“Let me go!” I insisted.
He shook his head, muttering to himself. “Go to Thyr, they said. It would be easy, they said. A two-day trip. Get what you need and get out. It’s not like I’ve been waiting for a very long time for this. No one was even supposed to know I was here.”
My brows furrowed as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. I asked, “Who are ‘they’?”
He ignored me, continuing to rant as though he wasn’t holding me captive in the middle of the woods. “Here I am, making my way through the King’s Forest when an entire contingent of Winged Soldiers flood the area. Then, as if that isn’t enough, I get attacked by some female who apparently doesn’t know how to do anything except stab people.”
“Hey!” I shouted, trying to yank my hand out of his.
He tightened his grip as he stared at me.
“What?” he snapped.
“You’re the one who attacked me.” My eyes widened as I glared at him. “I was perfectly happy beforeyouapproachedme.”
“I just wanted to talk to you,” he growled. “You’re the one who stabbed me before I could utter a single word.”
Then, before I could stop him, he reached up and wrenched back the hood of my cloak. I flinched, pulling away, but it was too late. A flash of recognition went through him, before his mouth set in a thin line.
Blinking, he stared at me for a second too long before dragging his gaze back to mine. His mouth opened and closed, as though he was lost for words.
I did not have the time or the patience for this.
“What?” I snapped, my nostrils flaring.
“You’re…” his voice trailed off, his grip on my hand tightening to the point of pain.
“A female?” I filled in for him. “Beautiful? Dangerous?”
“An elf. A female elf.” Still holding onto my wrist, he continued to stare at me. His eyes swept over me, starting at my head and slowly running down my body.
His gaze was heated, and it caused my insides to twist in a way that I had never felt before. It wasn’t altogether uncomfortable, but I didn’t like it. I needed to be in control, and right now, this male was making me feel… out of sorts. That was the last thing I needed right now.
“Let go of me,” I snapped.
My attacker returned his gaze to mine, his eyes sharper than before. He tilted his head, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “It’s you they’re looking for, isn’t it?”
My heart pounded in my chest, and a roaring filled my ears. My entire body felt too tight as I struggled to breathe. I couldn’t go back. I wouldn’t go back. Not now. Death would be better.
A strange sensation washed through me moments before the ground began to shake all around us. I clamped my mouth shut as tremors threatened to overtake me. Forcing the feeling of helpless terror deep down within me, I shook my head. I wouldn’t give this male the satisfaction of knowing he frightened me.
“What in the seven circles of hell?” my captor sputtered, staring at the shaking ground.
He turned his wide eyes towards me. He loosened his grip on my wrist, and I yanked my hand back with a triumphant cry. The moment he released me, the trembling stopped.
He blinked, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. Suspicion leaked into his voice as he snarled, “Whatare you?”
“We’re not talking about me right now,” I huffed, shaking my head as I took a step back, then two.
There was no way I was going to tell this male that even if I wanted to answer his question, I couldn’t. Family history hadn’t ever been on my tutors’ approved lessons. Knowledge of myself and my past was just one of the many things I’d been denied. I had no idea what kind of elf I was, although I supposed probably a Light Elf. They were the most common breed of elves, after all.
I stumbled over a fallen log, but managed to remain upright as I said, “I don’t go around talking about myself with strangers I met in the forest ten minutes ago.”
He shook his head, prowling towards me. Instinctively, I raised the dagger, moving back.
“Stop,” I ordered through clenched teeth. “If you value your life, you’ll stop moving. I won’t miss a second time.”
To his credit, he did. Raising both hands, he paused. A vein pulsed in his neck as he said, “Look. I don’t want to hurt you.”