Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark #3)(90)
Author: Gena Showalter

Standing at the side of the bed, peering down at her, he sighed. He would talk, and she would listen. Hopefully he would get through to her.

“You overplayed your hand this time…Kendra.”

He expected her to erupt in defense, or spill more lies. Instead, she returned his grin. “Did I?”

A gasp from the doorway had him turning.

Bjorn stood there—with Elin at his side. “Uh, I came to tell you I obtained a vial of Water,” he said, holding the small, clear container up. “But we can discuss it later. I’ll just take Elin—”

“No.” Elin’s skin paled. Betrayal colored her eyes. “I told you to come to me with anything, that I’d do anything to ensure your needs were met, and you said okay. You even said your tastes had changed,” she rasped, the words rushed, as if she wanted to hold them inside but couldn’t. “You said you were done with this.”

“Well, he lied,” Kendra responded, and she no longer looked like Elin. Or even like herself. Her hair was blond, her face that of a stranger.

Elin backed away.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Thane said, desperate to make her understand.

She gave a bitter laugh. “Do me a favor and save your explanation for the next girl you’re looking to fool.” She pivoted on her heel and ran.

“Elin!”

Thane stepped forward, intending to chase after her. A single thought stopped him: he would have to restrain her to force her to listen to him, and restraining her would remind her of the chains, and he would do anything to make her forget what she’d just seen.

Kendra laughed. “Poor Thane. He finally falls for a woman, but she wants nothing to do with him.”

He gritted his teeth. He’d tried to do a good deed, and this was how he ended up?

Kulta, he projected. I need you to listen to me.

Too bad. I need you to shut up.

Elin, I promise you. What happened wasn’t sexual. Kendra was pretending to be you, but I realized her game and chained her up.

This time, she offered no response.

He tried again. Again, there was no response.

She’d blocked him. Probably hadn’t heard a word of his explanation.

“Go after her,” he commanded Bjorn. “Guard her. I’ll take over as soon as I’m done here.”

As the warrior rushed off, Thane turned his full, seething attention to Kendra.

Despite the implied threat—and his murderous expression—she gave another gleeful grin.

Calm. Just because you began poorly doesn’t mean you have to end that way.

“You should have stayed away,” he told her, his voice low. “I was done with my vengeance.”

“Well,” she snapped, “I wasn’t done with mine.”

“It will cost you. Because I will not allow you to leave until you understand the consequences of harming what’s mine.”

“I could say the same of you,” a voice growled from behind him.

Thane spun.

Ricker the War Ender stepped from a thick cloud of black smoke—and slammed a sword through Thane’s chest, the blade coming out the other side.

* * *

WAIT.

Freaking wait! Elin thought.

Truth began to seep past the veil of hurt. Thane wasn’t a cheater. He wasn’t dishonest. And he loved her. He loved her, and Elin loved him. She trusted him. Trusted him despite what her eyes had seen.

He always did everything within his power to protect her. He would never purposely chain a woman in his bed—especially a bed he’d planned to share with Elin—while she was nearby, able to stumble upon the scene at any moment…without a good reason.

There was an explanation for what had happened, just like he’d tried to tell her.

Relief was a beautiful deluge, and she stopped running. She’d made it all the way to the front porch, she realized. The sun had gone down, and the moon had taken its place, high and full and silvery. She closed her eyes and breathed, her heartbeat gradually calming.

I’m sorry for doubting you, she projected to Thane. Or tried to project. There was some kind of wall in her mind, trapping the words inside. Thane? Can you hear me?

Silence greeted her.

Had he…blocked her?

“No,” a deep, raspy voice proclaimed from…everywhere…nowhere. “I blocked you.”

Her gaze darted left, right. Behind. No one was with her. Then something caught her eye in the distance. A shape. That of a male with long, pale hair. He was tall. Wide. The tallest, widest man she’d ever seen. Not fat, but muscled. Though he had no wings, he hovered in the sky, floating toward her.

His features came into view, and she could only gape. He was magnificent. Like a beam of radiant light, shining down with pure, undiluted beauty.

And yet, cold fingers of dread walked down her spine.

Fight? Or flight?

A friend of Thane’s, or a foe?

Couldn’t be a friend. Why block her from Thane?

Run!

No. No way. Never again. She stood firm.

As he settled a few yards away from her, she gawked. Handsome didn’t even begin to describe him. He was gorgeous. No, that didn’t fit, either. He was exquisite. Nope. Even that word failed to do him justice.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“I am Darkness, Destruction and Doom. I am Death. Yours, at least.”

Her throat went dry. Her skin tingled. And not the good kind of tingles Thane caused, but some kind of get-out-of-Dodge-because-it’s-about-to-blow tingles.

“Why are you here?” Her stomach twisted as a terrible suspicion hit her. “Never mind. Just leave. Now.”

His grin was slow—and pure evil. “Oh, I have no plans to stay…not for long, anyway. But like you, your precious Thane will be dead before I go.”

The prince. This was the prince Thane, Bjorn and Xerxes had talked about.

She couldn’t let him get to the Sent Ones. But what could she do? She was weaponless.

Actually, no. She wasn’t. She swiped up one of the boulders beside the porch stairs. “You want Thane? You’ll have to get through me first.”

His grin widened. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Because you’re a fool!” She launched the missile, and he didn’t even try to dodge, as if he found her effort amusing. But when the rock smacked him in the chest, he blinked. Shock filled his eyes.

“You are strong,” he said.

“And ticked!” She swiped up another boulder.

Bjorn raced past her, catching her by surprise, and acting as her shield. He withdrew two short swords. “Go back inside, Elin,” he commanded. “Now.”