Wild Lands (Savage Lands #2) - Stacey Marie Brown Page 0,3

the strange pill, my throat bobbing.

“Tell me what these are.”

My eyes darted up to his, my jaw locking down.

“Why were you after these?”

Nothing.

“You think it’s wise to defy me?” Anger bloomed in a blink, his eyes igniting in fury, enveloping me. “Speak!”

Silence.

“I order you to talk, Ms. Kovacs.” His lids narrowed, his focus sharpening. A swirl of energy crackled around me, tugging at my tongue and jaw, but broke like waves against the rocks the moment the magic touched my skin.

His nose flared; a nerve in his jaw twitched.

“Answer me. Now!” I could feel the power of the order. The demand hissed in my ear, but I only locked my teeth together, pushing against the sensation. “I said speak!” His hand caught around my throat, slamming me back against the wall, ripping air from my lungs. His form seemed to expand, magic emanating from him. “Last chance.”

“I don’t know,” I croaked out.

“You expect me to believe that?” His face was an inch away from mine, his thumb pressing into my throat enough to make my heart jump and stutter. “I found your bag full of these pills. Tell me why you were taking them. What do you know about them?”

“I don’t know anything,” I spat. “I swear.”

“I have very little patience today.” His cheek twitched, his thumb sliding up and down my neck as if he were taunting me.

“I told you I don’t know what they are.”

“Do. Not. Lie. To. Me.” He clamped down harder. My nose flared. My chest puffed up and down, searching for air, my spine protesting as he continued to push it against the wall.

“I’m not.” Holding up my chin, I stared at him, oxygen wheezing through my nose.

His unsettling focus stayed on me for another full minute before a smirk hinted on his lips. “Fine. You want to play it that way. You will find soon, Ms. Kovacs, this isn’t Leopold. You push… I don’t push back. I obliterate.”

“I survived and escaped your impregnable prison, Killian. You want to torture or kill me? Bring it,” I snarled back.

“Don’t ever call me by my first name,” he growled, his hands clenching, his shoulders lifting. Names held power to the fae. Intimacy. “You call me King.”

“There’s only one king in this world. His name is Lars,” I spit through my teeth, my head swimming for the lack of air.

“He’s not king here. I am.”

“Just because you call yourself king doesn’t make it true.” Saliva dribbled down my chin as I struggled to get out each syllable.

His fingers squeezed tighter, stealing all my air. I clawed at his hold, which did not budge his fingers, as blackness dotted around my eyes.

“Watch yourself, Ms. Kovacs. I am known for having an extremely short temper when it comes to disobedience.” His breath curled around my ear, sparking energy through my skin before he ripped his hand away, stepping back.

Air rushed back into my lungs with a gasping cough, my hand flying to my throat as I gulped in oxygen.

“You want to know what I want with you? What I am already using you for?” Killian snapped back into his cool, composed demeanor, turning around and heading out the door. “Then you will see firsthand.” He flicked his head to the guard. “Cuff her. Ms. Kovacs is going on a little field trip.”

Chapter 2

Two guards escorted me from my chamber in handcuffs, their grasp on my arms and neck secure, preventing me from trying to make a break for it. I wouldn’t have bothered. Not right now. I had to be smart, learn this place. Find its weaknesses.

I took in everything we passed. They took me farther down a stone corridor through two heavy security doors with code locks, hauling me into an elevator that needed Killian’s magic to activate it. Instead of going up, we went down. The deeper we descended into the earth, the more my stomach twisted. It was a tomb underground, reminding me all too much of Halálház, distancing me from my chance at freedom.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Killian twisted his head to peer back at me, but I looked away from his chiseled cheeks and jaw. “You think you are ready for what’s ahead, Ms. Kovacs?”

Sniffing, I lifted my chin, facing him with no emotion.

“Humans. You think yourselves so tough.” Shaking his head, he strolled out.

“I’ve survived so far,” I muttered as the guards shoved me forward into a newly built area. It was a stark contrast to the old stone castle I