Page 130 of Taken By Shadows

I had to get out of here. There wasn’t another day worth spending here if Eryk thought this was now something he could have whenever he demanded.

“Where is he?” I snapped as soon as I saw Gavrin.

He stopped mid-stride to note my frayed edges. My hair around me was like a mane and my hands were balled into fists.

“What’s wrong with you?” he finally asked.

My nostrils flared, and I waved a hand. “Nothing. Where is he?”

I was done waiting for him to show up. Even if I had nothing on my family yet, I had to get out of this city. And I might as well tell Kaed so he didn’t come after me. I wasn’t going to be the cause of his next entanglement with the council.

“He probably doesn’t want company right now.”

I looked at Gavrin and nearly tapped my foot as I waited for him to fess up.

He sighed heavily and folded like a paper house.

Kaed was exactly where Gavrin said he would be.

The highest wall of the city travelled up part of the northern mountains, growing from the rugged terrain like a jagged spine.

Kaed was leaning against a buttery facade of stone, the sunset before him. He looked casually placed there. Like a painter might depict a worker after a hard day in the field, admiring their labours. Kaed looked like he’d felt the weight of a day of labour. His limbs seemed heavy as they wrapped around his knees, his eyes closed to the day as it slipped away.

“I rather liked Gavrin.” Kaed chuffed but didn’t open his eyes. “It won’t be the same around here when I string him up by his toes.” Kaed sighed and pushed to stand atop the wall.

“Don’t blame him. I pushed him pretty hard,” I said, pulling a face.

Kaed gave me a look, saying he knew exactly how hard I had to push to get Gavrin to cave.

“He’s good with a sword, and he’s a good friend,” Kaed decided.

A bubble of laughter tried to escape from me, but the weight of what I had to say stopped it.

“Can you come down here?” My neck craned to see his silhouette against the sky as he towered over me.

Shadows encircled him as his palms faced out, fingers braced backwards, until they landed him soundlessly on the wall walk in front of me.

Right in front of me.

“A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

“Maybe I’m hoping it will scare you away,” he snipped.

Maybe I should be scared of a fae male towering over me with shadows for company and cheekbones so severe they were like precious cut glass.

But I couldn’t convince my body to feel fear. Not from him. Not that kind anyway. There was a crackle of something that played on my nerve endings when I saw him. But that was driven by a burning desire deep in my core.

The fear of what he would taste like. The fear of liking it. The fear of needing it.

Again.

And again.

“Do you intend to just stand there, or are you here for something?”

His mood was odd. More strange than usual. More defensive. Less arrogant.

Right. I was here for something. Be declarative, I told myself. Tell him what you need. Don’t ask.