"D*mn it! They found us!" Derek spat out.
His eyes widened as the distant riders emerged through the frost-covered fog. One glance at their band told him exactly who they were.
His first thought was that the runaway puppy had guided the knights to them. But he found no trace of Rhen among their ranks. The little dog had disappeared as if swallowed by the mist.
There was no more time to waste.
If the knights reached him now, he'd be forced into a fight that would bleed away his dark energy that he couldn't afford to lose. Every spell tore through his reserves, and replenishing them meant submitting to yet another ritual.
Anna's fresh blood would grant him faster power than the dried remnants he'd consumed before, but even that required time—time he no longer had.
"Move!"
He seized Anna's wrist and jerked her violently towards him. The princess cried out, twisting against his grasp the moment she realised help was near.
"No! Let me go! Let me go, you sc*mbag!" she screamed.
