Page 123 of Tides of Shadows

He turned and walked back to the castle, leaving behind a battlefield of bodies, horses, broken armor and bones.

When he reached the courtyard, his eyes found mine.

He passed through the terrace where I stood with the others. Everyone watched him with a mixture of awe and terror. Minerva observed it all with her cold gaze, unreadable as ever.

Aidenar’s eyes still gleamed with light. He didn’t extinguish his power fully, he let it simmer beneath the surface.

He approached me and extended his hand. People flinched instinctively, as if afraid he might sweep them away too.

I wasn’t afraid. I knew what lived inside him.

I stepped forward and took his hand.

He raised it to his lips and kissed the back of my palm, then smiled at me.

He was my storm.

I woke up in the night. But not in my bed. I was running through dark meadows somewhere in the forest. I wore a black dress and no shoes, and my feet bled upon sharp stones and roots. Branches lashed at my face, carving burning lines into my skin.

I heard shouting behind me. A voice I knew. Malric’s voice.

“Nerissssa… Where are you, my love. I miss you.”

“Nerissa, do not hide. I shall find you in the end.”

His voice drew nearer. Nearer.

“Do you think he will save you? I will kill him. I will gut him like a pig and I will keep you as my mistress. My lovely prize. Do not run.”

But I did. I ran as if my life depended on it, my lungs aflame, my heart pounding like thunder. I saw him standing in my path. From the shadows, he shaped a whip. I darted to the side, but I heard the crack before I felt it. Heat seared across my cheek. I nearly fell, catching myself on my hands, and forced my legs to carry me onward.

Suddenly the trees fell away and I burst into the clearing with the waterfall. The same one where Aidenar had taken me today. I didn’t slow down. With all the force of my sprint I flung myself into the icy water.

My body sank at once.

Silence fell.

I woke up in my bed and instinctively reached for my cheek, where the lash still burned. When I drew my hand away, there was blood upon my fingers. How is that possible?! With trembling hands, I clutched the diamond necklace at my throat and forced myself to breathe. One breath, then another, cold air filled my lungs. I rose and went to the door, knowing I couldn’t be alone right now.

When I opened the door he was already there.

Aidenar. In linen pants, bare-chested, his hair tousled as if he had just risen from his bed. His feet were bare upon the cold stone of the corridor. When he saw me, his eyes widened. My tears spilled before I could stop them.

“It was him.”

Without a word he swept me into his arms, and I pressed myself against his bare chest. He carried me to his chambers, passing his guards in silence. Once inside, he closed the door behind us with a gust of air. He laid me gently in his great bed, which smelled of him. Then he lay down behind me and drew me close, his arm firm around my waist. I sank into his embrace.

“From this night on, you sleep here,” he said quietly but firmly. “No discussion.”

I didn’t protest.

I fell asleep, safe.

Chapter

38

The next day I woke up in Aidenar’s chambers. They were much like mine, with a great bed set in the center. Morning light poured in through the windows, and the gray stones glimmered softly in the dawn. Aidenar was already gone. He had left a white flower upon the pillow. I went to see him only after my training with Mina.