Page 67 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice pitched.

“I can’t teleport,” Drake growled. “Something is keeping me here, blocking me.”

Footsteps sounded, cresting the stairwell. Drake leaped to his feet. He handed Melodina to me, then pushed the two of us behind him. I peeked around his broad back. The summer fae king entered the room, a dark chuckle rumbling from him.

“What’s wrong?” He hissed. “Can’t teleport?” A cackling laugh escaped his throat. “I had this room magically encased in a barrier field should the child try to escape. It prevents teleporting.” A sneer curled his upper lip. He thrust a finger at us and yelled to his guards, “Kill them!” He snarled. “Leave the child unharmed.”

The guards stepped forward, their eyes assessing us carefully, searching how to strike. Drake snarled, his power rising around him like a coiled viper. Melodina wrapped her arms around my neck, her body trembling. I placed Melodina on the ground and unwrapped her arms from around my neck.

“Mama!” Melodina cried, her eyes widened in panic.

“I’m here,” I reassured her. “Stay close to me. Mama is going to protect you.”

Melodina looked up at me, her gaze questioning. I felt my stomach roil at what I’d have to do, what I’d have to shiftintoin front of her. Pushing to my feet, I stood beside Drake and bared my fangs at the soldiers. One soldier charged, and like the floodgates bursting open, the others surged toward us. I called upon my wolf and let the shift consume me in a brilliant flare of light. Then Drake and I moved as one.

I lunged, fangs flashing. I caught the first soldier by the throat, tossing him into the air. He fell to the ground in a sickening crunch. Three more soldiers leaped into the air, bringing their swords down in an arc. I darted to the side, avoiding the full force of their attack. White-hot pain lanced through my shoulder as one of the swords slashed my skin open. Blood sprayed. I yelped, retreating. Snarling, I crouched low, hackles raised. My regenerative powers kicked in, the skin closing, the blood flow ebbing.

The three soldiers burst into dark flames. Their wailing pierced the air before they were reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds. I whipped my head, my wide eyes landing on Drake, who was battling both soldiers and the summer king. He shot me a brief glance, his eyes bright with worry. I nodded in thanks before leaping back into the fray.

A scream ripped through the air.

Melodina!

I whirled to find some of the soldiers advancing on her. They grabbed for her, but she kicked out with her legs, screaming for them to get away. A vicious growl tore from my throat. But before I could lunge at the fae, a dark wall shot up between Melodina and the soldiers. Whichever soldiers werecaught in between burst into ash. Meldonia gasped and stilled as the wall enclosed her—protected her.

Drake! He’s shielding her.

Relief billowed through my insides. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of one of the soldiers sending light shards shooting toward me. I darted around them, then pounced—landing on the fae with my full weight. His bones crunched beneath me. I brought down four more soldiers, then landed beside Drake. I snarled at the summer king, bloodlust turning my vision amber as my eyes went wolf-glow.

Wicked satisfaction swelled within me at seeing the summer king’s disheveled appearance—his tousled hair, ripped robes, and blood welling from his left chest. He panted from where he stood across the room. His eyes took on a wild sheen as he called upon his power. A funnel of white light swirled around him like a tornado. Drake’s own power flared. It expanded like a tsunami, towering over the two of us, a dark mass rippling and coiling. Then, I felt it—the raw energy streaming through my veins like a windswept flame. I glanced down at my body and found that I was haloed by a dark aura. I lowered to my belly.

Get on,I told Drake, my mind touching his.

His eyes fell on me, shock twisting his features. But I knew the moment he read my intention, for his eyes hardened with steely determination. He leaped onto my back, sitting astride me, and together, we faced the summer king. We’d fight together.

The summer king roared his fury as the wall of light raced toward us. A war howl tearing from my throat, I ran to meet the wall head-on. Drake threw his power against the blast, and we speared through the wall of light like a sword slicing through flesh. The summer king’s gaze snapped wide withhorror as I leaped at him, fangs bared for the killing bite. The King leaped to the side before my fangs clamped down on his right shoulder, crushing the bone. He screamed in agony and tore himself away from my fangs. The summer king spun around and raced out of the tower and down the stairs. The cowardly bastard was fleeing!

“We need to get Melodina and get out of this tower. There are too many guards that keep pouring in, and my power is about to hit burnout,” Drake told me.

Hold on!I gave the mental command to Drake.

I raced to Melodina’s side. In one swoop, Drake scooped up our daughter into his arms. I spun around, barreling through the wall of soldiers, Drake’s wall of fire setting anyone ablaze that stood too close, as I ran toward the exit. More shadows crested in the stairwell.

Shit!I growled.More guards are coming this way.

“Just get me into the stairwell!” Drake said. “I’ll teleport from there.”

Just as I caught sight of a mass of soldiers bolting up the stairs, I raced into the stairwell, and the corridor spun, the world winking out of existence as Drake’s energy ripped us away from the summer palace.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: REUNION

DRAKE

Melodina looked so small in my large bed.

Her little hand fisted the edge of the sheets; her eyelids shut as her chest rose and fell with even breaths. The female healer, Ralani, stood at Melodina’s bedside. Her arms were outstretched, her hands hovering over Melodina’s body as an aura glowed from Ralani’s palms. The same teal-colored aura that consumed my daughter.

Our daughter…

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