Page 94 of Sun, Moon & Shadow

“Kneel,” he ordered, his smile vanishing as his eyes darkened with his display of power.

Callan willed himself to rebel, to pick up his sword and strike the general down, but it was useless. He fell to one knee.

“You too, Mouse,” Idrian said, turning his attention to Nova. “Remove your dagger and get on your knees.”

Callan couldn’t turn his head. He could only watch from the corner of his eye as Nova rose unsteadily to her feet, drawing her own blade and discarding it on the bed. Her movements were irregular as she walked fitfully to where Callan knelt and mirrored his pose, lowering herself to one knee.

Callan heard her rapid breaths beside him. His heart stuttered as the scent of her surrounded him. Even the strength of their bond, his primal urge to protect what was his, wasn’t enough to break Idrian’s hold.

“Much better. The last of the Elsever bloodline kneeling at my feet,” Idrian sneered as he looked down on both of them. “You seem surprised, Mouse. But I did tell you I have noble blood running through my veins. Look at me—both of you.”

The general shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before shaking his head roughly. He raked a hand through his hair, calling attention to a streak of silver, standing out like a shooting star against the night-black strands.

“I haven’t always been this capable. What you’re experiencing now has taken decades of painstaking struggle, training myself to tap into the power lying dormant within me. A coiled serpent waiting to strike. As you can see, if you take full bodily control of someone, they tend to notice. But, if you merely influence their behavior, slip in a little suggestion here and there, they do as you command and are none the wiser.”

Idrian stood and circled to the front of the table, leaning against the edge so he loomed over them. Callan couldn’t even lift his head to look the bastard in the face.

“Of course, I prefer no one know about this little secret of mine. I find victory tastes sweeter when your opponent has underestimated you. The look in their eyes the moment they realize your power is . . . indescribable.”

Idrian’s hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of Callan’s hair and forcing his head back. The general examined his face.

“Is this the same Nivalian scum who slaughtered my soldiers and stole you away from me, Mouse?” Not waiting for a response, Idrian drew back his fist and punched Callan squarely in the jaw. Callan’s mouth flooded with the metallic tang of iron. “He must have quite a strong connection to you to risk himself a second time on your account.” Leaning closer to Callan’s face, Idrian asked, “What is she to you? A friend? A lover?”

He gripped Callan’s face between his hands, forcing him to meet his gaze. An unsettling laugh rumbled forth from deep in Idrian’s chest.

“No doubt you’ll be rather disappointed when I end her life,” he tutted.

Idrian released Callan from his grasp, setting his sights on Nova once again. Burying both his hands in her hair, he forced her head back, tilting her face toward the ceiling as he stood before her.

“It’s a shame, really. A waste. She’d have made an exquisite broodmare. She’s certainly got the hips for it,” Idrian said, gripping her by the chin with one hand. He turned her face harshly from side to side, as if inspecting a horse at auction. When he released her, she slumped forward again, her eyes trained on the floor at the general’s feet.

Callan tried to yell, but choked on the sound as it caught in his throat.

“A bargain is a bargain, and I promised you would die by my hand.” Idrian rose to his full height, towering over Nova’s wilted form. “But I never said I wouldn’t enjoy you a bit first. Stand up, Mouse.”

Nova rose with great effort, her limbs trembling as she stood directly in front of the general.

“You—” Idrian snapped his fingers at Callan. “Eyes up here. I want you to see this.”

Callan’s head lifted. Nova stood chest to chest with the general, arms at her sides, her hand balled into a tight fist.

“Kiss me,” Idrian drawled, one side of his mouth curling in a lustful grin as his eyes flicked briefly to Callan.

Nova raised her hands, her left coming to rest on Idrian’s shoulder. She tilted her face and brought her mouth close to his, pausing just as her lips brushed against the general’s. Idrian was so focused on ensuring Callan bore witness to the act that he failed to see the glint of metal in Nova’s right hand.

Despite taking several hits to the face and being deprived of air, Nova had immediately recognized Callan’s stilted movements as those of someone under mind control. She froze at first in fear and disbelief. When Idrian gave her a command and her body didn’t immediately comply, she made the split-second decision to play along.

Mirroring Callan’s movements, she dropped her curved dagger atop the bed and came to kneel beside him. Her rapid breaths and trembling limbs were not part of her performance. How long before Idrian discovered she was pretending? How long before he killed them both?

She took advantage of the general’s tendency to ramble—he was clearly enamored with the sound of his own voice—using the time to calm her mind and formulate a plan. Kneeling on the floor, she had ready access to the human-made dagger concealed within her boot.

While Idrian was distracted, taunting Callan and striking him in the jaw, Nova swiftly drew the weapon, gripping the hilt and holding the blade flat against the underside of her forearm as she slumped forward. From the corner of her eye, she watched a drop of blood trickle from Callan’s mouth. It required every sliver of will she possessed to keep from revealing herself and striking out at the general right then.

But Idrian sealed his own fate when he ordered her to kiss him. She’d spun the dagger in her right hand as she placed the other on his shoulder to brace him. Lucan’s voice echoed in her mind.

You cannot hesitate when the opportunity presents itself.

The instant their lips touched, Nova thrust the weapon upward into the side of Idrian’s neck, severing the primary vein pulsing at his throat. Blood spattered across her face as she twisted the blade and wrenched it free.