Page 75 of Wolf Caged (Bound to the Shadow King #1)

SAPHIRA

I sat on the chaise longue, gripping the edge of it as everything whirled around me, struggling to catch up with what had just happened.

Malachi had discovered Kaeleron had bought me. Had attacked him for it. And rather than defending himself with his shadows, Kaeleron had protected me, taking a vicious blow to the head.

Oh my gods.

The demon was going to kill him.

I shot to my feet and was out of the door in a flash, unsure where they might have gone and praying it wasn’t far. My boots were loud on the marble floor as I thundered down the corridor, as I growled at the thought of Kaeleron fighting that demon—a demon I had stupidly provoked.

Everything passed me in a blur as I hit the circular vestibule at a dead sprint and ran down three flights of stairs before I leaped, clearing the balustrade and hurling myself into the centre of the room.

I dropped hard, landing on the ground floor in a crouch with a grunt, and exploded forwards, heading for the exit to the garden as my ears pricked.

As the scent of blood hit me.

I bolted into the open, squinting as the sudden change in brightness blinded me for a heartbeat.

Someone grunted, the sound of flesh striking flesh sending fear shooting down my spine.

My head whipped to my left, towards the courtyard where people had gathered, forming a wall around it.

Watching their king and Malachi fighting.

Why wasn’t anyone stopping them? I hit the wall of bodies at a run and growled as I grabbed and shoved them, wriggling my way through.

None of the males and females, a mixture of highborn and servants, looked inclined to leap into the makeshift ring to stop the fight.

As if this kind of thing happened often.

Or Kaeleron had ordered them not to intervene.

A swift glance at a few of the guards revealed that had to be the case. They stood on the side lines, fingers flexing around the shafts of their spears or the hilts of their swords, their gazes worried as they followed the two brawling males.

I looked there too, my knees almost buckling beneath me as Malachi slammed a meaty fist into Kaeleron’s face and he staggered, barely keeping his footing as he shook off the blow and wiped the back of his hand across his bloodied lips, smearing crimson across his cheek.

The bigger male didn’t give him a chance to fully recover, caught him with both hands and brought his knee up, smashing it into Kaeleron’s stomach and forcing a grunt from his lips.

“Stop this,” I snapped and lunged forwards.

Firm hands snared my wrists and held me back and I turned on them with a snarl, baring my fangs.

At Jenavyr.

Her silver eyes were worried as she looked at her brother, as she held me back and let Malachi beat him to a bloody pulp rather than intervening. “Kaeleron knew this would happen the moment you met Mal, and he is prepared to take his punishment.”

“For what? For buying me? For saving me from the twisted attentions of males who had wanted to abuse me?” I wrestled against her hold, a red haze beginning to fill my vision as the sounds of the fight rang in my ears and the scent of blood filled my nostrils.

Something dawned on me, something that stilled my rage for a moment, and I whispered, “Because Malachi was a slave.”

Vyr nodded slowly, her gaze solemn. “Mal went through hell. He lost everything.”

But I hadn’t.

I hadn’t been put through hell. I hadn’t lost anything of worth. I had gained something. I had gained a freedom I had never tasted before. I had been granted my wish to see a world beyond the walls of my pack lands.

“That’s no reason to let him do this,” I snapped, my blood thundering, heart pounding as I stared her down. “Kaeleron has taken nothing from me… and he has given me so much.”

And he was paying for it with his own blood.

I looked back at Kaeleron and tears pricked my eyes as Malachi landed on top of him, as the bastard gripped his face and bashed the back of his head against the flagstones, staining them crimson. When Malachi pulled his head up for another blow, I snarled low and white fur rippled over my skin.

I had been made stronger, braver, trained so I could fight.

Fury blazed in the demon’s eyes, a rage every instinct I possessed screamed wouldn’t be sated by anything other than death.

Kaeleron must have seen it too, because he rallied and shoved the demon off him, his movements sluggish as he rolled onto his front and stumbled onto his feet as Malachi landed on his backside a short distance away.

“Stop this,” I snarled.

Neither male paid me any heed.

They clashed again, a brutal collision of claws and clumsy blows that spoke of their exhaustion.

Fresh blood rolled from a gash on Kaeleron’s neck, so close to where I had bitten him, as Malachi clawed him, cleaving long tears in his black tunic.

Kaeleron repaid him by striking him hard in the gut, but something wasn’t right.

He was pulling his punches.

Malachi wasn’t.

His fist careened into the side of Kaeleron’s face, whipping his head to his left, and Kaeleron staggered in that direction, stumbled and dropped to his knees, breathing hard.

“Stop this,” I whispered, unable to tear my gaze from him, willing him to put an end to this fight before it went too far.

Malachi lumbered towards him, flexing his claws, pure malice in his eyes.

And when he drew back his fist and looked as if he might deal a killing blow rather than stop, something inside me snapped.

It snapped at the sight of Kaeleron on his knees, vulnerable and accepting of whatever punishment the demon wanted to deal, too exhausted to defend himself.

So I did it for him.

I snarled as I leaped into the ring, breaking free of Vyr’s hold as I shifted, leaving nothing more than a shredded blouse in her grip. I didn’t feel the pain of my bones reforming. I felt only cold rage, a violent need to kill the demon who dared harm my male.

Instinct roared to the fore, stealing control of my body, blurring my thoughts as my wolf side took the helm, as I launched between Kaeleron and Malachi, a furious wall of white fur and gnashing fangs.

I snapped them at Malachi, the scent of Kaeleron’s blood driving me deep into my primal instincts that demanded I protect him at any cost.

I lunged at a startled Malachi, clawing his chest and his stomach as I scrabbled for purchase and sinking my fangs into his shoulder as I snarled.

I shook my head, shaking him too, the taste of his blood strong on my tongue.

But not enough. He grappled with me and I bit his arm, his biceps, sinking my fangs deep into his flesh and trying to tear at him.

The demon would die.

A grunt burst from my lips as he managed to fling me off him and I was on my paws in a heartbeat, head low as I snarled at him, as I snarled at the wall of people who surrounded me, all of them a threat to Kaeleron.

I backed towards him, keeping my head low and hackles raised, my posture stiff as I threatened them all, as I snapped fangs at anyone who dared to move, lunging towards them a few inches to drive them away again before I moved back into position.

Protecting him.

“Saphira.” A familiar voice curled around me, warming my chest.

Malachi dared to move.

I skidded forwards a few steps, snarling and snapping my fangs at him, driving him back, and then growled low as I eased back towards the owner of that voice, my gaze darting between everyone, watching for the slightest movement.

“Saphira.” The voice again, softer this time, almost coaxing.

I stiffened as someone touched me, fingers plunging into the thicker fur at my nape.

Massaging that spot.

“I am fine,” he murmured. “You can back down now, little wolf.”

I lifted my snout and looked at him, at the blood that covered him, and the wounds that littered his skin.

And snarled even as some part of me despaired, some distant part that was yelling at me to do as he wanted, to back down because I had already hurt enough people.

It wasn’t only Malachi’s blood on my tongue.

I looked at Jenavyr where she stood off to one side, my torn blouse wrapped around her arm, and regret swamped me when I realised it hadn’t been the shift that had broken me free of her hold.

I had bitten her. I had been so frantic to protect Kaeleron that I had hurt her and I hadn’t even realised I had done it.

Malachi moved.

Instinct roared back to the fore, howling at me to protect Kaeleron.

I launched at the demon on a savage snarl.