Blood Lands (Savage Lands #5)(33)

Peering at Istvan, I realized he was neither shocked nor fearful of what he saw. It was almost as if he were waiting. Wondering.

Dread dropped my stomach into the earth.

“I was told recently you were given the fae pills daily under Killian’s watch.” Istvan lifted his graying eyebrow, glancing at Killian, then back at me. “And they did not affect you.”

How did he know? Before I could even finish the sentence, my attention darted to Iain. A slow, smug smile twitched on his mouth, happily taking the credit. Of course. He was the only one who could have said anything to Istvan. He was there the whole time, seeing and hearing everything about the tests.

“I looked back at the timing when you robbed them from me.” Istvan shot a look at his son and me, telling us he knew I wasn’t alone. “Did you know the whole batch was heading for Leon.” Istvan motioned to the prime minister. “Every one of those soldiers died. Painful, brutal deaths. And all of Killian’s test subjects died in the same fashion. Except you.” He let his accusation ring in the air. “Out of all the test subjects, you are the one it worked on. Why is that? Why didn’t you die as the rest did? Simply luck?”

He tilted his head, studying me.

Staying silent, my chest pumped up and down. Istvan was figuring it was the pills that turned me into this and gave me fae-like powers. In reality, I was always this way, which is why the pills didn’t kill me too.

His lips pressed together. Pushing his shoulders back, he motioned to the guards behind the gates down in the pit. “Grab her.”

“What?” Caden jerked to his father.

The guards reacted instantly. The gates squeaked open, and dozens of armed guards filed out of the tunnels, coming from opposite directions.

Warwick shoved me behind him, growling at the sentries. Ash and Scorpion clustered around me in defense, everyone else following behind.

I could see how this would play out. The newly fae guards were strong, energized, and armed to the teeth. We were weak, bleeding, and some barely standing.

They would join Maddox in a matter of seconds because they were trying to defend me from something they couldn’t stop, no matter what they did. I wouldn’t let them risk their lives. We had lost too many already.

“No!” I pushed around Warwick, stepping in front of them all, my head shaking. “Don’t.”

“What the fuck are you doing, Kovacs?” Warwick gritted, glaring at me. I hoped my expression conveyed everything I wanted to say. The connection between us wasn’t even humming yet. I knew it would; I felt the binds there, but using so much of my power blew out the fuse, and it needed more time to build up again.

“The only thing I can,” I responded, feeling the pounding of feet coming up behind me.

“No,” Ash barked, stepping forward, a burnt-out torch still in his hands.

“Please.” I put up my palm. “This will just end badly. I can’t lose any more of you... I just can’t.”

My friends shifted on their feet, not liking my choice. They glanced at Warwick, ready to respond if he gave them the word to fight.

“Don’t.” I pleaded with him. “Please let me go. There is no other option.”

The guards came up from behind, clutching my arms and binding them with cuffs, pulling me away from my family.

“Wait!” Warwick’s voice boomed through the arena, turning all our heads to him. He pointed his gaze at Istvan. “Take me too.”

Istvan’s brows hitched up high on his forehead in surprise at Warwick’s words. It only lasted for a moment before I saw it shift into interest.

“No!” I shook my head violently, yanking against the sentries’ hold. “Just me! You don’t need him. You just want me.”

“No!” Warwick half spat at me, signifying where I went, he went. “If she goes, I go too.” He motioned between us. “You know you’ve dreamed about possessing me. The great legend, Warwick Farkas. The infamous Wolf. Come on. Take me.” He hit his chest in a challenge. “Just think what you could do with my blood.”

Istvan’s curiosity flamed instantly into desire. Not sexual desire, but desire for more power, more dominance. To own and control The Legend, Istvan would become lore in his own right. The man who caught The Wolf.

Greed and ego perfumed off Markos, and he gave his guards on one side a slight nod.

A cry bellowed from my lips as they swarmed around Warwick, my body curving forward.

Istvan smirked. “Take them both.”





A gun was primed at my head, my teeth crunching together at every pothole or bit of rough terrain the armored car rolled over, thinking this would be the time the guard’s finger would slip, and he’d blow my brains all over the seat.

My muscles were locked tight. I hadn’t moved a hair as the caravan headed back to the city, afraid of any notice from the soldiers I was jammed in with. They were high off their catch and buzzing with toxic male adrenaline, which was never good for a lone female.

There were no windows in the back of the armored truck, and with my slight view of the front windshield, all I could see was darkness.

Istvan, Olena, and Caden were in the car in front of ours. Iain, Sonya, and Leon were behind us, and somewhere after them, they had Warwick. Purposely keeping us separate. And of course, I couldn’t contact him or see if he was all right. The worst time to have our link burned out.