Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) by Jen Wylie Read Free Book Online Page A

but she was too close for him to move out of the way. He
tried to raise his spear but didn't have time. Her horse veered slightly,
trying to avoid his, but still it crashed into the front side of the other
mount. With a scream she threw herself at him, vaguely realizing she hadn't
even drawn a weapon.
    Her momentum took him off his horse and they landed
heavily on the ground while the horses bolted. Luckily she landed on top of
him, breaking the worst of her fall. Even so, fury and anger still boiled
recklessly within her as she shifted and sat up to straddle him.
    She automatically drew a dagger with each hand and
attacked, screaming and stabbing while he tried to push her off and defend
himself. Anger took over everything else. She’d lost Cain. He would have killed
Prince. Loss after loss was destroying her. Someone had to pay. She couldn’t
take it anymore.
    He died…at some point. Kei's cry brought her out of
her fury, distracting her.
    She stopped. Bloody daggers raised, she turned her
head to see him and Prince sitting together a short distance away, both staring
at her in complete shock. Looking down she saw the bloody mess beneath her. She
stood quickly, keeping her weight on her good foot, hands dropping to her sides
as she stood over the body.
    Her chest heaved and she tried to control her frantic
breathing and calm the wild anger within her. It had felt good, killing him. It
probably shouldn’t have, but one like him had killed Cain. How could she feel
guilty for having her revenge? There was no trace of guilt or remorse within
her. She felt strangely better, freer.
    She crouched down and wiped her daggers clean on the
dead man’s pants before sheathing them. She wiped her bloody hands as well. The
actions gave her more time to calm herself.
    Sucking in a deep breath she stood and faced her
friends again. The feeling of being alone struck her suddenly, a sharp pain in
her heart. Embarrassment at her wild attack heated her face. Not for what she
had done, but the messy and uncontrolled way she’d done it.
    Hands slid gently down her arms, and she looked up at
Kei, wondering how he’d come to stand before her.
    He looked searchingly into her eyes, his full of
confusion. "Ar-ro?" Her name came out a quiet stutter. "You–"
His hands came up to gently wipe spattered blood off of her face. "Aro."
Kei shook his head slightly. "Are you hurt?"
    She shook her head and glanced past him to Prince.
    His pale face looked more tired and haggard than she
had ever seen him. Blood stained his clothes. She didn't know if any belonged
to him.
    "So you do know how to fight," he said
quietly.
    She smiled weakly. Did they think she had gone insane?
"That wasn’t fighting," she murmured.
    Kei cupped a hand to her cheek. "Vengeance."
    She nodded and locked her gaze on the ground. The
image of their shocked faces wouldn’t leave her mind.
    "Aro," Kei whispered.
    She met his eyes again. They shined with an orange
glow. A small, encouraging smile crossed his lips for a moment. "We have
to talk…later."
    Despite his words, his tone filled her with relief
instead of worry. She nodded. Kei understood.
    "I'll get the horses." He glanced over at
Prince. "We could use two now."
    She watched him dart off across the field in the
direction the mounts had gone.
    Prince sighed and shifted, his shoulders slumping. She
noted his pack was missing and held in a curse. Maybe Kei could find it.
Limping over to him she dropped down to her knees. "I was worried about
you."
    He glanced over at her and shook his head. "I am
fine."
    "No. You're not," she said with a frown. He
barely looked alive. She wished she knew what to do. What to say. They sat in
uncomfortable silence for a moment. "How far back did you drop your pack?"
    He grimaced. "Not too far."
    She nodded. "Kei can find it, when he gets back."
She worried her lip in the silence which came again. "So... I made a new
friend. A Were. He's helping look for you and Bo."
    Prince raised his eyebrows