Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
His arms were behind his back, some sort of fabric covering a long length of metallic chain that, when I followed it, found tightened around my wrists.
Beneath it, the flesh of my wrists were burned raw. Almost like… no.
No.
A fae wouldn’t be so cruel, would they? To use iron on another of their kind?
Even as I thought it, I knew my answer.
Yes, of course.
Many, I was sure, would do it if it meant they got whatever they selfishly desired.
Noticing the iron, though, only seemed to intensify the pain. It seemed to sear deeply, cutting into the bone, slipping into my marrow.
My blood screamed with it.
My mind scrambled.
I had to focus.
I needed to think.
“Panic will never do you any good,” Nira’s lesson came back to me. “Think past it to plan and fight.”
I sucked in deep, greedy breaths, trying to focus my attention inward, not to my wrists.
As soon as I could think straight again, it came to me.
My water.
My water could heal me.
But with both wrists bound as I was dragged through The Green, how could I get to it?
If I could just… get him to slow down or stop, I might be able to pull against my chains enough to use my hands to find the flask and pour it over my wrists.
If the pain stopped, maybe I could fight again.
A whimper escaped me as a rock scraped down my bare back, over my butt, down my thigh. I felt the burn of the cut, the warm wetness of blood, then the sting of dirt slipping into the open wounds.
I thought of trying to grab a rock with my feet and use my legs to toss it at him. But the chances of hitting him were slim, and infuriating him were high.
He turned suddenly, and there was a tree. It was young still. But with a thick, strong trunk.
I didn’t think.
There wasn’t time.
I wrapped my thigh around it, feeling the bark biting into my bare skin, creating dozens more scratches.
My other leg wrapped around, using the strongest part of my body to hold.
My upper body jerked as the fae felt resistance.
Then, turning, he let out a growl.
But he dropped my arms.
I fumbled for the flask with shaking, heavy arms, fighting to twist off the cap as I felt the fae’s hands on my upper thighs, prying hard enough for pain to course through my legs.
I fought to keep my legs around the tree, but he was stronger. Before I could react, he had both legs in his hands, looking down at me with a look that sent goosebumps rushing over my flesh as my stomach sloshed around ominously.
I knew that look.
It was the same one that man had at my lake all those years ago.
A lustful man who knew he could take whatever he wanted.
Only this time, I didn’t have my lake to protect me.
He smiled down at me as he stepped forward, pressing my thighs wide as he moved closer.
“I need to deliver you to Grimwood. But there’s no wedding for you to be pretty for now.” Still holding my legs, he dropped down to the ground, then pinned my legs with his knees. His hand went to his trousers, one sliding inside. “So I can rough you up as much as I want now.”
Sick rose up my throat as he freed himself, as his intentions became painfully clear when he reached for the scant swath of fabric covering me.
I wasn’t conscious of the decision, just of the screaming in my mind to make this stop.
But the next thing I knew, I was pressing my linked wrists right against his manhood. There was nothing between that part of him… and the iron around my wrists.
The second of contact had his body jolting like lightning coursed through him, a loud bellow erupting from him as he flew away from me.
I didn’t stop to think.
Didn’t even try to grab my flask as it fell to the dirt.
I scrambled onto all fours, then pushed myself to my feet, running as I heard something from a distance.
Someone.
Screaming my name.
They would come.
I just had to hold on for a few more minutes. Just had to keep running and—
Hands slammed into my shoulders.
With my forward momentum, there was no way to stop myself from falling forward.
I threw out my bound arms, but they collapsed under the impact, making me land face-first in the underbrush, feeling it bite into my cheek and split my lip.
But that was the least of my worries as I felt the fae pinning my legs again, the pressure enough to make me cry out.
“I can get healed,” he growled at me. “My cock will work just fine again.” He was slurring his words, spitting over me with each one. Driven mad, it seemed, with pain. Though it didn’t seem like it had been much of a leap. “But you? I don’t know if you’ll recover from this.”