Page 34 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

“Lev?”

“Elara!” Lev shouts.

He’s not alone. Four others stand with him, weapons drawn, righteous anger blazing in their eyes while scarves hide the lower halves of their faces.

The warmth that rises in my chest is ridiculous.

I know these men are here to support Lev. Still, the fact anyone in Verdanthia would risk themselves for my sake reignites my never-ending desire to prove my worth—to risk draining every last drop of my magic to help them. To finally feel accepted, Kinless child or not.

“Are you hurt?” Lev calls.

He speaks with so much concern it nearly undoes me.

I try to answer, but Jaxon steps in front of me.

“What are you doing here, little soldier?”

“Release her,” Lev says. “She’s not yours to take.”

Jaxon snorts. “Indeed?”

The Fae turns, his eyes gleaming in the dark as he studies me. There’s something maddeningly amused in his smile.

“Your man is brave,” he says. “Foolish, but brave.”

I grit my teeth.

Jaxon faces Lev again. The shadows surge, dragging me forward—too fast. My feet scramble to keep up.

“Sleep well, Elara Stonebloom,” Jaxon calls out with an airy voice. “Tomorrow, your work begins.”

I’m hurled from the treeline and into Lev’s waiting arms.

His sword clangs against the ground and his glass lantern rattles as he drops both to catch me.

His hands tremble, but his grip holds firm as he grasps my shoulders and leans back to check me over. “Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m fine.” My teeth chatter.

I look back at the forest, but Jaxon is gone.

One of the men snatches up the lantern before the flames die out, stepping back in line with the others. They study the treeline with sharp, fearful eyes.

Lev pulls me against his chest and holds me tight. “Thank the Gods, Lara.”

I sag into him, comforted for a heartbeat.

Then he asks, “What happened? What did the Fae want?”

I stiffen and draw my head back to meet my oldest friend’s worried eyes. My lips part to tell him all that’s transpired, but fire blazes around my neck.

I yelp, dropping like a stone as my legs give out. The men around Lev shout in alarm, weapons raised against the invisible threat.

“Elara!” Lev hoists me back up, eyes frantic. “What’s wrong?”

The pain ebbs the moment I stop trying to speak—the second I accept I can’t tell him what happened in the woods.

About the clearing. The camp filled with enemy soldiers. The dying Fae.