Page 46 of Their Rejected Queen

“Hey!” I shout, immediately earning the wolf’s attention, and everyone else’s in the room.

Ferra scans the darkness, but I know she can’t see me. I’m not sure how long my night vision will last, but for now I use it to navigate into a better position as the wolf snarls.

Step by step, I bring myself closer to the doorway that leads to the next room. The wolf’s hackles rise as he bares his teeth.

“I’m the one you want,” I tell him, but I don’t think there’s any reasoning with a wolf that’s feral, as Sofia called it.

He snarls again, which is all the warning I get before he lunges.

I cry out as I hold out my left arm. He bites down on it, hitting bone as a scream rips from my throat.

Pain explodes through my body, as does something else.

The room rushes into blackness, and even my new power can’t make anything out as an icy chill descends.

“Liliana!” Sofia screams.

The other girls are screaming, too, as the wolf keeps his maw locked on my arm.

But then he yips as if I punched him right in the stomach. A sickening crack sounds, and the pressure is gone.

Panting, I feel around for Sofia and call for her. “Where are you? Grab onto me!”

“I got you!” she says back, and her tiny fingers squeeze my good hand.

I drag her toward where I think the door is. Bumping against the corner, I fall through to the other side, and thank the Gods that we made it.

“The window is somewhere over there,” I tell her. When I trip over the pile of towels, I know we’re close and I slow down so that I don’t run my face into the wall.

Briefly letting go of her, I feel against the cool stone for an opening. My fingers curl over the edge when I find it.

“There you are,” I whisper in triumph. “Come on,” I tell Sofia as I reach for her and find her elbow. “The window is right here. You go first. Use my shoulder.”

“I can’t,” she whispers. Her voice is pinched, and I know she’s crying again. But she’s so strong. She doesn’t run away or scamper through the first exit I’ve offered. “You go first,” she insists.

“If you want me to go through that window, then you need to go first,” I tell her. “I’m not leaving you behind again.”

There’s a moment of silence, but Sofia must believe me, because she grinds her knee against my shoulder as she uses me to prop herself up.

When I feel that she’s sufficiently through the window, I use what little strength I have left to haul myself up. The window isn’t particularly high, but I feel drained again.

My stomach drops when I squeeze through and fall onto the other side. Moonlight illuminates the encampment, and I realize we’ve exited some sort of dark void that had been casting the entire room in shadow.

Arwan’s magic, no doubt.

Fear skitters up my spine as my vision darkens again, and I wonder if the magic is back or if I’m going to pass out.

But when I blink up at a very pissed-off-looking Godric, I see that he’s just blocking the moonlight.

“Oh, hey,” I say sheepishly as I attempt a smile. “Fancy running into you out here.”

His amber eyes seem to burn with golden rings as he pulls me from the ground. My arm screams in protest as I clutch it to my chest.

“You’re hurt,” he growls. His words are barely decipherable as he hauls me into his arms and effortlessly holds me against his body. His clan necklace rests comfortably on his collarbone. It’s both hard and rugged, just like him.

His skin feels like a brand against mine, and I squirm, mostly because he’s so hot.

“Your observation skills astound me,” I say dryly.