Lazarus traced away from her room and Maeve let out a ragged breath. Without changing, she went to the bed and closed her eyes. She had sent orders to the rogues to find Emma and bring her back. She had asked them to instill fear in her to the extent that dared not think of running away. Maeve had given orders and used Lazarus's money to give to a rogue group. That group sent the information throughout their web. And only one group could find Emma.
Lazarus had traced her to that cave and she felt a jolt of happiness seeing Emma's blood over there. But Lazarus had killed all the rogues. That was scary. She wished she knew the location of the cave.
---
When Emma opened her eyes, she found herself in the bed with Lazarus. He was tracing his fingers up and down her body, his face focused on sothing so hard that it was like a stone. She could feel the electricity in that touch.
After having lunch with Magnus and Olya, she had gone outside to look for the dragon. She was so srized by it that she felt a longing for it. In her frenzy, she had gone pretty far. The cabin was like a brown dot over the vast snowscape. Even though she was dressed in furs and boots, the cold was biting through her skin. Since the sun had begun to set, she started going back to the cabin, hoping to reach there as soon as possible.
She must have walked only about a hundred ters when she heard the ground shaking. Snow began to slide and she was afraid that there was an avalanche. But to her utter surprise, she saw four gray wolves running in her direction. Rogues. She shrieked and started to run towards the cabin as fast as possible, but the rogues were faster. She couldn't even go fifty ters when the rogues shifted and blocked her way. One of them slapped her hard while another booted her. Wind gushed out of her lungs. Yet another one punched her and she blacked out. When Emma woke up next, she found herself shackled by chains to a cold wall.
"So you are finally awake?" said one of the werewolves, chewing a bone. He spat the bone on the ground and got up from his place to walk to her.
She scrambled back in order to put as much distance as possible between him and her, but she hit the cold wall. He towered over her, grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. She scread. "Leave !" The shifter slapped her hard on one cheek and then on the other. He punched her on the head and she beca dizzy. Blood oozed out of her mouth and nose. "What do you want?" she asked in a low hoarse voice.
He kicked her in her stomach. "You. We want you." And then Emma was surrounded by darkness.
"Lazarus?" she said, her throat still dry.
He snapped his head to look at her. "I have been waiting for you," he said. He jumped out of the bed and after helping her up by propping pillows behind her back, gave her a glass of water.
She drank it hungrily. "Waiting for . Why?"
He took the glass from her and placed it at the bedside table. There were bruises on her cheeks and blood had caked over the bandage that Olya had tied on her head. He caressed her hair away from her neck. "Do you know why shifters kidnapped you? Were they asking for a ransom?"
She shook her head and winced in pain. "No…"
His heart squeezed. He had done a lot of thinking. The truth was finally out. Maeve never intended to bed him. She was only interested in his kingdom, his money and the throne. "Stay like this," he said and went to the bathroom to get hot water for her. He contemplated marking her. He wondered if she would even like being his blood slave. There would be so much hatred in her eyes when he would drink from her. He won't be able to take that hatred.
When he ca back, he removed the white linen from her head very slowly, very carefully. After cleaning her wound, he applied an herbal lotion to it which he had procured on his visit to the palace. She hissed as it burned her skin. "It will be fine in a few days," he assured her in his stern voice. She closed her eyes and he tied a fresh white linen on her head. Once done, he took the wooden basin with dirty bandages back to the bathroom.
He ca back and sat with her. "Hungry?"
She nodded. There was imnse change in him but she couldn't point her fingers on it. He got up and went to the kitchen from where he brought warm rabbit stew for her.
"Why are you still here, Lazarus?" she asked as she ate her stew. "Where are Magnus and Olya? Why aren't you with Maeve?"
He stared at her and said, "Aren't you tired of asking questions?"
"You don't answer any," she shrugged.
"I am with you because I want to be with you. I don't want to be with the fae goddess."
"Why? What has she done to invite your wrath, Lord Lorza?" she said. "You can't just treat like trash. You co and go at your wish without thinking about my feelings." She had a spoonful of the stew. "You did that the last ti. Do you rember? And how long have I been unconscious?"
"You've been unconscious for two days."
She gasped. "So only eight days are left for ?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can you please let go? I really want to et the man I would love." And he took care of her?
He glared at her, but she continued. "My man and I are going to work together, have babies and he will provide with all the support. I want to have a nice family. So please Lord Lazarus, leave ."
Jealousy flared in his chest at her imaginary man. "The only man you would ever know is . So stop dreaming." He took the empty bowl from her hand and kept it on the bedside table.
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