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"Get her out of here, BP," Lyon snapped "I don’t knohat the hell she’s doing, but I’m about to leap out of my own skin Lock her up in the prison, then come back We have so his cheekbones in high relief Finally, he nodded once and turned to her, barely looking at her as he pulled her fro the path back to the prison

"What in the hell did you do to the stairs

"Nothing I don’t understand what happened Animals always react to er Your panther was the only one who didn’t go nuts in there"

Paenther said nothing more as he led her back to the prison and locked her up Then he turned and left without a backward glance as she watched his bloody and retreating back disappear into the passage

He’d protected her And, so far, he hadn’t been able to bring hioodness inside hiht it before, and she believed it even more, now

But that didn’tas he was convinced she was his enee reaction of the ani much to convince hith she ade and the Ferals couldn’t help but har in the world she wanted to do

She sat on the hard floor against the back wall, her hands still trapped uncomfortably behind her back While she feared what the Ferals ht ultimately decide to do with her, she feared Birik more Because she knehat Birik would do

And it was alroup in the war roomthe aid of the Guard," Lyon said as Paenther took his seat

Jag scoffed "The Guard is just a bunch of Therians What in the hell can they do?"

Lyon growled "They’re dahters, just Therians or not They won’t be ofthe draden, but they can help in other ways A small team is on its way over to discuss the situation as we speak"

Paenther half listened to the discussion, shaken by how violently he’d reacted to Jag’s threat against Skye It infuriated hiic, but she obviously still had her claws in him

Lyon placed his hands palm down on the table and looked at Paenther "Until those shackles co Feral House I don’t want you leaving"

Great Now I’ue the point Lyon was right

"Tighe and Foxx, you take first shift with the draden You’ll rotate with Jag"

Paenther looked at Lyon "Since when do we need three ht a witch home and still wears the shackles to prove it I won’t compromise the safety of our Radiant, or the other women in this house"

He turned to the others "If that’s it, we’re through"

When no one said anythingthe situation the Mage had put him in Even his own chief couldn’t trust him Worse, he couldn’t trust himself

Kara came to hiive you a shot of radiance, Paenther After all you’ve been through, I think you could use it"

Paenther inclined his head with deep respect and deeper affection for this petite woman with the heart of a lioness "I’d be honored, Radiant"

"Fuck" Jag grabbed the back of a chair

Lyon and Tighe, too, see?" Paenther deritted teeth "I think the pain is hers"

Paenther leaped for the door and took the stairs to the underground cha the rest of the way back to the prison No sound reached his ears as he approached her cell, but as he caht of her, his chest seized, his ray as a winter sky

She lay on her back in a pool of blood, her arony Deep cuts marred her lovely face, neck, and hands Scores of therabbed for the keys to her cell with shaking hands As Lyon and the others raced in behind hi back in a snarl "I’ll kill the man who did this"

Lyon came to stand beside his, BP"

Through a haze of rage, Paenther stared, uncos as if a ghost wielded an invisible blade The bloodstains on her dress grew, encoh no cuts appeared in the fabric They were co this?" he de inside As he knelt beside her, blood-caked lashes rose slowly, painfully "What’s happening, little witch?"

She tried to speak, but her voice broke on a word, forcing Paenther to lean closer "Birik" Her face and body contorted, but her ht to forhter?"

"Yes," she gasped "My punishmentfor not" Her mouth went still as a wicked cut slashed across it

Paenther stared at her, at the slashes wreaking havoc on her flesh with quicker and quicker frequency Herhis brain

Birik was punishing her for not perfor the ritual As if she had any choice when she’d been stolen away

That bastard

The slashes were co so fast that it was as if five men attacked her at once The pool of her blood spread

Her suffering tore at him It shouldn’t matter to him She shouldn’t matter to him But she did

"Hoe stop it, Skye?"

"Can’t It willstop" Her words told hih this before How ainst the agony Yet shein silence until finally she collapsed into unconsciousness

In his ain as she’d lain in a heap on the floor of the cavern, bloodied and broken from Birik’s attack He’d kill hi he did, he’d kill that son of a bitch Fury roared through his body, a fury born from the depths of his abhorrence for the abuse of innocents<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>