Time passed while he slept. Taroy wasn’t certain how much but he was suddenly awake and only aware that it was the deep of night.

He couldn’t see anything in Kella’s room as he peered around, not even Kella sleeping beside him. He reached out and brushed his knuckles along the soft skin at her arm. The candles he’d left lit when he went to sleep were out now, and darkness reigned. Listening intently, Taroy heard nothing in the room yet his instincts were screaming at him to get up and find out what had caused him to wake. He quietly let go of Kella, crawled out of the bed and crept to the door. Listening at the crack, he reached out to touch the handle lightly, ready to pop the door open without a sound.

Suddenly, strong hands gripped him around his arms and wrenched...

Please subscribe to keep reading.