The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,104

other hardly seemed like a valid solution. But I couldn’t let the Sentinels get their hands on Oz and Kost. There was a chance I’d make it out of this alive—if King Varek truly was aware of my existence, he’d be better off keeping me prisoner to try to bend Noc into submission. But Oz and Kost? They were assassins who’d snuck into the capital and defied the king. Their deaths were guaranteed.

Wincing, I rolled my ankle and ignored the pain. I’d been through worse. “I’ll face them. You two, find Noc. Save him. The Sentinels won’t kill me. Varek will want me alive as a bargaining chip.”

“You can’t be serious.” Oz snared my wrist as if he were afraid I’d bolt from the safety of the boulders before he could argue.

Kost glowered. “Leena, you can’t—”

A column of light blasted to life before us, chasing away the shadows of the rock cluster and leaving us entirely exposed. A single Sentinel emerged. His head snapped to us. And while I couldn’t see it, I swear I felt him smile.

We jumped to our feet, and I clenched my jaw against the pain from my ankle. Kost and Oz both moved to stand before me, but I shouldered my way past them.

“I’m the one you want. Let them go.”

The sharp scrape of metal on metal sounded as the Sentinel pulled his sword from his sheath. With one easy movement, he leveled it at my neck. The tip barely nicked my skin, but my blood rolled toward the hilt just the same.

“You’re all coming with me.” His brassy voice echoed from the depths of his helmet, and he jerked his head in the direction of where the other Sentinels were still searching. He inhaled as if to bark an order, but it never came. Instead, a smearing of violet bloomed into existence behind him, and a heavy paw with gleaming claws punctured the armor around his neck. Blood shot outward with a wet gurgle. The Sentinel fell face-first. Blood pooled on the ground around him, turning the snow a vibrant red.

My eyes flew to the space behind him. The Nix Ikari watched me with pensive eyes, tail twitching back and forth. She retracted her claws and stood on the Sentinel’s back, his body crunching beneath her weight. The world went still. Had she been following us all this time? Tracking our escape down the mountain and waiting to attack when we were most vulnerable?

No. My gaze slanted to the deceased Sentinel. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have appeared now. Not with so many threats around. Slowly, I offered her the back of my hand. She sniffed it once, her whiskers just grazing my knuckles, then huffed.

Shouting erupted from the other two Sentinels, and her head snapped in their direction. Hackles standing on end, she let out a low, terrifying hiss. Something sharp and furious raced through her eyes.

“Leena. Are we in danger?” Kost asked, voice hushed.

“I don’t think so.” Still, I wasn’t eager to make any sudden movements. “Just stay where you are.”

The two men were closing in. Swords drawn, they cautiously moved toward us. The Nix Ikari let out a guttural yowl. Vibrant orchid light exploded from her spots, and she angled her head down, pointing her horns directly at the approaching men. Every muscle in her body went taut.

“I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you,” I said to the men. Everything about the Nix Ikari’s stance screamed danger. Why she had chosen to protect us, I didn’t know. But I did know that there was no need for more death. And death would happen if she decided to strike.

The first man shook his head. “You’re coming with us, by order of King Varek.”

And then he made the mistake of extending his sword outward in the direction of the Nix Ikari.

She winked out of existence before I could blink.

Reappearing behind him, she struck as she had with the first Sentinel. Except this time, only two of her nails tore through the armor, leaving the man wounded instead of dead. He tumbled to the ground and dragged himself a few feet away. His comrade leapt to his aid, striking the Nix Ikari’s shoulder. Her hide split open, and she let out a yowl that threatened to start an avalanche. But the sweeping arc of the Sentinel’s attack had left him open in other places, and the Nix Ikari didn’t hesitate. She sank her massive canines into the soldier’s side. The