Page 120 of Dark Rival

He licked his fat lower lip. “You’re the purest of them all—purer than a virgin.”

“Keep walking,” Allie said tightly, her heart slamming.

“But you’re not a virgin. You like to fuck. I saw you this afternoon, in broad daylight.” His smile curved.

“Your master has forbidden rape.”

Speke smiled widely and reached into a jacket pocket. His energy had become explosive, as if he was ready to find a sexual release from whatever thought he was having.

Allie tensed, certain he was about to assault her.

And he threw a rope around her neck, laughing.

Allie went to cut it.

He kicked her wrist so hard that pain blinded her and she dropped the knife.

“I did not touch you,” he crowed, and the noose tightened around her throat. He jerked on it cruelly, so she was hauled abruptly forward. She seized the noose, starting to choke, and he jerked again. Allie fell face-first into the dirt and grass as he pulled, strangling her.

Panic overcame her and she could not think. The noose was so tight, she couldn’t pull it away from her neck. Frantically she clawed at it as she rolled onto her back, incapable of drawing any air into her lungs. She was going to be strangled to death.

Suddenly he released the pressure.

Allie gripped the noose, loosening it, breathing hard and deep, blood seeping down her neck, sobbing in relief.

“Oh, yes,” he said. And he jerked on the line, hard. Immediately the noose tightened, cutting into her flesh, threatening to break her fingers, so she couldn’t breathe yet again. She felt blood against her knuckles, and she was blinded by panic.

She couldn’t breathe.

He jerked tighter.

He was going to break her neck.

She clawed at the rope, at her skin, the night growing even darker, her lungs burning.

He laughed in sheer excitement, releasing all the pressure.

Allie gasped for air, sucking it in, the night blackening around her. She gulped raggedly, her throat on fire, knowing she must not faint, not now. Somehow she tore the rope to her collarbone, gasping. “Stop!” Her tone was raw.

“But I can’t touch, or cut, or taste!” He jerked so hard and abruptly on the rope, she went face-first into the ground and pain exploded in her neck; something snapped.

A roar filled the night.

And Allie felt Royce’s fury. Before she could even assimilate that he had come to defend her and that she’d been too hurt to even sense him approaching, Speke was blasted off of his feet and across the wood.

Choking, Allie seized the rope, loosening it. On her back, frantically sucking in air, she saw Royce standing not far from her, enraged, his murderous fury directed at Speke, his aura like the fires of hell, shocking her. Aidan and Blackwood were with him, but Allie barely saw them.

Royce glanced coldly at her.

As if on cue, Aidan ran to her, kneeling. Instantly Allie felt sick, but not from being strangled and choked. Her gaze locked with Royce’s; she knew he was very, very angry with her. But she had to stop him from killing Speke, who might have information about Elasaid.

Aidan removed the rope, flinging it aside. “Yer bleedin’. Ye clawed yerself. Be still.”

Allie tried to speak, to tell him to keep Speke alive, but it hurt to do so.

“Hush,” Aidan said, encircling her throat with his hands. She started, stunned to feel his healing power entering her body, warming her throbbing neck, realigning her spine, and finally easing the terrible pounding in her skull. It felt so good.

But she couldn’t stay still and her gaze lifted to Royce, who watched her now. Her heart thundered in response to the cold look in his eyes. She wanted to beg him to understand, but he turned away dismissively, lifting his hand, before she could try to use her voice.