“Come on, darling,” a woman purred. “Time to give up and let me win. You know I always do in the end.”
The elven woman came to a sliding halt, one leather-clad leg extended for balance. She rose like a lithe cat. Her white hair swung around her face and revealed plum-colored eyes with feline pupils. When she grinned, her lilac stained lips split into a perfect smile.
She was—for a lack of a better term in the midst of danger—gorgeous. How was I supposed to compete with such a beautiful fae woman? Her pointed ears were longer than my own, which must have been an elf thing. They were dotted with tiny purple gems and black metal rings.
She locked eyes with me. “Nothing personal, Princess Cerridwen.”
I didn’t notice the crossbow until she’d already fired it. With a wave of my hand, I summoned a wall of foliage. But I wasn’t fast enough. The bolt cut through the air faster than my arcana could grow.
Rhoan slung an arm around my waist. When his feet moved, mine did, too. We worked in unison to swap places. It wasn’t until he stood where I’d been that I realized what that meant. I let out a scream when the bolt pierced his chest.
The only indication of pain that he gave was the barest wrinkle of his nose as he scooped me up from the ground and lunged for the nearby door. The bolt grazed my body from the way he held me. I wrapped my hand around it to see if perhaps the projectile was made of wood.
Much to my dismay, the bolt was made entirely of metal. There was nothing I could do to help him until we were somewhere safe again. It’d hit him right in the heart. I didn’t know how much time he had left.
He growled in pain when I touched the bolt. I flinched and jerked back apologetically.
“Are you really going to sacrifice yourself for a court that sent you away?” the elven woman asked.
She stalked up behind Rhoan. Even as we lurched through the doorway and fae magic transported us from Ness’s house to Rhoan’s trailer, the woman followed. She was in no rush. It was as if she’d simply walked through the door that Rhoan had opened.
He stumbled forward, and I tumbled out of his arms. I crashed into the table while he caught himself against the wall. When he twisted and grabbed at the bolt in his chest, I cried out for him to stop.
“That’s how people bleed out!” I gritted my teeth and tried to roll off the table.
Before I could roll away, the woman planted her boot on my chest. She pointed her hand-crossbow in my face. There was an apology in the wry twist of her lips, but it wasn’t aimed at me. She spared half a second to glance at Rhoan as if they had some sort of history that she was about to tarnish.
My heart clenched—not in anticipation of certain death. This was a more wrenching pain. In this split instant, I realized this woman had a deeper relationship with Rhoan than I ever would, especially if my life ended here.
Her finger squeezed the trigger. Rhoan flew into action. He pulled the assassin’s arm upwards so that the hand crossbow pointed towards his chest. When their eyes locked, my heart broke. Something else shattered as the bolt pierced his heart.
“You would die for her?” the woman howled at him.
Blood painted Rhoan’s lips when he grinned at her. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and wet. “It’s my job.”
Rhoan struck. He twisted to guard me with his body while bringing his blade down with the other. The sharp edge struck the woman, but I felt Rhoan tense and pull back at the last second. He could have carved through her.
He spared her.
Now was my chance. I had to strike. The plant life in here desperately wanted to save us; I only had to tell it how. Yet, I froze. My hands trembled. I found myself on my knees, looking up at Alvin all over again.
This wasn’t the same situation. I wasn’t completely defenseless. In me was a wealth of power that I barely understood. All I had to do was call upon it.
But nothing would come to me. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t move. My body betrayed me while Rhoan bled out.
He, however, was undaunted even with a bolt through his heart. He’d taken two now, and he acted like both were nothing more than paper cuts as he pushed the woman out the door of his small trailer. Their blades clashed, ringing out so loud that my ears ached.
Move, Cerri. Don’t be a disappointment. Don’t let this man die yet.
The assassin hadn’t come here to kill him. She’d come to kill me. That meant wherever I went, she would follow me. I needed to find a way to escape. Maybe then she would hunt me down.
That plan was intrinsically flawed. I got to my hands and knees and looked up. Rhoan and the assassin were trading blows, almost a perfect match for one another. They moved so fast, I could barely keep up with their fight.
Watching them reminded me that I was nothing more than a hindrance. Rhoan and I would never move that well together. Even though they were fighting against one another, their relationship was still obvious in the way their weapons danced. Rhoan lifted his hand, fingers splayed. When he closed his fist, a sword hilt appeared in his hand.
He brought it down and caught the woman’s dagger along the edge of his own blade. The woman’s attention slid sideways, back towards me. My heart leapt. Arcana swirled around me. I had to figure out how to use it to protect myself. Addie wasn’t here to make a bone beast with me. I had to do this on my own…
Rhoan hit the assassin in the back of the head. She fixed him with a glare.