“Fine,” I replied after a moment of contemplation. “Two minutes . . . but not a second longer.”
His head nodded in agreement as he made to move once again.
“But, Blackwood . . .” I paused, my gaze pinning him as I hardened my features. “Don’t think for a minute that this means Itrustyou.”
“Of course not, starlight,” he replied, his eyes flickering with amusement. “I would expect nothing less from you.”
“And why do you keep calling mestarlight. . . ? My name’s Raelyna.” I huffed in annoyance as we moved further from the main stairwell.
“I’ll tell you one day,” was his only reply as we moved through the court.
16
RAELYNA
It was longerthan two minutes. Granted, only by thirty-two seconds. But still . . .
We exited Solis Court through a side door on the west side of the building—an entryway that even I hadn’t known existed. The street was near empty, whether by luck or simply traffic patterns, I didn’t know, but it was a small blessing. In the distance, I could hear the dull roar of engines as cars sped along in the night, but here, it was as though the street had been deserted.
Both males released my arms the moment we stopped. I looked around my surroundings cautiously, half expecting to see Luc come bursting through the door, his face mottled with rage.
Why didn’t they take me to the holding cells? Why am I standing outside the court? What am I missing?
The silence stretched on for a few more moments before I finally spoke up.
“Am I free to go?” I questioned hesitantly as my gaze darted between the two males, unclear what was happening or why I hadn’t been taken directly to Lucanus’s holding chambers.
“Yes,” Blackwood answered with a terse nod.
My look of confusion must have been evident, even in the light of the city at night, because Axel spoke up.
“The holding cells are packed tonight. Consider this a warning not to sneak around where you shouldn’t be.”
“In that case,” I replied gratefully. “Thank you.”
I turned away, only to realize that, without my phone, I had no idea if Finn and Emberly had already left the court or if I needed to return, seeing as we had made plans to depart all together, regardless of Luc’s statement that the remainder of my crew didn’t have to stay all night.
So, I did the only logical thing my brain could remotely conjure up at the moment . . . I stared at the street, unmoving, for a few moments, arguing with myself over whether to ask one of the males behind me to borrow a phone.
The internal debate wasnotgoing well when a low voice spoke up from behind me.
“Are you . . . all right?” Blackwood asked hesitantly, and a small frown marred my lips as I attempted to answer that question.
“I, um . . . well—”For the love of the stars, Rae. Just open your mouth and ask to borrow a stars-damned phone.
His amber eyes pinned mine, watching me closely as though he was tracking my every movement, picking up on every little detail of me. I squirmed slightly under the intensity of his gaze.
“Can I borrow your phone?” I asked in a rush, the words sticking together as I hurried through the jumble of thoughts. “It’s just that—well, see—my friend, Finn, he was supposed to be my ride home. Well, and Emberly, but that’s beside the point. I . . . well, I don’t have mine on me, or I would . . . use that, you know? So well, is it possible to use?—”
“For the love of the stars—” Axel spoke over me as a large gust of wind whipped across the street, and our dunewrapsblew in the air. “Just give her a damn phone if it will make the rambling stop.”
Heat crept across my cheeks, but the only thing I could focus on was the male in front of me, who wore an amused expression. Blackwood’s dunewrap had become undone in the wind, and all I could think as I stared at him was that it was unfair of the gods to craft someone as beautiful as him . . . and make him a member of the Royal Solis Guard.
My eyes tracked across sun-kissed skin, noting the sharp cut of his jawline and the light scruff along his face. My eyes focused on his lips, wondering all too briefly what they would feel like pressed firmly against mine, before my gaze continued, catching sight of the hints of gold trailing up his neck. I honed in on the gold markings—a tattoo, from the looks of it, as the gold ink faded on his upper neck.
It was stunning.Hewas stunning.
“Here.” He said the single word in a low whisper as he handed his phone over without a second thought, his lip curling up and . . .Astara take me, the dimple that formed as he grinned down at me would be the death of me.
