Prince of Love Read Free Page B

shifted his hand to the hilt of his sword as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.  
    The Tnarg was there, waiting to attack.  
    Sorin’s heart drummed in his chest at the need to defend his woman. He wanted to call out to Katrina, to tell her to run to safety. But that would only alert the Tnarg and cause it to attack before Sorin could reach her.  
    Nay, he had to act carefully. It wasn’t just Katrina’s life at stake, but every person in Drahcir.  
    The soft whinny of a horse drew his attention. He turned his mount to the left and looked through the dense growth of the forest. Suddenly, he saw the Tnarg in a tree ready to spring down atop Katrina.  
    Sorin drew the dagger from his boot as he kicked the horse into a run. Just before the Tnarg dove, Sorin threw the dagger and watched it sink into the creature’s chest.   There was a loud roar as the creature turned its head of mangy brown fur to him and its red eyes full of hatred pinned him.  
    “Run!” he yelled to his mate.
    Katrina’s startled blue gaze jerked from the beast to him.   Her horse reared, and Sorin watched in horror as Katrina fell, landing hard on the ground. The Tnarg landed beside her and pulled out the dagger, holding it over Katrina while she put her hand to her head.
    Sorin unsheathed his sword as his horse quickly closed the distance between them. He leapt from his mount and landed atop the Tnarg just as it was about to slash open Katrina’s chest. The beast flung Sorin off its back with ease and turned to face him.  
    “You won’t stop me,” the creature growled.  
    Sorin got to his feet and grinned while he circled the Tnarg. “You wouldna be after Katrina if my brothers hadna succeeded in reaching Drahcir. You’ve already failed twice. You’ll fail again.”  
    “I doubt it,” the beast said.   “The women are easy to kill.”
    “If you want a real challenge, why no’ test me?” Sorin hoped the Tnarg would accept the dare and Katrina could sneak away.  
    He couldn’t chance to look at his mate to see if she was all right. One slip and the Tnarg would kill them both. Instead, he kept his gaze on the tall, hairy creature with the foul smell, sharp talons, and long fangs.  
    The pictures he’d seen resembled the beast in front of him, but the blood red eyes were more frightening face to face than on any page in a book. Its claws were longer and sharper, and it seemed to have many more razor-sharp teeth than the drawings had shown. Its face was elongated, and even with its mouth closed he could see nearly every one of the jagged teeth in its mouth.  
    And it stood a head and a half taller than Sorin.  
    He ducked as the Tnarg suddenly lashed out with its long arms, its claws narrowly missing Sorin’s head. “You move too slow, human.”  
    Sorin laughed. “You have to use magic in order to beat me. In a fair fight, you’d already be dead.”  
    The Tnarg pulled back its lips and growled. “You ought not to taunt me. I can make your death very painful.”  
    Sorin was tired of talking.   He couldn’t trust anything the creature said anyway.   He ducked and rolled, and then in one smooth motion, came to his feet and plunged his sword deep into the Tnarg. The beast roared in pain, but Sorin didn’t stop. He pushed the sword through the Tnarg and embedded the blade into the tree.  
    The beast’s eyes blazed with fury, and it slashed out with its talons, connecting with Sorin’s arm before he could get away. He bit back a growl of pain and rushed to Katrina, who stared in disbelief at the sight before her.  
    Neither of the horses were near, and Sorin knew his sword would only hold the Tnarg for so long.   They had to get moving.
    “Are you hurt?” he asked as he helped Katrina to her feet.  
    “Nay,” she whispered and turned her wide, blue eyes to him. “What is that thing?”  
    “I’ll explain later. Right now we need to leave.”  
    Sorin took her hand and started running to