Dragonfyre by Donna Grant Page A

her again. The left side of her face was on fire, throbbing with pain. She was powerless to do anything as Joby unlaced his breeches.
    “Hurry,” Milar said. “I want my turn.”
    “What is going on here?”
    Kyndra didn’t think she would ever be so happy to hear Isran’s voice. She cracked open her eyes to see him scowling down at her.
    “Answer me, Joby. What do you think you’re doing?”
    Joby licked his lips and shrugged. “Just havin’ some fun.”
    “I told you she wasn’t to be harmed. You hit her. Several times. And you were about to rape her.”
    Joby opened his mouth to argue when he grasped his throat and started choking. Blood bubbled from his mouth and ran down his chin. A heartbeat later he fell to his side, his lifeless eyes staring at the wall.
    “Milar,” Isran said.

    Milar jumped to his feet. “Don’t kill me.”
    Kyndra rolled to her side and curled into a ball. She didn’t feel sorry for Joby. The bastard had gotten what he deserved. As far as she was concerned, the same fate could befall Milar as well.
    Isran grunted. “Get Joby out of this castle. Let it be a lesson to you. You’ll do as ordered, or suffer the consequences.”
    “Thank you,” Millar murmured and stumbled in his effort to get away. He took Joby’s arm and dragged him from the chamber.
    Kyndra tried to turn away when Isran squatted beside her, but he held her still. He tore off her gag and tossed it aside. “How bad are you hurt?”
    “I’ll be fine.”
    “Without your magic, you will feel more pain and take longer to heal. You think you’re all right, but you’re not. You’re body isn’t use to this type of pain.” To her surprise, he took off his white cloak and draped it over her.
    “Why are you being so nice?”
    He shrugged. “I have a feeling I’m going to have need of you to help me control Aimery.
    I don’t want to kill him.”
    “Why?”
    “I might want power, Kyndra, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see a magnificent warrior when I meet one. There hasn’t been a Fae like Aimery ever, and we might never see another again. To kill him would be…wrong.”
    Kyndra wasn’t sure if she believed him. However, he had kept her from being raped, and she would do whatever was needed to keep Aimery alive. “He won’t rest until he fights you.” Isran sighed and briefly closed his eyes. “I know. He won’t stand a chance of winning, either. You’re his weakness, Kyndra, the one thing I have he will do anything for.” She bit her tongue as a wave of bittersweet remorse washed over her. She had never wanted to be Aimery’s weakness. She had just wanted to be his lover. Surely Isran was wrong.
    Isran pulled a dagger from his waist and cut the bonds binding her wrists before sheathing the weapon. “Come. I’ll take you somewhere more comfortable.” She didn’t fight him when he lifted her in his arms. “You’re wrong,” she said as he walked from the chamber.

    “About what?”
    “Me being Aimery’s weakness. No woman has ever been his weakness.” One side of Isran’s mouth lifted in a smile. “I’ve seen Aimery with women, Kyndra. I was one of his closest friends. Few women turned his head, and even fewer kept his attention.
    I’ve never seen him look at a woman as he looks at you.” His gaze met hers. “The hunger in Aimery’s gaze is absolute. “
    Isran couldn’t be right. Kyndra tried to take in a breath and couldn’t. She refused to believe she would be the one thing that could destroy Aimery.
    “You can save him,” Isran said. “Remember that.”
    She kept her gaze on her hands that clutched his cloak around her. “What makes you think I want to?”
    “Because you have the same look in your eyes.”
    Was she that obvious? She knew she lusted after Aimery, but it couldn’t be more than that, could it? The emotions filling her were too new to fully understand.
    “I’ll do my best to keep him alive,” Isran vowed. “Right now he’s battling himself to stay