Page 48 of The Searching Songbird

“...would do...”

“...another... find her...”

“...time is... need her...”

“... dragon...”

Lily's pulse pounded in her ears at that last word, pulled from the darkness that was threatening to overwhelm her. The dragon. Fia. He meant to offer Fia in her place.Lily cursed as she swallowed into the darkness.

Like hell you will.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Her bare feet slapped against the wet grass as she ran, blinded by the rain that poured down around her in sheets. A flash of lightning lit the sky, striking the ground much too close for comfort. None of it mattered. Not when freedom dangled before her, the edge of the forest beckoning her toward its shadowy depths.

Almost there. Almost there. Almost there.

The words played through her mind like a mantra, pushing her onward despite her bruised and aching limbs. This was nothing, if it meant her escape.

Fia kept her gaze trained on those towering pines, a mere thirty feet away. She could do it, she could leave, she could...

...not move.

Panic set in as she tried to move her hands, her legs, anything, but the useless limbs remained frozen.

A low chuckle sounded behind her ear, and a shiver of terror ran through her body as she felt a hand reach out to brush her cheek from behind. His hand.

He wove his fingers through her hair, caressing the silky strands as he slid his hand down the length of it. Deceptively gentle.

When he reached the ends, he took hold of them, wrapping her hair around his wrist and pulling her head back with a sharp jerk. Her cry of pain came out garbled, with her lips locked into place by some strange compulsion.

“And just where do you think you're going?” He tightened his grip, intensifying the pull on her hair. “Did you really think it'd be that easy?” He chuckled. “But what am I saying? You're nothing more than a mongrel, a pretty pet for my collection. I doubt you have more than two thoughts to rub together in that tiny brain of yours.”

He released her hair, and she clung to the momentary relief, knowing there would be much worse coming her way. He moved so that he stood in front of her and held up his hand. A slim, black choker dangled from his fingers. He grinned.

“A pretty piece for a pretty pet. Am I not a kind master?”

If she had use of her mouth, she would have spat in his face.

“Nothing to say? No, thank you, master? I love it, master? “You're too kind, master?” He made a face of mock surprise. “Oh, that's right.” His lips curled into a sneer. “You can't. Such a foolish pet, you ran right into the wall.”

Wall? What wall? There's nothing here but –

A groan froze on her lips as she realized what she'd missed. An enchanted barrier. He has an enchanted barrier surrounding his grounds. And I ran straight for it.

“I'm afraid I've been too lenient with you, given you too much free reign.” He shrugged. “What can I say, I'm a sentimental man.” Ha! “But it's time you had some restrictions.” He waved the choker back and forth like a pendulum before stepping behind her and securing it around her neck. “That should keep you in line,” he murmured, standing back and admiring the thin scrap of velvet. Then he reached out and ran his knuckles along her jaw, allowing the smooth stone setting on the ring he wore to brush against her skin.

Feeling rushed back through her limbs once more, and she found herself crumpling into a heap on the ground as her legs trembled from the overwhelming sensation of being pricked by a million pins and needles.

“There will be no more running off, Fia,” he said, the tone of his voice indicating just how little patience he had left where she was concerned. “Nor will I suffer anymore disrespect. That piece that you now wear around your neck is more than a simple adornment. Continue to defy me, and you will soon learn the true meaning of pain.”

The true meaning of pain...ha. And just what is there left for me to learn? The only thing I feel now is hatred and a desire to see you dead at my feet.

Her hands curled into fists as she pictured them wrapped around his neck, her fingers digging into his skin as she stole the life breath from his –

Her strangled gasp was lost in a boom of thunder as the soft, velvet choker tightened, cutting off her air. She clawed at the damnable thing in a futile bid to loosen its death grip around her neck.

“If you'd rather not die, I'd suggest you give up your violent musings, pet.” The baron shrugged. “Or not. You've proven to be rather more trouble than you're worth, and I can't have you causing any more disturbances within the household. Especially now that I've selected my baroness.”