The Summer King Bundle 3 Stories - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,103

I ripped his head right off.

Except that wasn’t what happened.

Aric was like a cobra striking, ripping the chain from my hands with such force that the flesh on my palms tore. I jerked as the burning pain shot up my arms, stumbling back. He yanked the chain toward him, and I had no choice but to follow. I slammed into him just as he placed his hand around the band circling my neck.

“What did you think you were going to do?” he asked, pale blue eyes gleaming. “Hurt me?”

“Kill you,” I gasped.

“Really?” Aric laughed, lifting me onto the tips of my toes. “Do you really have that in you? Because the last time you and I were alone, you gave up pretty quickly. Trembling and crying on the ground while that old hag bled out beside you.”

“I’m not that girl anymore.”

“Good.” He sneered. “I’d rather you fight me than give up. Weakness is boring.”

Before I could say another word, he lifted me off the floor by the band around my neck. The metal pressed in, cutting off my air flow before I even took my last breath. Panic exploded like a bomb in the pit of my stomach. Turning, he slammed me down onto the slab, knocking whatever air was still in my lungs out. The moment he let go of my throat, my training kicked in.

Don’t get stuck on your back. Don’t get stuck on your back.

Swinging out a fist, I jerked upward, but he was still holding the chain and pulled it back. The back of my head cracked off the stone as he caught my fist and then my other hand. Tsking under his breath, he pressed my wrists together as he transferred them into one hand.

“Keep fighting me,” he said. “I find it greatly amusing.”

Lifting my hips, I twisted toward him, kicking out. The heel of my foot connected with his thigh, causing him to grunt. The burst of satisfaction was short-lived when he drew my arms up over my head.

“Kicking is not nice, little bird,” he admonished. Panic choked me just as badly as the band had earlier when cool metal clicked around my wrists, securing my hands to the stone. “You wouldn’t like it if I did it to you.”

“Fuck you.” I kicked out again, catching him in the stomach.

The blow to the side of my head stunned me. I hadn’t even seen him move, but I felt the explosion of pain. White crowded my vision as I breathed through the agony.

“Didn’t like that, did you?” He had a hold of my leg as he moved down to the end of the slab. “I can do much, much worse.”

“You…you hit like an…underdeveloped five-year-old,” I said, blinking to clear the starbursts from my vision.

Cool metal snapped around my right ankle and then my left, and the only good takeaway was that I wasn’t spread eagle. But when I dipped my chin and peered down, I could see that the hem of my dress was riding up. Not like it had far to go to begin with.

Aric stalked back toward me. “I didn’t know you had such a mouth on you.”

“Surprise.”

He gave me another tight smile as he placed his hand over mine. “I’m going to have to teach you how to be mindful of what you say to me.”

My heart tripped over itself as he trailed his hand down my arm. “Good luck.”

“I won’t need it.” His hand left my arm, and he gripped my cheeks. “You will, but you will find none of it.”

I forced myself to meet his pale eyes. “I’m not scared of you.”

His smile increased as did the pressure on my face. “That is a lie. Do you know how I know that?”

He was right. God, he was. I was terrified of the Ancient, but I’d be damned if I gave him the satisfaction of admitting it. “You’re a super special, know-it-all fae?”

“Cute.” His chuckle dripped ice down my spine as he guided my head up. “I can smell it in your sweat. It reminds me of kerosene.”

“Sorry I…”—I swallowed back a groan as the pressure on the joints of my jaw increased—“I don’t smell better for you.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself.” Using his grip on my face, he pulled me upright as he held the chain in his other fist, shortening the length until the cuff pressed into the front of my throat. My back bowed painfully, and my arms stretched. “I love the smell of fear. It gets