The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,101
monstrous feline poised over my body.
“Leena!” Oz and Kost shouted as one, but the Nix Ikari dominated my vision. Somewhere, I heard the ominous, heavy crunch of paws stalking toward us and the distinct battle roar of Onyx. Tension snapped through the air.
Throat tight, I forced out a whisper. “Don’t move.”
Shadows slunk along the snowy earth and wrapped through my fingers. The Nix Ikari noticed and howled, sinking her razor-sharp fangs directly into the tender flesh of my shoulder. Pain erupted from deep in my muscles, and I bit back the scream brewing in my lungs.
“Don’t!” Shuddering, I fisted my hands. “She sees them. Don’t. Move.”
Oz’s and Kost’s shadows dispersed as Onyx and Dominus slipped into position on either side of me, their contrasting hides visible in my peripheral vision. Their muscles were tense enough to cut glass, and I prayed they understood. One move and she’d sever my head. One move and it’d all be over.
Tears rolled down my cheeks. It couldn’t be over. We’d come so close only to have everything ripped right out of my hands. Noc. The Azad. And now… Felicks squirmed beneath me. If anything happened to him, Kost would never forgive me. I wasn’t sure he’d ever look at me the way he looked at his brothers, but I couldn’t live with myself if something else happened to my assassins. Calem. Noc. Now Kost.
An uncontrollable sob shook me, and I sank further into the earth. Hot tears slid over my cheeks, and I just let go. Let myself revel in the nightmare that this had been. I couldn’t protect my anam-cara. Couldn’t protect a beast. Couldn’t protect my family. What good was I? No wonder Noc always wanted to keep me safe. I couldn’t even protect myself.
But right here, right now, I’d do whatever it took to keep Felicks safe. That I could do.
The Nix Ikari paused. Time stretched for an eternity as she stared at me, her breath rolling over the fresh wound of my shoulder. Finally, she pulled back. Inhaling deeply, she took in my scent before shaking her head once. And then disappeared in a blur of violet light.
Gone. And judging by the way Onyx and Dominus relaxed into their haunches, she wasn’t coming back. Focusing on my power, I opened the beast realm door and sent them home just as a light dusting of snow started to fall from the sky.
Adrenaline crashed through my limbs, and I suddenly felt too heavy and too light at the same time. My head swam as I blinked, slowly righting myself with Felicks still bundled in my arms. Standing, I turned to face Kost and Oz. They stared at me with open mouths and pale faces, gazes flickering from the now empty space behind me to the wound on my shoulder.
With a weak smile, I held Felicks out to Kost. “He’s unharmed.”
Kost cleared the distance in two strides, and I expected him to wrench his beast from my hands. Get his beloved creature out of my grasp and back to safety. Instead, he crashed into me and wrapped me in a hug. Chin angled down, he spoke into the crook of my neck not marred by the Nix Ikari’s bite.
“Thank the gods you’re safe.”
All the emotions from earlier came rushing back, and I melted into him. I was a crying mess. The Azad. The Fabric Spinner. Noc. Too much. It was all too much, and I couldn’t think, and I didn’t know what was happening, and I was lost. So lost.
Kost’s fingers pressed tight against my shoulder blades. “Leena.”
The sobs tumbling from my lips wouldn’t be appeased.
“Hey.” Kost pulled back a fraction, giving me a glimpse of his face. “It’s okay.”
“But it’s not. Noc is gone. The Azad is gone. Felicks was almost—”
“But he’s not.” Kost nodded to his beast, who wiggled in my arms. Turning to place his paws against my chest, Felicks aimed his face at my wound and began licking. Kost’s smile was brilliant. The likes of which I’d never seen. “We’ll find Noc. It’s not too late.”
Oz joined us, visibly torn between relief and worry. “What about the Azad?”
Weakly, I sighed. “If we can’t find and force the Charmer responsible to release Noc, we’ll have to come back. We don’t have any more fruit, and it could take weeks, maybe months, for me to find one without a lure.”
Kost released me, and his expression went dark. “Understood. Let’s go after Noc first.”