Adrienne Read Free

Malik said.
    “She is located on an alternate Bron, Majesty. The parallel dimension caused the delay of the blood spell—or that is my guess. Only you are strong enough to handle an interdimensional portal.”
    Malik took the compliment even though he wasn’t sure he could handle a portal that bridged dimensions. He’d never tried before.
    For his bride, he would make it work.
    “Show her to me.”
    Travers nodded. He spread his hands away from the orb, which started floating and expanding.
    “What is this?” Malik roared.
    The orb showed two black-clad men with a bound-and-gagged woman—his intended bride, he assumed—held between them. The larger of the two men used a knife to cut the woman’s clothes away.
    Malik snapped his clawed hand towards Travers. The other man grabbed his neck and gasped for air. Malik hissed, “If this is your idea of a joke, High Chancellor—” Rage choked his words when one of the men manhandled the woman’s bare breast. The woman’s muffled cry and Travers’s yelp of pain mingled with each other.
    “ You’re hurting him .”
    “I want to hurt him,” Malik growled.
    “ No, you want to hurt them . I suggest you hurry up before they get much further. ”
    Malik made an angered noise before flinging his hand outward. The motion sent Travers careening into the throne room doors. The sound of the man’s pain as he hit didn’t alleviate Malik’s mood. He looked at the two men in the orb.
    “She is your bride,” Travers croaked. He tried to stand with the help of the wall but ended up in a heap on the floor.
    “Get out.”
    Travers nodded and crawled out of the room. The doors closed after him.
    Feyr leapt from the throne dais, landing in front of the orb. He glanced back at Malik with a questioning look.
    Malik said, “You are not coming, Feyr. This is between me—” a sword appeared in his hand and he pointed it at the assailants, “—and them.”
    He pushed his power through the sword. It hit the image with a loud crack. Instant, cold fear hit Malik mere moments after the interdimensional portal formed. His breath fogged.
    This was his bride’s fear. He could feel her emotions, which proved her identity. And the feeling of it added to his overwhelming need to see the blood of both men smeared on his sword.
    The larger of the two assailants had his back to the portal. The man’s companion, who faced the portal, would be able to see Malik—and his own imminent death—if his attention weren’t so focused on the woman.
    Their mistake.
    Malik hurtled his sword like a spear towards the bigger man’s back. He leapt from his throne and followed the sword’s path. The time had come to claim what was his.

Chapter Two
    Greg knelt between Adrienne’s legs. His pants were unzipped and he had a leer on his face. Behind her head, Josh snapped picture after picture.
    Adrienne wanted to twist away from Greg but he held her knees in a painful grip. Her hands were stretched over her head so the handcuffs could pass around the leg of a cast-iron bench.
    Josh had decided to handcuff her to the bench so his hands would be free to work the camera. Adrienne didn’t understand why no one saw the flashes and came to investigate. Where was the night security guard?
    Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut about the paper?
    She should have let her father come and get her.
    She squeezed her eyes shut in hopes of blocking out everything. Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes.
    “Get ready, bitch,” warned Greg.
    He grunted.
    It took a moment for Adrienne to realize nothing was happening. In fact, Greg had let her go.
    She knew it!
    It was a prank. A stupid, elaborate joke, but a joke nonetheless. She would open her eyes and Greg and Josh would be gone, leaving her to try to figure out how to get out of the handcuffs.
    Something hit the ground near her head. She opened her eyes.
    Josh stood with his hands grasping air since he had dropped his camera. His attention wasn’t on her any