feral. “You can’t do this to her.”

Another slap reverberates in the space.

“Keep your mouth shut, or I will do worse to you,” the second soldier sneers.

I go numb as my mind recoils within itself.

All he’s done is touch my body, but I know that worse is yet to come, and there’s nothing I can do.

I’m giving up, I realize. The beautiful words that Cormac spoke just hours ago aren’t enough to keep me grounded here.

“Just because he cannot see your worth doesn’t make you any less valuable. ”

Right now, all I feel is worthless.

I’m not even strong enough to stop unwanted touches.

Then, an odd warmth and pressure spreads across my forehead.

Release me, a voice rumbles.

I look beyond the soldier, searching for who spoke.

But, there’s no one, except the four of us.

The soldier grabs a fistful of my hair as he continues trailing his fingers along my body.

Fight back, Maeva, the voice commands.

There it is again, and still I see no one.

Unleash me, and together we will make him suffer a fate worse than one thousand deaths, the voice growls.

I shake my head, trying to clear the voice from it.

No one is there, Maeva. It is just your imagination mixed with too much ale, I tell myself.

The mysterious, otherworldly voice is right, though, I need to get us out of here. Despite his claims that he won’t harm Cara, I’m certain that it’s a lie. We’ve heard stories of soldiers forcing themselves on innocent women at night, only for them to be found dead in the square the next morning.

No, this won’t be our fate.

My mind tries once more to think through every scenario in which Cara and I escape without being burned alive .

There is only one option.

I am not enthralled by the idea, but if it works, we can flee. So, to my own detriment, I lean my body into the wicked man’s embrace, appearing to relax against his touch. I count my breaths to steady my heart rate.

One… two… three.

Just as I suspected, he relaxes his hold as he trails kisses down my neck before returning to my mouth.

His kiss tastes like sour wine and tobacco in the most sickening of ways.

He breaks away to reveal a vile smirk. I smile back at him, even though I’d rather vomit.

Slowly, I bring my hands up to his face—caressing it in a way I imagine a willing lover would.

“See,” he croons. “I knew you would underst?—”

I slam my head forward with as much force as I can muster.

His nose breaks with a satisfying crunch.

He releases me as blood gushes from the wound.

Vile curses escape his lips as he roars in pain.

Though my head is throbbing, I run. I need to get to Cara, to get us both home.

I don’t know how I plan to disarm her captor, but I know I won’t leave her here.

I’m almost to her when I’m knocked to the ground. The wind is forced from my lungs by the impact, and the larger body that dwarfs mine. “That… was the wrong… thing to do,” the soldier growls before lifting me from the ground by my hair.

I flail like a wild animal, clawing at anything within my grasp, but all I hit is hard steel over and over again. He spins me around to face him. With a sickened grin, he grabs my neck. He slowly applies pressure, and my vision blurs.

“I told you that if you tried this, you’d have to watch what I do to your friend,” he sneers.

My eyes cut to Cara as she is held back.

So close.

I was so close, and I failed .

The pressure around my neck increases again, and I see stars this time.

This is it.

I’m sure he’s going to kill me until he utters words that cause my blood to run cold.

“It’s a pity how little you care about her,” he taunts. “I hope you enjoy the show.”

Suddenly, I’m falling to my knees, air rushing back into my lungs.

Release me, the voice says, louder this time.

The companion holding Cara moves toward me in quick, long strides. He pins my arms back when I hear Cara scream for help. I look up to see the other soldier as his hands roam over her. Pure terror laces Cara’s eyes as she thrashes against his hold.

“STOP,” I scream, a guttural sound tearing from my throat.

He doesn’t relent.

I jerk and flail, but nothing works. I look at the dark gray sky that’s shrouded in mist as my resolve crumbles. “Siorai, help us,” I plead.

I look for any sign that he heard me.

Siorai doesn’t appear.

“What kind of god are you?” I mumble.

Still no word from our creator.

He will not help us, I determine.

I scream and thrash in the soldier’s grasp again and again.

Suddenly, one of my arms slips free of his grip.

He tries to gain control of me once more, but I swivel to the side.

However, I’m still too slow as his fist connects with the side of my face, and I fall to the ground.

For a moment, the world stops and so does all the noise surrounding me—it is utterly silent.

Suddenly, something both warm and cool floods through my body.

It’s like the culmination of both darkness and light—madness and sanity in perfect balance.

I shake and twitch as the ground beneath me trembles.

The energy coursing through me feels like a hug from an old friend that has been locked away.

For the first time in my life, I feel whole… raw… powerful.

Dangerous.

You’ve awakened, the voice bellows in pride.