Page 30 of Claimed By the Fae Lord

As I stumbled forward, I couldn't help but let my gaze flicker over to the horizon, searching, always searching for an escape. My captors, who were marching a good fifty yards ahead, were confident in their control over me.

They didn't know me. Not truly. They saw only a petite frame and mistook it for weakness.

But I was a fighter. I had to be.

My eyes darted from rock formations to the distant cacti and desert trees, seeking any advantage, any place I could find a weapon or disappear into.

Come on,I willed, sweat trickling down my temple.

Then, a sliver of opportunity glinted in the corner of my eye. There was a slight dip in the landscape, shadowed and easily missed.

To the west were what looked to be narrow fissures, crisscrossing into the distance. They could be deep enough to hide in, even if they gave chase.

If I were far enough away, Vance wouldn't be able to use his powers on me. And if I were at the bottom of those cracks, I might find water.

My heart pounded with a surge of adrenaline, and despite the aches that screamed through every fiber of my being, I felt a smile tug at my lips.

It was grim, yes, but it was there, a small, defiant curl of amusement at the irony of it all.

"Thank you," I whispered to the desert gods, to the chance that beckoned.

There was no love lost between me and this harsh terrain, but if it granted me an escape, I would embrace it like a scorned lover taking back a faithless beau.

With stubbornness hardening in my chest, I prepared to seize the moment. With how these assholes interacted I didn't have to wait long.

The distraction was brief. A squabble, a loud curse as tempers flared among my captors, was all I needed.

With a burst of energy incited by desperation and the raw instinct to survive, I bolted. My legs pumped furiously, feet slipping on loose sand as I pushed myself across the terrain.

The desert became a blur, the heat a mere whisper against the speed of my escape. I inhaled deeply on a steady count as I'd been taught, fueling myself with as much oxygen as I could.

I rounded a set of large boulders that hid me from their sight. A copse of trees was just a little further. Then there were a precious few steps to my destination.

"Raina!" My name ripped through the air, a guttural snarl that could only belong to Llew.

"Split up and find her!" Tabor ordered.

Panic flowed into my blood, but I didn't dare look back. Not when freedom was a tangible thing, just within reach, calling out to me with every labored breath.

I was close enough to the break in the landscape to have to make a decision. Jumping blindly into a hole in the ground wasn't smart, but I didn't see an alternative. I needed to get down in there and weave through the nature-made maze to get Llew off my tail.

The sound of his footsteps were close. So close. I bent to jump over the edge; it cost me a precious second.

Llew was on me, his heavy hand clamping down on my shoulder with the force of a falling boulder. I stumbled, the ground rushing up to meet me, but years of training kicked in. My body moved on its own, twisting, turning, fighting for purchase.

"Gotcha," he grunted, his voice laden with satisfaction and something darker.

"Fuck you," I spat out, catching sight of his smug expression as I spun around.

The chain connecting my wrists hindered my options. I clasped my hands together and swung upward. The blow landed on his temple, the shock of it reverberating up my arms.

For a moment, Llew's bulging blue eyes widened in surprise, the red of his hair seeming to flare in the sunlight like a warning.

"I told you, I like it when they fight," he smiled evilly, recovering quicker than I'd hoped.

But there was a slight wobble in his stance, a hint of pain behind those eyes.Good.

"That's because no one in their right mind would want you," I shot back.

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