Page 182 of The Last Guardian

“Don’t be afraid, Highness.” Haedeon clicked his tongue, holding out his hand to me. “We are old friends, after all. Come see me.”

My blood stopped—froze—slowing my heart rate second by second. My body levitated in the air. My blood… It answered him.

Zaid moved on instinct, reaching for me, but his movements stopped. His body stilled as he was propelled in the air, crashing against the wall violently. His sword fell to the side. His feet flew off the ground, and a red-crimson rope wrapped around his neck.

No.

A guttural, instinctive cry escaped my lungs. I was pushed against the stone next to him in a second. My bow fell to the ground, my quiver and the arrows crushed on the stone.

Haedeon surveyed us. His evil smile curled his thin, bloody lips. “My, my—what a scene,” Haedeon taunted, fingers tapping his chin. His gaze lingered on Zaid before drifting to me. “Deathly Father, bless these poor fools. I did not see this coming.”

Hadeon’s laugh filled the room as my gaze turned to Zaid. The rope tried to tighten but couldn’t, as if it refused to grip Zaid’s neck. To suffocate the life out of him.

“That’s interesting. I can’t use her blood then.” Haedeon’s eyes shifted. “I suppose I should use another’s blood for you.” His hand turned in the air, and the rope around Zaid changed, its colors slightly darker than before. And it hit me in the gut.

Blood. The ropes were blood. And the first one? It was my blood Haedeon had used. But the new blood bent to Haedeon’s will and clenched at Zaid’s skin. Zaid growled as the rope burned his throat.

The vision alone sent a panic coursing through my soul.

“Stop it!” I pleaded; the scream burned my lungs. “Let him go! Please, let him go!” The sob escaped my throat, making Haedeon laugh.

The rope tightened. I could swear to the stars that I felt the burn on my own skin.

Haedeon chuckled once more, slowly stepping closer to me. He stopped a few inches away. The smell of decay tickled my nostrils, and I wished I could vomit on him on the spot.

Haedeon lifted a hand, ready to graze my skin with his fingers, and Zaid hissed.

“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Her.” The rope tightened around him; a whimper escaped my throat.

In answer, Haedeon’s skin touched mine. His eyes rolled in their sockets at the sensation. A disgusting, satisfied sound escaped his mouth.

I tried to struggle, to get away. But my body remained rooted to the spot. My skin tightened, as if he was sucking the core of the blood that gave me life through his pores, his decay, taking pleasure in the sensation of my beating heart within my chest.

Zaid growled. The blood ropes kept spinning around him, enveloping his arms, legs, and torso. I could feel them on each part of my body, too. What was this trick?

Haedeon’s eyes moved to focus on Zaid, taking a few steps to face the commander. Their eyes clashed. Crimson contrasted with emerald. Death against life.

Such animosity passed through their gazes that the ground shook.

“What kind of foolishness led you to entangle with her?” Haedeon asked, jutting his chin at Zaid, “When you already know what she is?”

Zaid tried to speak, but the rope tightened around his neck, suffocating him.

No, no, no, no.

I needed to do something to move, to help him.

“She must be really something,” Haedeon whispered, loud enough for me to hear, “for you to risk what you’ve worked for for so many years. To risk everything.”

I frowned, but before I could think of anything, something shifted in my mind. Echoed in my soul.

Come, a gentle, dark voice whispered in my mind, startling me.

What in the Hells was this?

Zaid struggled against the rope, which loosened for a moment around his neck.

“Fuck you,” Zaid spat through his teeth. “Mark my words, Haedeon. I will come for you for what you did to her. For every dark thought, every look, every touch. When your time comes, I will watch you burn by my hand.”