Princess of Thorns by Amberlyn Holland

Author:Amberlyn Holland [Holland, Amberlyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fairy tale, sleeping beauty, curse, royal, prince, princess, fantasy romance
Publisher: Amberlyn Holland
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

TEARS STREAMED DOWN HER face as Islyne huddled into herself, horrified that Conall was in danger and there was nothing she could do to help him

Until an icy tingle of movement brushed along her arm. She jerked her head up to find Cat rubbing the fur of her back against Islyne's wrist.

The violet eyes watched her with pained sympathy.

"Help him," Islyne whispered fiercely. For the first time ever, she ignored the unspoken, unacknowledged awareness that Cat was so much more than she seemed.

Cat stared at her for a long moment, head cocked in consideration.

"What are you waiting for? A man's life is at stake," Islyne hissed, trying to keep her voice quiet enough not to carry down to Conall.

Cat's tail twitched in a clear admonition that she was thinking, followed by a reproachful glare clearly telling Islyne to be patient.

"Izzy? Where did you go? What's going on up there?" Conall didn't sound afraid. But he didn't sound certain either.

Islyne knew he had to be questioning where she'd gone. Had to be wondering if she intended to leave him alone and helpless.

Guilt squeezed her heart and she hunched down to meet Cat's eyes.

"Do something."

It was half plea, half command, but only earned her a flick of unimpressed whiskers. After a second or two of more thought, however, Cat stretched out, flexing her claws. Then she padded back to the bramble barrier and began climbing one of the trees near the pit.

"Where are you go—Oh! Good idea." Hope replaced the confused frustration as Cat's plan became clear.

Using her razor-sharp claws, Cat dislodged one end of a tough, thick vine from the tree. Then she took the freed end of the vine in her mouth, tugging to make sure it was secure.

Once confident it would hold, she jumped down and dragged it almost to the edge of the pit, careful to remain out of Conall's line of sight the entire way. When the vine was close enough, she dropped and kicked the end into the pit. As soon as it fell into the pit, Cat sauntered over brambles and disappeared into the forest.

***

The cold, sucking well of muck Conall had fallen into drove the air from his lungs and left him flailing blindly.

Luckily, though, his ego was the only thing injured when he plunged into the filthy water. Annoyed with himself, he'd coughed up mud and took a moment to assess his situation before swallowing his bruised pride and asking for Izzy's help.

Only to watch as panic swept over Izzy's expression a second before she desperately scrambled out of sight.

Conall bit back the curse that sprang to his lips and fought to keep the annoyance and frustration out of his voice.

"Izzy? Where are you going?"

He waited, fighting for patience. But there was no answer to his question. If Conall strained, though, he could almost swear he heard her whispering to someone with desperate haste and his blood ran cold.

Was there someone up there with her? Had this been a trap of some

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