Kidnapped and Claimed by Lizzie Lynn Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

intolerable level. I squirmed and thrashed. My instincts took over and I pounded the lid begging for them to release me. I couldn’t breathe. The air inside the coffin burned away. I was choked by the nauseating stench of flesh charred in the fire. Scared out of my wits, I gasped and screamed until my throat was raw. Tears ran down my cheeks.
    I sweated from head to toe. The fire started to scald my flesh. I became weak and lightheaded. There was no more fresh air to sustain me. Darkness crept into my consciousness. I drifted into the gates of death.
    *
    I coughed and coughed. A pair of strong arms shook my body. Somebody called my name. I heard people shout and the clash of swords. Men screamed in agony. I opened my eyes, but the thick smoke made them hurt. Smoke got into my lungs making it hard to breathe. Somebody had pulled me from the burning pyre. Searing heat caught my hair and burned my scalp. I collapsed. Everything went dark.
    *
    When I opened my eyes, I thought the afterlife was so calm and green. I expected to see Duke Gavin, but instead I saw Lord Veredi. He had me immersed in water where the cold soothed me.
    “Elyra, wake up,” he said.
    I wanted to, but it was hard to keep my eyes open. I was so tired, I was ready to doze off again. Seconds later, the alluring slumberland claimed me again.
    *
    The first thing I saw when I stirred awake was Ronen and Callarn next to my bed. Lord Veredi and Ashanie were behind them. They were all smiling.
    “Are you with us now, Elyra?” Lord Veredi asked. Ronen and Callarn moved aside to give way to their lord.
    “Yes,” I said quietly. My throat still felt raw. “I’m not…dead?”
    “Silly wench.” Lord Veredi shook his head. “We saved you just in time. Barely. You were hurt from the pyre.”
    “What about my brother?”
    Lord Veredi traded gazes with Ronen. “He’s dead. Ronen killed him.”
    “Oh.” I waited for some sort of sympathy to slip into me hearing about Erodan’s demise, but none came. He was my brother after all. But he tried to kill me for his own gain. I couldn’t forgive him for that. “And the hunters?”
    “Rest assured that no one will harm you from now on. We have taken care of the problems.”
    I took me long seconds to digest what Lord Veredi meant. No more Jakael hunters. Had he and his warriors killed them all? All of a sudden, I wanted to cry. Not because of the hunters’ demise. I was touched that Lord Veredi and his warriors had done much for me. Since my father’s death, I had no one who stood for me against Erodan’s abuse. These people, the Khimerian, had taken me from my sorrowful plight and given me sanctuary. They even went to extra lengths to save me from my evil brother. I didn’t know how I was to repay their kindness.
    I scrambled up to sit, but I found I was very weak. And my head felt funny. Lord Veredi helped me. I groped my head and discovered that my hair was gone.
    “You were burned quite badly. We had to keep you in Lembanyu for three days straight. Worry not, you will heal and your hair will grow back.”
    “I’m bald,” I mumbled.
    “You are still beautiful,” Callarn said. “The most beautiful maiden I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
    Somehow, what he said made me smile. “You mean it?”
    Ronen winked. “Of course we do.”
    My heart lightened. I had just discovered what unconditional love was.

Chapter Six
    It took me almost a month to heal from my burns. Every day I soaked in the Lembanyu spring to speed the healing. And Lord Veredi, besides a fierce warrior, was also a great healer. He concocted special salves for my burned skin and to grow my hair. After four weeks, my new hair almost reached my jawline.
    Every day, Ronen and Callarn tended me with unexpected patience I hadn’t seen from any warrior I had met. They took me for a walk to restore my strength. They hunted game for me to eat. They cared for me. They spoiled me.
    When I was fully healed, I had come to the decision to accept their