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