The Darkest Touch

He’d been in these woods for days, and there’d been no sign of life. Well, other than the carnivorous plants. Now this?

He looked to Keeley. She put her hands on her hips, every bit the annoyed female. Funny thing. Even that was sexy.

He punched the side of his skull in an effort to clear his thoughts, and it actually helped. He palmed a dagger he’d brought from home, ready to face this newest challenge.

The creature arrived, surrounded by a cloud of dust. Realization hit—this is an Unspoken One. Half man, half beast. Rather than hair, snakes danced and hissed from his scalp. And rather than skin, he had what looked to be the charred remains of fur. Two long fangs protruded over his bottom lip like sabers, reaching his chin. Though he had human hands, his feet were razor-sharp hooves.

His black gaze roved over Torin, cataloging every detail, and his forked tongue stroked over his lips. “Mine.”

* * *

KEELEY STUDIED HER newest opponent. Such an ugly thing. The Unspoken One must have heard the prison fall and come running, determined to find out what had happened.

Now he appeared eager to have a nice Torin dinner.

Get in line. She might not be a carnivore like the Unspoken One, but she would have liked a nibble—or ten.

Stop flirting with the idea of seduction and fight! She thought of all the times this creature and his siblings had invaded the prison, frantic to break through the bars and feast on the prisoners. Though they’d never gotten past the bars, they had reached through and managed to grab hold of those who’d stepped too close; she’d heard the horrendous fruits of their labors. The screams. The pleas for mercy that were never granted. The victorious cackles of glee.

Payback was going to hurt.

As she prepared to render her first strike, Torin flew through the dust and sliced the tip of a dagger across the creature’s throat...only to disappear. Where had he gone? He had to be nearby. According to Galen, Torin was not an immortal capable of flashing.

The Unspoken One remained on his feet, healing quickly and growing angrier.

Torin reappeared and struck—again and again and again—inflicting more damage every time. The Unspoken One tried to latch on to him. Tried being the key word. Torin displayed excitement rather than fear, always ducking at the perfect moment.

As much as she hated to admit it, the warrior’s masterful skill impressed her.

The problem was he wouldn’t make actual contact with the beast or throw a punch. Wouldn’t even kick out his legs. Determined to prevent a plague? Even among the vile Unspoken Ones?

Maybe he truly did feel bad about what he’d done to Mari—Keeley flattened her hand against her stomach to slow the sudden churn of sickness—but that wouldn’t change his fate. It couldn’t. She had one redeeming quality: her integrity. She’d promised to end him, and she would.

The Unspoken One swiped a claw at Torin, and this time Keeley took it personally.

Torin was hers to kill. No one else’s. Anyone who so much as thought about harming him automatically signed their own death warrant.

“I’ll give you a five-second head start,” she shouted to the Unspoken One. “I suggest you run—fast.”

At the sound of her voice, the creature froze. His black gaze swung to her and narrowed. “You.”

“Four.” Keeley fluffed her hair. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about my fondness for viscera and my distaste for showing mercy. Well, I assure you, they’re both true. Just ask your brother. Oh, wait. You can’t. He approached my cell and I gutted him. Three.”

Torin dove through the air, slicing through the Unspoken One’s eye. A bellow of pain echoed. The beast at last got his paws on Torin, batting him in the chest. Torin soared over what remained of the drawbridge into the murky moat below.

Death warrant signed, sealed and about to be delivered. “Two. One.”

“Always thought you’d be the tastiest,” the beast crowed, returning his attention to her. He took a step toward her, and though a hundred yards separated them one moment, he was in front of her the next. He towered over her, his fetid breath fanning her face, burning her skin. “Finally get to find out if I was right.”

“No one taught you the value of a good toothbrush, I see.” She waved her hand under her nose.

“Don’t worry. I’ll clean my teeth...with your bones.” He swung at her—Unspoken Ones so enjoyed tenderizing their meals.

She sent a bolt of power slamming into his chest, causing his entire body to seize. She was about to send another bolt when something hard slammed into her side, knocking her out of the way. That something maintained a tight, intractable hold, traveling with her, twisting midair, taking the brunt of impact when they landed.

She caught her breath and regained her equilibrium—only to realize a panting, scowling Torin loomed above her, a muscle flexing in his jaw.

Fool! “Why did you do that?” she demanded.

“What kind of idiot female just stands there while a beast triple her size prepares to knock her brains right out of her ear hole?”

He is...helping me?

But why?

Thoughts...derailing...

Wet hair clung to Torin’s face, droplets of water trickling down, down, washing away streaks of dirt. Spiky lashes framed emerald eyes glittering with a sensual blend of menace and lust.

He was raw sexuality, his masculinity proving savage enough to batter through every feminine defense she’d ever erected, drawing a hot, carnal response from her. Tremors, breathlessness.

Unending hunger.

Knowing the Unspoken One was out for the count, at least for a few minutes more, she reached up to trace the outline of Torin’s beautiful lips. He stayed put, perhaps trapped by the same desperate need she felt—definitely daring her to do it, to take what she wanted—but at the last second, he reeled backward, as if she’d planned to strike him rather than caress him.

“Don’t,” he snapped. “As long as there are clothes between us, you’ll be fine, but skin-to-skin will destroy even you.”

Anger. With him—and herself. How could she have forgotten his taint?

Relief. Weakness of any kind was not allowed.

Anger again. He was Mari’s killer! The enemy. Desire for Torin could not be stronger than desire for revenge.

Her bones began to vibrate, the ground to shake. The wind whipped into a dangerous frenzy. Thunder boomed as the sky darkened to an oppressive black.

Torin searched for the source of the tumult, not realizing it came from her.

The Unspoken One recovered sooner than expected and flashed to them, swatting the distracted Torin out of the way and grabbing Keeley by the neck. She didn’t struggle as she was lifted off her feet. There was no need.

“Not so haughty now, are you, female?”

“Someone has a toilet-paper word of the day, doesn’t he?”

A sharp lance of pain in her neck. He’d just broken her spine. Oh, well.

“I want you to know the great pleasure I will derive from squeezing you so forcefully your head pops off.” His voice was like razors, slicing at her, his grin slow and triumphant...and all the more evil for it. “I’ll use the wound like a straw and drain you dry.”

Creative. “It’ll take...more than you...to end me.” The vibrations around them intensified, soon spilling into him.