A Discovery of Secrets and Fate (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #2) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,37

bucking in an effort to throw him off. He’s too heavy, though, and I’m now in a position where my options are incredibly limited.

His face is within inches of mine, his breath hot and fetid against me, and I have to force myself not to gag. Just before his lips touch mine, I make a heaving lurch of my upper body, stretching my neck to the limits, and manage to land a direct hit of my hard-as-hell forehead to the delicate and soft bridge of his nose.

Wade howls in pain, rolling partially off me while holding his face and throwing out curses as black blood pours from his nostrils. Carrick told me once that fae and daemons have black blood, and Wade has copious amounts of it.

He’ll recover quickly, though, and I manage to wiggle out from under him, rolling right off the end of the bed and dropping to the floor where my whip had fallen.

Snatching the handle, I push myself up, ignoring the dizziness and nausea I’m fairly sure is not only the result of my head cracking against the wall, but the foul smell of fae breath. I know there is no room in here to defend myself with a whip, and Wade is already struggling up to his feet. I make a quick decision to get out of the house, precariously flying down the stairs, careening off the wall at the base, and shooting straight toward the kitchen door we’d run through just moments before.

I can hear Wade lumbering down the stairs, still cursing as I clear the porch and turn right. I run past the garage and to the open backyard, having chosen it as there’s a floodlight on the back of the garage that is motion activated. As soon as I hit the patch of grass behind it, the area is flooded with the light I need to see what I’m doing.

By the time I turn to face my adversary, thong of the whip resting on the ground, Wade is coming out of the house. But this time, he’s not running. He sees me and walks slowly, not in the least bit intimidated by the weapon in my hand.

He would be if he knew the thong was coated in iron scales and the fall covered in iron plates. He’d most certainly be a bit more cautious if he knew I had an iron dagger hidden within the handle.

Clearly enjoying the fact I chose the privacy of my backyard, secluded by six-foot wooden fencing and tall, unruly hedges that haven’t been trimmed in years, he feels like he has all the advantage.

His stride is confident, despite the fact his face is smeared with inky blood. His eyes are hateful.

Wade’s gaze goes to the whip, and his lips curl into a sneer. “Seriously? You a rodeo girl or something?”

“Or something,” I mutter, gripping the iron handle a little harder as my hands are starting to sweat.

“Think that’s going to hurt me?” he taunts. “I’m not afraid of a little stinging leather. In fact, I kind of like it.”

I force myself not to show my cards, because this fae has no clue I can see beneath his glamour, nor does he know there’s iron everywhere on this whip.

Taking a deep breath, I let him continue to saunter toward me, his expression confident I’ll be a snack before it’s all said and done. I wait until he’s only about six feet away before I let loose an extremely fast side flick with the whip.

It doesn’t have the flourish of an overhead maneuver and certainly doesn’t wow like a figure eight, but it’s so fast because it’s mostly done with my wrist that his cheek is sliced open before he even realizes the thong has moved.

Wade bellows in pain as he slaps a hand over his cheek. While that iron won’t sicken or slow him down, I know it hurts like hell, and it’s made him think twice as he takes two steps back.

Eyes red with fury, he holds his other hand out, making a claw and turning it inward as if he were reeling me toward him with the power of his mind. He lifts his chin, and I feel the wave of sexual compulsion wash over me. For a second—maybe two—I feel all my resolve start to melt, but then I push back against it.

Hard.

I use the adrenaline rushing through me and the burn of rage that he hurt—possibly killed—Adira, and I collect all of that energy