Page 101 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

Rian steps closer, not threatening, but close enough that I catch the scent of sweat and incense clinging to his skin. Which is just as dangerous.

His lips curl. “Do you think we just sit around all day, except to spar for your entertainment?”

“It wasn’t that entertaining,” I clip out.

His shadows tighten around his arms. The ones around mine mimic the movement, pulling a tiny gasp from my throat.

“You have no idea what evil resides in this forest, do you?” he asks.

“Oh, I’m aware.” My chest clenches. “One nearly ripped off my shoulder the other night. Remember?”

“That was nothing.” Darkness swirls in his loaded stare. “If humans were smart, you’d all be racing to find a boat to sail to Virendrell.”

I blink. Virendrell is the heavily fortified island country to the south where, rumors say, Fae and humans live in peace together.

No one in Verdanthia believes it’s real. Or if it is, none of us are itching to live in a place where we’d obviously be second-class citizens, dominated by the more powerful Fae.

“And abandon Astloria?” I snort. “Let me guess, then you Fae would come occupy our land again?”

“No Fae in their right mind would choose to dwell in this land.”

“And yet you’re here,” I snap back. “And don’t tell me it’s for Darius. You’ve already told me you were near Cardovia weeks ago.”

His lips flatten. “We had our reasons.”

I study him for a beat. His walls are up, formidable, guarded, impenetrable.

“So...” He turns away before I can ask more. “Do you want help with that book or not?”

The urge to pry is strong, but my desire for answers is stronger.

“Fine,” I huff, brushing past him and stomping towards Darius’s tent. “Let’s see if there’s any brains behind your brawn.”

His low chuckle follows me, and I hate how the sound tingles through my body, all the way to my toes.

It turns out Rian helping me read the ancient text means I sit on the floor while he leisurely flips through the tome like it’s a bedtime story. His fingers glide across the pages, eyes scanning, humming every few seconds.

I try to keep quiet to give him time to focus. But impatience gnaws at me to know what he’s found until I can’t endure the silence for another second.

“Are you even reading?” I ask, dipping a cloth into the bowl of cool water on the nightstand. “Or are you just looking at the pictures?”

Not that I could really blame him if he is. They are lovely images.

“I assure you, I’m reading,” he replies smoothly, not even looking up. “You can consider it another superiority we Fae have over humans.”

I snort, wring out the cloth, and press it to Darius’s brow. “You know, even for a Fae, you’re incredibly arrogant.”

“I get that a lot.” The corner of his lip quirks.

Silence follows, but it’s not unpleasant. Pages rustle. Darius breathes softly. And the sounds of soldiers returning from wherever they were trickles into the tent.

“Thank you,” Rian says quietly.

I glance up. He’s watching me now. My traitorous heart skips a beat.

“For what?”

“Caring for Darius so…kindly.” Shadows curl over his fingers holding the book.