Page 69 of Wild Flame

I landed hard on my back and had no time to recover before my soaked attacker climbed on top of me.

I cried out, realizing like an idiot that I hadn’t already done so. The struggle had been surprisingly quiet until now. I should have called out for help immediately, but I had beenfocused on defending myself. I had no idea whether Malik had yet returned to our rooms, but I hoped it alerted someone. Talonar were stationed outside the doors to our suite and I knew they patrolled the outer walls of our courtyard periodically throughout the night.

The assassin cursed low, and his fist connected with the side of my mouth. Pain lanced through my jaw and up into my eye. My lip split, and I tasted blood.

“Leida?” Malik’s concerned voice rang out from beyond the open terrace doors.

My attacker cursed once more, and I gasped in air as his weight rose off me and he fled.

“Leida?” Malik’s voice was closer now.

I watched as my assailant skillfully climbed up and over the courtyard wall. He had just disappeared from sight when Malik’s large frame appeared on the terrace. Two of the Talonar were right behind him.

Those sharp features darkened as Malik took in the dead man on the ground, and the state I was in as I began pushing myself to sitting. He was at my side in moments. Those large, rough hands were supremely gentle as he knelt before me, tilting my face to examine either side. His expression turned murderous.

“What happened?” he demanded, his tone roiling with barely leashed fury.

I shook my head and winced. “Couldn’t sleep,” I mumbled. “Came out here and they attacked me.”

His eyes darkened further as he took in the single dead man. “They?” he demanded, voice deceptively calm.

“There was another. He . . . got away.” I gestured weakly towards the wall.

Malik followed my gaze.

The two Talonar stepped forward. One was Brunara, the female warrior I remembered from the games. “We will find him, Your Majesty,” she promised.

But Malik held up a hand. “No need.” His gaze had gone distant.

A great roar filled the air. A gush of wind wafted my hair, and I looked up just in time to see Azrun’s deep red shape pass by overhead.

A shudder went down my spine, and I almost felt sorry for my attacker.Almost.

“Zara!” I suddenly remembered, clutching at Malik’s arm. “We must check on Zara. She might have been a target as well.”

Malik looked to the warriors. “Go,” he commanded, “and send for Tajan. I need him here.”

Both warriors nodded and were gone.

“Isholet, look at me,” Malik ordered, his voice having gentled once more. His eyes met mine and scanned briefly over my face, his thumb rubbing softly over my lip. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

I shook my head, grasping onto his wrist. As we stared at each other, all the anger and resentment I had been feeling towards him the past few days fell away. All that was left was gratitude that he was here. My head throbbed and my face hurt, but I couldn’t help but nuzzle my cheek into his cupped palm. Either giving or seeking reassurance, I wasn’t sure. The look in his eyes changed, becoming even more intense.

The spell was broken as a scream of terror shredded the night. The sound of beating wings preceded another gust of wind, as Azrun dropped my surviving attacker onto the stone in front of us.

Azrun followed, making the ground shake with the force of his landing. He pressed one clawed foot down over the man, effectively creating a cage where only the man’s head could beseen peeking out between two giant claws. The massive dragon lowered his head to inspect the man and growled deep in his throat. Malik stood and strode over to them.

The assassin’s mask had fallen off, but I didn’t recognize him.

Azrun pulled back as Malik glared down at the assassin with barely concealed rage. His entire body was taut with tension. Then he crouched down and grasped the man by the throat.

“You made my queen bleed.” His voice was a deadly whisper, but I still heard every word. “You attacked her in our home, in my city, while she was under my protection. Letting my dragon gut you and then burn you alive will be the least of what I do to you.” He let go, and the man fell back to the ground with a gasping cough. “Take him to the dungeons,” Malik ordered, his voice like chipped ice. Guards I hadn’t heard approach moved to apprehend the man. “Do nothing until I come. I want to question him myself. Order a sweep of the palace for any other assailants. Also, send for a healer and your queen’s maids.”

“My king.” The four warriors put their fists to their hearts and bowed their heads before leaving, dragging the silent man in tow.

I doubted they would get anything out of him, even under torture. Failing The Order meant failing The Assassin himself, and we were trained to fear that more than anything else. Besides, he would most likely find a way to commit suicide at the first opportunity.

My eyes drifted over to my other attacker, and I watched numbly as his blood slowly filled the crevices between the stone tiles.

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