Emilia's POV
The instant his words cut through the storm, my body rebelled. I turned on my heel and bolted, the mud sucking at my feet, the rain pelting so hard I could hardly see. My muscles screamed in protest, exhaustion clawing at me, but I didn’t care. I had one chance, one sliver of defiance left in me—and I wasn’t going to waste it.
If I could just make it deeper into the trees. If I could just—
My thought shattered with a sharp gasp as a powerful hand clamped around my waist and yanked me back. My legs kicked, my nails clawed at empty air, but I might as well have been a child fighting a mountain. He spun me effortlessly, slung me over his broad shoulder like I weighed nothing at all, and started walking.
“No!” My voice tore out of me, raw and furious, echoing in the storm. My
