Page 39 of The King's Man
In desperation, I swung a wild kick and connected with his groin.
He grunted and groaned, tipping forward, snarling a curse… and staggered into a tent without loosening his grip.
My vision began to tunnel. My head shrieked with pain.
I was about to pass out. I would lose consciousness, and this monsterwouldtakeme.
Terror like I’d never felt—not in battle, not facing a sword, or a spear, or any other mortal threat—cut through me like a heated blade.
There was a loud thud, a grunt, and I fell to the earth again, clawing the ground and sucking at the air. Blessed fucking air. I gulped at it, eyes watering, even as every fiber of my beingscreamedat me to move. I tried. I crawled on numb hands and shaking knees, my body trembling as I sucked at the air.
But everything was slow. So slow. To move one hand took an age. To shift my weight, a year.
And then I was grabbed again, and I screamed, “NO!” as I was flipped onto my back. To my shock, the hand let me go. I pushed myself backwards, scrabbling in the dirt, looking for the enemy—only to find Jann standing over me with that other monster in his grip.
Jann had twisted a fist in his hair and held his spear against the fucker’s arched throat—pulled back so tight the tendons onhis neck stood proud. There was blood trickling down his neck where the blade had split the skin when he struggled.
I couldn’t think. Could barely breathe. I stared at Jann, who stared right back to me as he leaned down into the other Neph’s ear, lips peeled back from his teeth.
“We aren’t servants to the Fallen any longer. Or have you forgotten our new King so quickly?” he snarled.
“No—fuck, no!” the bastard spat through gritted teeth. “But she was alone. She was free to use—”
The man’s eyes went wide and he gurgled and coughed. Red, shining ribbons of blood poured out of his throat and down his body in seconds.
I flinched, blinking, shrieking, scrambling back when the wet heat splattered over me.
But my body fumbled and shook and failed me so I ended up on my ass, back tight against the tent, screaming as Jann let the body drop to the earth with a wet thud, then came for me.
I sucked in the last breath I’d ever take and threw my hands up, screaming—
Thick, warm arms circled and lifted me, but nothing stopped my breath.
A hard, prickled jaw rasped against my ear. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. I’ve got you. Shhhhh. We’re getting out of here. Just hold on, Diadre. Hold on. I’ve got you…”
Then everything moved too fast.
Pulling me tight against his chest, he turned sideways to push out of the tent flap, then immediately shot into the sky, rising so quickly my stomach was left behind and my body quivered.
But almost as quickly, he descended again—towards the trees.
Stunned and unable to think, I froze in his arms. Some small part of me was vaguely aware that his breath fluttered in my hair, and his voice—low, and soft—continued to reassure.
…You’re safe. I promise. Never again, Diadre. I’ll never leave you alone again. Forgive me… Forgive me…
And that voice plucked strings in my chest, like talented fingers on a lyre. I clung, arms tight around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder until there was a brief swoop, then we were no longer weightless.
A shiver rocked through my body from head to toe, and Jann’s grip on me tightened.
“Just breathe… just breathe. You’re safe. They can’t see you. We’re in the trees now. Just breathe…”
I opened my mouth to sob and felt my stomach revolt. “I’m going to be sick—” I gasped, then threw myself out of his arms, stumbling, falling, scrambling across dirt and rotten leaves to vomit behind a clump of undergrowth.
My body turned on me, flashing images of thatbeast—his bright eyes, his lascivious smile, his clawing, dirty hands.
Again and again my body heaved, purging him from me.
Until finally I coughed and my body slumped.
