"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!!"

Your fists pounded furiously against the masked man's back as he carried you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. You had no idea who he was, but it didn’t matter—anyone who dared storm the royal fortress and drag you off like this could only be part of that organization people whispered about, that criminal group that operated from the shadows… no name, no face, but powerful enough to spit in a king’s face.

The man came to a sudden stop.

In one swift move, he grabbed you by the waist and lifted you up, face to face, like you weighed absolutely nothing. His eyes were the only thing visible under the black mask.

“Stop moving,” he growled, voice rough, “or I’ll snap your neck.”

“You need me alive,” you shot back, trying to sound firm, even though your heart was beating like crazy.

A barely-there smirk tugged at his mouth.

“Then I’ll break your pretty little fingers, one by one…” he leaned in, just inches from your face. “until you’re too hoarse to keep screaming.”