Page 10 of Embers of Ruin

Heat creeps into my cheeks and I bite my tongue, swallowing the retort threatening to claw its way free. Onyx hasn't hurt me and he hasn't even raised his voice at me, but he still makes me want to run him through every time he opens that smart mouth. Am I terrified of him? No. But every step closer to whatever fate awaits me twists my stomach tighter. I still have no idea where we're going, and Onyx clearly has no intention of telling me.

When we finally reach a clearing, I spot horses tethered to a fallen log, steam curling from their nostrils in the cold air. Onyx approaches them slowly and gestures toward one.

“We’ll ride them,” Onyx says, nodding toward the horses. “We should get where we're going in a few days.”

My head snaps toward him, eyes widening. Is he serious right now?

“We don’t even know who those horses belong to! Are you insane?” I ask, trying—and failing—to keep the rising panic out of my voice. Those horses could very well belong to the guards tracking me.

Onyx sighs, sounding weary, as though I am somehow inconveniencing him.

“I know exactly who they belong to. I’m the Captain of the Shadow Guard, and these horses belong to my men. I left them here.”

My pulse stutters. “You left them… you’re …” I take a step back. “You’re one of them.” The realization slams into me. “You knew I would be at that house that night.”

Horror twists in my stomach as I reach for the dagger. My fingers close around the hilt so tightly my knuckles ache. Seven hells. I’ve been following the captain of the Shadow Guard through the forest for two days. I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid. Not only did I trust a strange man—I walked straight into his trap.

“Yes, I knew you would be there,” Onyx says, taking a slow, measured step toward me. I immediately take one back. He raises his hands slightly, his dark gaze never leaving mine. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lyra.”

Another step.

“I’m going to save your life.”

“Save my life?” I stare at him in disbelief. “The Captain of the Shadow Guard is trying to save my life?”

My laugh comes out sharp and humorless. “You dragged me through the forest for two days. Two days. And now you decide to tell me you’re the Captain of the king’s Shadow Guard?” My grip tightens around one of my daggers. “You have been the biggest threat to me this entire time!”

Before he can stop me, my blade is at his throat. “I should slit you from ear to ear.”

Onyx doesn’t flinch. Not even with cold steel pressed against his skin. He simply stares down at me, dark eyes steady and unreadable.

“Do it,” Onyx says quietly.

My grip falters, just slightly.

“If you truly believe I mean you harm, then slit me from ear to ear. I could have killed you a hundred times. The opportunity was always there. Yet here you stand.” His gaze flicks pointedly over me. “Unharmed.”

The word makes something inside me snap. I press the blade harder, drawing a thin line of blood across his throat. Then the bastard does the unthinkable.

He smirks, and I absolutely lose it.

“You lied to me!” I scream, stomping down on his foot with as much strength as I can muster.

The air around us begins to vibrate as a faint glow rises beneath my skin. I’m too angry to force it down, too furious to care. Magic crackles beneath the surface, answering my emotions as it always does. I can feel it building, waiting for permission to break free.

“You dragged me through the woods like an ani⁠—”

Before the last word leaves my lips, Onyx moves. It happens so fast that I barely register the blur of his hand. One moment my dagger is at his throat, the next his fingers are wrapped around my wrist, twisting with practiced precision. Pain shoots up my arm as he wrenches the blade free and sends it skittering across the ground. Gods, he’s strong. And handsome. What a great combination to lure a woman looking for safety.

I spin with the momentum he creates, slipping beneath his arm and driving my heel into the back of his knee hard enough to make him grunt. Onyx stumbles forward a step, just enough to throw him off balance. It's enough.

I pull another small blade from my pocket and turn on him before he can fully recover. This time my blade finds his ribs, and a smirk tugs at my lips. Onyx freezes and his eyes widen a fraction. Not with fear but with—surprise. He hadn't expected that. Of course he hadn't.

A rush of satisfaction surges through me. People have spent my entire life underestimating me because I'm small. Because I look harmless. Because I smile when I'm uncomfortable and keep my head down when people stare. Onyx has made the same mistake. Good. I want him off guard.

A slow breath escapes him as his gaze drifts over me. “You're quick,” he says, a sly smile tugging at his mouth. “I wasn't expecting that from you.”

No, of course you weren't.