"Where do you think you're going?" Andre demanded, his grip tightening around her arm.
Islinda made one last desperate move to try to control him. "You will let me go and—" she began, but Andre's eyes widened as he realized what she was attempting.
He swiftly spun her around, pressing her back against his chest, one arm wrapping around her torso while his other hand clamped over her mouth, silencing her mid-command.
With his chest heaving, Andre spoke roughly into her ear, his breath hot against her skin. "You're going to learn today that unlike you—a newborn half-breed—I've lived for hundreds of years and can recognize every trick that comes my way."
Islinda struggled, her muffled words coming out in a panicked rush, but his grip was ironclad. She could feel his strength, the raw power that made him the autumn prince. Andre shifted his stance. With one fluid motion, he hoisted her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder.
