Page 28 of Rising Out of the Darkness
As if on cue, Liam approached with a steaming bowl of something that smelled positively divine. If my legs were working, I would have leapt towards the man and grabbed the bowl away from him. He placed the bowl in my hands, and I thanked the gods the bowl of food was for me.
Bringing the bowl up to my lips, I slurped the savory contents. When I came up for air, I used the back of my sleeveto wipe my mouth and flashed a glare towards Liam. He stepped towards me, and it was hard not to notice the smug smirk twisting the side of his mouth.
“Liam, I’m starving. Don’t you dare give me that look.”
He opened one of his hands, revealing a small spoon. “It appears you won’t be needing this.”
Heat gathered on my cheeks, this time due to equal embarrassment and anger. I ripped the spoon out of his hand and tossed it into the bowl. “Happy?”
“Exceedingly, little lady.”
I grumbled under my breath at the nickname, and Liam chuckled as he plopped down on the log next to me. Reaching into his other pocket, he retrieved the silver flask and dangled it ever so enticingly in front of me.
I took a deep swig of it before tossing it back. After today, whiskey seemed like an excellent distraction. “I swear, I’m starting to become a little wary of the guards who are supposed to be watching me. Just how much whiskey do you drink during the day?”
“Enough to handle a little lady, even one who bounces around spewing fire and challenging anyone around her to a fight.” Liam smiled, then sipped from the flask.
“Agreed! We drink enough to make sure our fire matches your blaze.” Killian snorted, as he sat down next to Liam. “Between the two of us, we make one ruthless enough guard for you, Elena.”
“I’ll drink to that,” a deep voice rumbled from the behind us. Killian tossed the flask over the fire to Declan. He raised it to his lips, taking the longest drink out of all of us.
“Who knew I had so much control over the drinking habits of my guards?” I scoffed, extending my hand to grab the flask back from the prince.
“That’s all for you,” he grumbled, sipping the whiskey before he tossed it back to Liam.
Rage bubbled up to the surface. I was sick and tired of his mood swings. All the anger, frustration and feeling of being overwhelmed were beginning to crack open the lock I had anchored over them.
Killian handed Declan a bowl of stew, and he swaggered over to a spot on the log beside us. Feeling the heat of my glare, he shot me a smug grin and continued to eat his food.
Boiling hot with frustration, I launched my spoon at the prince’s forehead, where it met its target dead on.
“Well, that’s one way to use a spoon,” Liam whispered so faintly I barely even heard it.
The prince’s gaze pierced right through me. His lips curled up like a snarling beast’s. The smile melted from my face as my eyes widened. A shiver crept over me.
Gods.
Before I could blink, he launched himself toward me.
My world tilted upside down as Declan tossed me over his shoulder. Frantically, I pounded my fists against the stone wall of his back while he bent over to grab a satchel and strode away from the campfire.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I seethed. “PUT ME DOWN!”
Deep, raspy laughter tumbled out of the royal highness below me. The grin plastered across his face told me he was enjoying every moment.
“Help me! He’s lost his mind!” I yelled at the men behind me. “Tell him to put me down at once!”
Their eyes widened, and I craned my neck to see Declan toss them a glare as he stalked away.
“Nope, I think we’ll just play it safe and stay over here. I’m not really in the mood to be pummeled by the prince tonight.”
“Excellent decision.” Declan shouted as tossed me a bit higher over his shoulder.
“You miserable cowards!” I snarled, still thrashing about, kicking anything that gave my feet purchase.
The other guards snickered as we passed. Gods, we must really be a sight to behold. With each step Declan took, my ribs thumped against his back, and I began to feel the ache of my dynamis slither underneath my skin.
“Hold your breath, my lady.” The prince snickered as he launched me into the lake below him.
