Slaine loosens his grip on Dagny the slightest bit, and she uses the opportunity to free her arm, snapping it out to the side and using every bit of momentum to send her fist sailing to the side of Slaine’s head. He sees her attack coming out of the corner of his eye, and with one swift movement, snatches her wrist midair, stopping it just before it makes contact—but it doesn’t matter.

While he’s distracted, Dagny rears back, then swings her head forward with a demonic screech that has the hair at the back of my neck rising. Her forehead connects with Slaine’s nose with a sickening crack, and he stumbles back, allowing Dagny’s body to fall to the ground as an anguished scream pours from his throat.

“My fucking nose! She broke my fucking nose!” He reaches up, pinching his nostrils in an attempt to stave off the flow of dark fluid coursing down his face, but it does no good. “Fuck!”

Throwing his hand to his side, he whirls around, spewing droplets of blood across the clearing as he turns his murderous gaze onto Dagny. “You… I’m going to fucking kill you.”

He stalks toward her slumped form, his palms curling around her shoulders and lifting her from the ground before she has time to call on her magic again. “You fucking little brat. I’ll make you pay for this,” he hisses, nodding for one of his soldiers to come over and hold her.

As soon as his hands are free, Slaine rears back, his lip curled in a vicious snarl as he sends his fist straight into Dagny’s jaw. The blow conveys all the rage running through his system, powerful enough to send her body flying across the clearing and into the nearest welwig trunk. The back of her head smashes into the bark with a horrifying crack, sending wood splintering through the air as she slumps to the ice in a limp heap. Right on top of where the heart is buried.

“Dagny!” I scream, the joints in my shoulders popping out of place as I fight against the soldiers, desperate to get to my mate. “Dagny!”

“Dagny! Dagnyyyy! Oh gods, not Dagny!” Slaine mocks, clapping his palms to his cheeks with a gasp. “This is terrible!”

All at once, his expression morphs to one of cool indifference, his hands dropping to his sides as he gives up the act. His cruel white eyes flick toward Dagny, inspecting the awkward angle of her broken limbs. “Poor little dear. I suppose she wasn’t as sturdy as I thought… oh well.” He shrugs, turning his back to me as he stalks toward Dagny, his shoulders shuddering in anticipation as he closes the distance between him and his prey.