Shadowborn Queen - G. Bailey Page 0,7

them in lines behind them. They move so quickly, and they are far taller than I thought they would be.

They stop right in front of where Gold is standing, the biggest centaur right in the middle. I run my eyes up his tall form, the powerful brown legs and body of a horse, but instead of a horse's neck, it changes into a golden armour covered man with long black hair hanging in braids. He stares down at Gold, a clear challenge in his eyes.

"The plenty for trespassing is death," the centaur firmly states, leaving no clue whether he is going to kill us or just telling us the plenty. When Gold doesn't reply and the stare down continues, I know I need to say something.

"My name is Izora Dawn and I am heir to the Light Fae Throne. I am here—," I pause as the centaur humorlessly laughs.

"Tell your pet woman to speak only when she is spoken to," he suggests to Gold.

Gold's body tenses and my guys move closer to me.

"My name is Kirion and I am the king of the Centaurs. You are not welcome here. We do not want war, you must leave."

"You cannot speak to me that way," I reply, pushing to Gold’s side and facing up to the centaur. "I am a princess, a brave woman and I've been through a lot of shit to get here. You will fucking talk to me like a human or Selena be damned, we will have a big problem between us."

"What my mate means, in her delightful manner, is we have a problem in the forest," Gold pushes me behind him and I grumble. "The Titans have been freed and we need the key to lock them away."

"You will only receive death on these lands," Kirion replies. "I will happily serve you if that is what you wish. Your mate will be bred with before being killed."

"And my dragon will rip you to pieces before you even get a second to look at my mate," Gold roars. "Horse is a good snack."

They go back to their staring contest, and surprisingly Scott moves to Gold's side."The key is hidden in a cave with a monster that you have not been able to beat. If we conquer the monster and get the key, will that be enough to earn safe passage from your lands," he asks.

"The monster is unbeatable. My own mother died in that cavern, like many others," Kirion replies. He stays silent for a moment. "Women can only enter the cavern. We send our women in there to die in punishment for their crimes. No woman has ever left the cavern."

"I will go and slay this monster alone," I say, but Kirion pretends he didn’t hear me. I bite my tongue. This guy needs to go to hell.

"May my mate enter the cavern?" Gold asks.

Kirion waits a long time before nodding once. "You have five hours. The cavern is to the left, straight ahead. If you five are not off my land in five hours, monster slayed or not, you will all die."

Kirion turns away and the other centaurs follow him in perfectly formed lines. They run back over the hill and soon everything is silent once more.

"I fucking hate that guy," I say, crossing my arms. "Now let's go and slay a monster for a damn key."

"Are you sure you want to go in alone?" Luke asks me.

I look up at the bright sun in the sky, wondering if Danica is watching the centaurs and hating them as much as me. "I'm sure."

The monster’s cavern is less a cave, and more giant pit in the middle of the desert. Sand pours into the pit with every brush of the wind, and I step back from the edge while the guys all look inside.

"Why do you think men can't go in?" I question out loud.

Gold crosses his large arms. "I should test it."

"No, you shouldn't," Scott says before I can say it. "The centaurs are proud creatures. If they say men cannot enter, it means they have tried many, many times and been killed just as many."

"I can do this alone," I remind them. I brush a line of sweat off my forehead as I spread my wings out. "Wait for me and don't follow. If I'm not back, wait in the forest for me, and I will come to you."

"You best do," Gold tells me, pulling me into a deep kiss. Luke and Axel look equally