ra
in front of me. His crimson, slit-like pupils
ar I felt the rust bite through my shirt. Cold sweat dren
ar of a predator. It was a confused, vibrating purr. He was analyzing the scent. In th
fangs brushed right past my cheek. The coarse hair of his snou
or the agonizing crunch of his jaws snapping my neck
in nev
listering heat pres
d tongue. It was covered in tiny, razor-sharp barbs. He was
stung sharply for a second, but then a str
physical symptom of the Madness Curse that plagued Vora royals-began to visibly flatten and recede. The
a fraction. For a split second, a flicker of raw, e
adiators in my family's private beast arena. I knew the absolute w
okes. When the blood stopped flowing, he lifted his head
tly into the crook of my neck. He inhaled deep
s hot breath blasted the drie
slave's sweat soaked into the coat. Ka
precision of a surgeon's scalpel, he hooked the tip of his
issue paper. The coat fell away fr
thin, tight-fitting white undershirt. It clung to my ribs and compl
e. The strange heat at the base of my spine flared hotter, sending a flush across my skin. It was the scen
swallowed the crimson irises. A deep,
his mass
esh. His teeth clamped down hard o
nto the air. My feet dangled uselessly off the ground. He w
out of the ruined cage, dragging me into the
d my legs, trying to
A deep, warning growl vibrated up h
th hands to keep it from strangling me, letting my body hang limp. In the f
nnels. The stone walls flickered with ancient, gl
ir glowing eyes fixed on me. Kaelen didn't even drop me. He just unlea
their bellies, whining and pressing the
ing taken directly into the inner sanctum
rescent blue moss clung to the high ceiling, casting a ghostly light over th
is head and gently dropped me onto a pile of surprising
circled around me. He laid down, completely enclosi
his paws, his crimson eyes
oa
/1/114377/coverbig.jpg?v=aaef70a1f5d7e96638e0076caf4b005a&imageMogr2/format/webp)