bedeviled & beyond 07 - beset & bewildered by Sam Cheever Page B

of passion. “I don’t intend to let you leave.”
    The door from the castle opened and Caninra strode through, her beautiful face elegant and cold. She stopped before us and bowed. “Prince Torre. I’ve kept my end of the bargain. Now it’s time for you to keep yours.”
    I sucked air, immediately regretting it as the dragoyles’ stench filled my lungs. “You bitch!”
    She slid me a look, her expression unreadable. Then, dismissing me entirely, she looked back to Torre. “My Liege?”
    Energy sizzled beneath my skin as rage bloomed. The keeper might be done with me, but I wasn’t done with her. I strode forward, slamming an energy-infused fist into her smug face. Her head jerked back and dark blood ran from her delicate nose. She stared at me with something like pity and brushed the blood away with the side of her hand. “I am sorry about your partner,” she said, though her tone was far from sincere.
    “You’re about to be a lot sorrier.” I lifted both hands, silver balls of energy sizzling in my palms.
    Laughing softly, Torre grabbed my arms and pulled them down, wrapping me in a stifling grip. To my chagrin, my energy fizzled under his touch. “I’m delighted to see you use your gifts, gorgeous. But I’m afraid I can’t let you harm the keeper of my hounds.”
    My eyes went wide. “ Your hounds?”
    Caninra shifted slightly, a pained expression flitting over her features.
    “Yes. Mine. Your sister and my brother have no use for war dogs but I certainly do. I’m happy to give them a home.”
    “What are you going to use them for?” I asked.
    “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said dismissively.
    “Prince Torre, please.”
    It was clear Caninra wanted something from Torre and she wanted it badly. I had to wonder what a woman who considered herself the Queen of the Hellhounds would want that Torre could give her.
    Torre motioned toward the soldier standing just behind us. Judging by the hardware attached to the man’s crimson and gold uniform, I guessed he was Torre’s captain of the guards. Gerch’s equivalent.
    “Take the keeper to her mate.”
    Caninra frowned. “You promised you’d release him.”
    Torre grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the door. “I will keep my promise.” The door swung open at our approach but Torre stopped, turning back. “See that you do as you’ve been ordered.”
    Caninra’s gaze flared briefly and she skimmed me a look before returning her attention to Torre and nodding. “You have my word.”
    Dread thickened in my belly at the look on her face. Her lips curled as Torre turned away. I caught her gaze, sending her a pleading look that I was pretty sure she’d just ignore. To my vast surprise her features softened and, as Torre pulled me through the door, I was pretty sure I saw regret dancing in her fiery gaze.
    He pulled me down a long passageway lit with flickering lamps attached to the stone walls. As always, I wondered why Hell didn’t pull itself out of the eighteenth century and update its infrastructure. But then, since they used damned souls as human slaves to do all the work, they probably didn’t care about things like electricity and flush toilets.
    “Where are you taking me?”
    Torre’s fingers tightened briefly around mine. “To your rooms. You’ll eventually share quarters with me, of course.” He slid me a glance. “Once I can trust that you won’t try to kill me in my sleep.”
    I tried tugging my hand free from his but he held me without any apparent effort. “It’s going to be a long wait.”
    We approached a pair of etched metal doors and they swung silently inward. Torre barely glanced at the two massive guards who stepped aside to let us enter. He strode to the center of a large suite of rooms and stopped, tugging me into his arms as he turned. His lips found my throat and he kissed his way down to the spot where my shoulder met my neck. There, in the tender flesh at that juncture, he tasted my skin with a swipe of his