Little Red's Riding

If She Dies

The bolt of magic caught Dahlia squarely in the chest and sent her hurtling through the air, landing at the King's feet.

"Put your knee on that beast's shoulder, and hold down her head so that she can't get up." In the haze of consciousness she found herself drifting in and out of, Dahlia already felt as if she were pinned in place by a massive weight. The order that she only barely heard seemed like overkill. She was certain that she couldn't lift her head, and then she felt a knee jam into her shoulder, or the upper part of her leg since she was pretty sure it wasn't called a shoulder in her wolf form, and she tried to reach out to her wolf but only met with the familiar silence that had been her companion for so many years.

"Give it to her, now, before anyone else comes in." That was the King's voice. Dahlia tried to shake her head, to clear her thoughts, but she realized that his hand was pinning her head in place.

"Here we go. Just like that." Lilia was kneeling beside her and then there was a sharp pain in her rear hindquarter and she let out a high pitched yelp.

"How long will it take?" The King eased his grip on her head as he asked the question, but she was too focused on the burning sensation in the lower half of her body to even attempt to move.

"I've never given it to her as an injection. And as you know she's never shifted before. So I'm not sure exactly how this will work this time. I would expect her to shift back quickly and then obviously you can handle this however you choose." A shudder ran through Dahlia's body at the words.

"If we force her to reject and kill her wolf?"

"You'll have to motivate her to do that." Dahlia squeezed her eyes shut as she felt that wolfsbane and silver burn its way through her veins, even as Lilia's voice seemed to burn in her ears. She sounded amused as she spoke about this topic and Dahlia thought that if she was in human form she would have retched by now both from her disgust and from the pain.

"That shouldn't be a problem for me." Etan laughed aloud this time and ran a hand through her thick black fur. "Although if she doesn't shift back I suppose this would make a lovely coat."

Dahlia tried to growl, but the sound came out more like a whimper which only caused the King to laugh harder. "Oh brave little Pup. Close your eyes and rest. It will all be over soon. And don't worry. I won't really turn you into a coat. I think you'd look lovely as a prize on my arm at court when this is through. You will show my enemies what can happen to their women if they don't bend to my will and give me exactly what I want. Your mate will be dead and you will be a courtesan just like Tansy. I will play with you and give you to whoever I wish. But for you to be an example to others you must live for at least a while Little Wolf."

"Are you sure you've given her enough?" Etan glanced over at Lilia and as the fighting got louder in the hallway outside the throne room she pulled a second syringe from her pocket.

"How angry will you be with me if she dies?"

He shrugged. "I'd prefer if she didn't, but if she does then he likely will as well. I won't kill you for it, or even punish you. You've warned me haven't you. Do what you have to do. We need that wolf dead and we need it dead now."

Dahlia felt the prick of the needle, this time in the back of her neck, followed by rapid rubbing as the burn spread like fire down her neck. She opened her mouth, trying to scream, but no sound escaped. And then, there was only darkness.

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Silas was covered in blood, and the only good thing about it was that nearly all of it was not his own.

He had fought his way through the ballroom and up the stairs, following after his mate. Someone had set off the fireworks and given the signals. His focus wasn't on any of that though. All he knew was that his mate was somewhere ahead of him, inside the palace, in the hands of the King and that when he found her, the King would die.