Jade cried out and jumped back. But instinct kicked in and she lunged for the pot of water she kept in the corner for fire emergencies. Gripping the container, she dumped the liquid on the inferno, instantly extinguishing it.
She fought the panic that seized her. Losing her cottage was her biggest fear of all, for with it, the tangible reminder of her life with her parents would incinerate as well.
Jade attempted to compose herself, but a movement out of the corner of her eye snagged her attention. Once more, she turned toward the windows at the back of the house and a heartbeat later, a ghastly apparition appeared before her eyes—a wraith draped in a cloak as dark as the night, but with the edges of it lit by flames, burning all around him.
Another shriek fell from her parted lips.
A fire wraith?!
She’d only heard about them from her father—no one else had conceded they existed, not even the slayers.
The demon’s sockets blazed where there should have been eyes. When he opened his mouth and fire spewed forth, she let out a full-on scream. Terror tore through her, but she managed to propel herself into action.
“Not my house!” she yelled. Then she bolted for the front door.
She only wore gray drawstring pants, a knit sweater and her slippers. The biting air nearly froze her to the core of her being, but she was desperate to pull the wraith from the close proximity of her home so he didn’t burn it to the ground. She raced along the bank of the river, hearing the pounding of horse hooves behind her. Jade knew they didn’t belong to the Demon King or his general, but to the poltergeist that hunted her.
“Davian!” she called out—in hopes he was near by—just as the horse and its ghostly rider descended upon her.
She stole a glance over her shoulder. The animal reared. Jade screamed again. Then one of the beast’s legs connected with her back, slamming her face-first to the snow-covered earth and knocking the wind from her. White-hot agony lanced through her body, making it impossible to haul herself up. Sprawled on the ground, she tried to concentrate on breathing. Urged herself to crawl away.
Fire erupted beside her, igniting the trees and appearing to reach all the way up to the inky sky. The stallion drew back on his hind legs again. Jade had no time—nor the strength—to react. The horse came down hard, making contact with her left wrist and hand, crushing the bones.
The sound of her suffering reverberated all around her as she wailed. The excruciating pain shot through her, stealing her breath and plunging her mind into a dark abyss so that she couldn’t think or force herself to move.
She lay in the thick snow, with more flakes falling on her as she gasped for even the thinnest slice of air. Her eyelids squeezed shut and she willed herself to begin the healing process, but the raw sensations held her hostage so that she couldn’t focus on anything other than the crippling shockwaves.
Above the pulse ringing in her ears, she heard the thundering approach of another rider and the neigh of his horse, followed by the unsheathing of swords and the clanging of metal. She no longer possessed the ability to open her eyes and see who had come to her rescue. Instead, she put her faith in whoever it was and willed herself to rise above the pain and repair her spine so she could pull in a full breath without it feeling as though everything inside of her had shattered into a million jagged shards.
The sword fight continued for some time, and then she heard a blade bang against a boulder and an animal’s shrill whinny, though it wasn’t the same sound she’d heard minutes before.
Not the same horse.
It was the wraith’s beast that was injured.
Moments later, someone fell to his knees beside her.
“Jade.” It was the Demon King, obviously the victor as the defeated wraith on the horse rode off.
Mustering the vigor to open her eyes for the king, though only capable of half-mast, she peered up at Davian, grateful to see him. Unfortunately, his tormented gaze made her heart hurt—as traumatizing as all the other sensations.
“Don’t move. Don’t speak.” He quickly slipped out of his cloak and carefully laid it over her body.
Another rider joined him—Morgan. He said, “It was a fire wraith, my Lord. You have his weapon now and his steed is wounded. But he’ll come back with a new sword and a healthy horse.”
“He wasn’t intent on killing her,” Davian deduced. “Just injuring her enough to draw me out. To—” He shook his head as rage flared in his eyes. “To bait me.”
“Yes. He must have realized your interest in Jade when we began our surveillance, perhaps thinking we knew he tracked her and were protecting her from the onset.”
“Damn it!” Davian’s fist clenched, then released. He swept his fingers over Jade’s cheek where tears and melted snowflakes left it wet and frigid from the autumn air. “We have to get her to the castle.”
He gingerly rolled her onto her back and scooped her up in his arms, then stood in a fluid movement. Despite his grace and gentle care, she let out another cry and her body shook violently.
“Sorry,” he whispered in a tight voice. “Just hang on.”
“Let me take her while you mount,” Morgan said.
Davian stared down at her. She couldn’t nod; could do no more than blink—and pray he was able to decipher her code.