Radiant Fierce by Everly Frost

Author:Everly Frost [Frost, Everly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ever Realm Books
Published: 2020-07-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Tanner coughs as he regains consciousness with a jolt.

He tries to grab the axe, tries to pull it from his neck and take control of the weapon, but Nathaniel swings it up and over his head. It’s not the largest axe I’ve ever seen, nowhere near as big as Nathaniel’s halberd and a far more simple construction of steel and wood, but it looks deadly sharp.

Every bulging muscle in Nathaniel’s arms and chest tell me that he has the strength to cut Tanner’s head clean off.

A cry of warning dies in my throat as Hagan runs up behind Nathaniel, finally joining the fight.

In a frighteningly simple move, Hagan wraps his left hand around Nathaniel’s throat and drives his dagger toward the other side of Nathaniel’s neck.

The blade stops just before it would sever Nathaniel’s spine.

The move is so expertly carried out that it makes me wonder if Hagan derived his name from it. He has the strength to separate Nathaniel’s head from his spine with one efficient stab.

Hagan’s grip is so tight that Nathaniel is forced to alter his center of gravity, pulled slightly off Tanner, but he refuses to step off him altogether, his muscles straining as he remains firmly in place.

Hagan doesn’t try to take the axe, which hovers dangerously above Tanner’s chest while Tanner lies frozen and wide-eyed beneath it.

“Don’t do this, Nathaniel,” Hagan warns, his fingers tightening around the side of Nathaniel’s throat. “You kill my half-brother and I’ll have no choice but to end you.”

Nathaniel responds with a growl as dangerous as a wolf’s. “I’ve let Tanner live too many times.”

Hagan shakes his head. “If you don’t surrender, Christiana will pay the price.”

The rage drains from Nathaniel’s face, but his chest rises and falls with angry breaths. “Where is she?”

“At the castle.”

Nathaniel’s questions are abrupt. “Has Cyrian hurt her?”

“He will if we don’t bring you back.” The tip of Hagan’s dagger is poised to plunge. “Like I said, Nathaniel, dead or alive. He doesn’t care.”

Nathaniel finally casts his gaze in my direction, meeting my eyes across the distance. The light I saw glowing from his chest is gone. It disappeared so quickly that I’m sure I must have imagined it. A trick of the murky sunlight here. Just the gleam of sweat across his shirt, nothing more.

Possibly for the first time, there’s real fear in his eyes.

“I’ll make sure nobody touches your woman,” Hagan continues, lowering his voice as his focus shifts briefly to me. “She’s proven herself worthy of your attention. If you come quietly, I’ll make sure nobody molests her before we reach the King. I can’t promise anything after that.”

Nathaniel doesn’t speak or move and his silence frightens me more than Tanner’s abuse. I struggle against the ropes binding my hands as I sense many of the hunters recovering and rising to their feet around me. I’m not sure if they’ll respect Hagan’s orders or if, any second now, I’ll have to fight off even more of them than before.

Very slowly,

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