Read Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) for Free Online

any weight on it. Perhaps if she could find a large stick to
use as a crutch, it wouldn't be so bad.
    Garen stopped suddenly. Rest here. You will be
safe. There is nothing dangerous in the area.
    She bit her lip in dismay. "You're going?"
    You cannot walk. I will search for the horse. He walked up and pressed his nose to her hand. I
will return soon.
    She smiled in relief and resisted the urge to pet him.
"Be careful."
    His laughter filled her mind. I am a Were. Very
little will harm me. He turned, his laugh still echoing in her mind while
he disappeared into the night.
    Positioning herself with her back to a large tree and
facing the fields she tried to make herself comfortable. It didn't feel safe
enough to sleep, even though she felt dreadfully tired. The fear of someone or
something finding her asleep kept her awake and skittish. So did the fear of
the nightmares which would certainly come if she closed her eyes.
    Staring off into the darkness she concentrated on
identifying what created each little sound; the wind, bugs, an owl.
    Something suddenly brushed her shoulder and she
screamed, fingers scrambling for a dagger.
    A hand covered her mouth as she turned her head…and
saw a pair of orange glowing eyes. The scream died abruptly and she swatted the
hand away. "Rot! You scared the life out of me!"
    Kei chuckled.
    Pulling him close, she buried her face in his neck and
hugged him tightly. "I was worried about you."
    His arms tightened around her. "Me, too. About
you." He leaned back slightly. "Where's Cain?"
    She drew back and looked away. Words caught in her
throat. She didn’t want to tell him, didn’t want to say the words. "He
didn’t…" She shook her head and drew in a deep breath. Her hands started
shaking again. Tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Very quietly she
told him what had happened.
    His eyes changed to red while she spoke. He pulled her
close again, holding her head to his chest and tucking it under his chin.
    "Cain," he whispered, his voice choked. They
sat in silence, just holding each other and sharing their misery and grief.
    She could have stayed there all night. Kei understood.
    His arms tightened briefly and then he leaned back to
look at her face. "Are you angry? At me. For leaving."
    She forced a small smile and ruffled his hair. "Stupid
Fey. No, I'm not. I asked you to go help Prince," she faltered and looked
away. "Is he..." She couldn't say the words.
    "We made it to the fields."
    "What happened?"
    "We split up." He added, "To look for
you."
    She nodded. "So he's not hurt?" When Kei
didn't answer panic seized her chest. "Kei?"
    "He got cut. I tended him." He grimaced. "Fighting
did him no good. He was exhausted."
    She bit at one of her fingernails for a moment before
suddenly standing. "Let's go find him."
    Kei rose and reached out to steady her when she
swayed. "You're hurt!"
    "I twisted my ankle. I’ll be fine."
    He opened his mouth to say something and suddenly
froze, eyes darting about, searching the darkness.
    She turned but he pushed her back. Swearing under her
breath, she wondered what he had seen or smelled. Another curse left her lips; she'd
forgotten to tell him about Garen.
    Thinking of the Were brought him forth, a blur of
darkness and fur which leapt from the night’s shadows directly at them. He
landed on Kei, knocking him backward onto the ground.
    Growls and snarls from both echoed around her.
    "Stop it! Both of you! Stop!" Heedless of
accidental injury, she threw herself at them, grabbing a handful of Garen's fur
and trying to pull him off of Kei. "Stop it! He's my friend!"
    Garen ceased his growling and attack so she pulled
harder on him. He's one of my friends!
    The Were growled once more before springing away. You
failed to mention one was a Fey.
    She dropped down beside Kei. "Are you hurt?"
He had fallen into a full fury, eyes blazing, teeth and claws extended. "Kei!
He's my friend. Calm down." She took his face in her hands and started
pulling the power