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And the deep, masculine smell of this place made me sway.
Sometimes I cursed my enhanced Fae senses, picking up all the small sounds and sights that had escaped me when I was human. But the smells…those I liked.
Every smell carried a thousand different subtleties, and this one was a mix of power and sandalwood with…a rich, deep woodsy scent lingering underneath.Tavion’s scent. As if, like he’d said, he hadn’t been here in years.
I jumped when the doors closed behind us with an ominousboom. The sound echoed through the empty castle, and I dropped Tavion’s arm.
The dark, rich smell matched the haunted look of this place, my instincts prickling as I trailed behind Tavion from room to room, half paying attention while he pointed out details he thought I’d be interested in.
With sudden clarity, I realized I wasn’t imagining we were being watched. The air shivered with tension, Tavion’s voice grew more and more hushed, and I couldn’t help glancing out every window we passed.
Raziel and Tristan were supposed to stay out of sight until the king’s spies returned to Blackcastle, but I couldn’t stop my nervousness. What if Lyrae and Crux found them?
What if they were fighting for their lives, right now, and I didn’t even know?
“I thought I was meeting your family?” I finally asked, wondering if the Shadow King was right. Maybe Tavion’s father was dead. What if there was no one here except for Tavion and me and the two footmen? I shivered as I realized…I could very well be alone, hours from Blackcastle and cut off from Raz.
Zor was a world away, headed to Tempeste. And Tristan…I didn’t really know Tristan.
“You will, soon enough.”
Tavion’s nostrils flared when he caught my scent, a flicker of hurt darkening his green eyes. “You have nothing to fear. This is my home and I protect what’s mine.” His voice turned deeper, a glimpse of emotion flashing across his face. “You’re safe here, Anaria.”
“I’ll decide where I’m safe. And where I’m not.” We’d stopped in the heart of the castle, and I scanned the meandering hallway, the empty, dark rooms that blurred together, the smothering air that was so eerily still.
“I prefer to trust my instincts; they never let me down.”
Tavion’s snort was half amusement, half annoyance but I knew him well enough to see he was as worried as me. He’d expected someone to come out and greet us.
But the castle was empty.
For a moment I almost took his arm again but drew my knife instead. I refused to rely on Tavion, not when he’d betrayed me so many times already.
My nose flared, my eyes scanning every shadow and stone and dusty nook. Nightcairn was a marvel of old money and craftmanship, and there were a thousand places to hide. The back of my neck prickled as if we were under surveillance, but the shadows were so deep I couldn’t see a thing.
“I can’t believe my eyes. Tavion Montgomery, back from the dead.”
I hadn’t heard his approach, but an enormous male prowled toward us on silent feet, long dark hair tied back from his weathered face, which was split in a wide, toothy grin. One second he sized me up through narrowed eyes, the next he wrapped Tavion in the kind of embrace only family could give, thumping his back like a drum before stepping away.
“Dane, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Tavion’s face was a mix of surprise and delight, his green eyes alive and glowing. It took me by surprise how handsome Tavion was when his face wasn’t frozen into that rigid, impassive mask. “I thought you’d be north, hunting in the Barrens before the snows came.”
Was that the High Barrens?Interest prickled through me. That was where my family was from if the rumors were true.
“Stopped by to check on my brother. I’m heading back out tomorrow before the weather comes in.”
The moment the stranger’s amber-brown eyes landed on me, they took on the cold, empty flatness only a shifter could manage.
“I see you brought a…friend.” That quick, feral tilt of his head was pure predator, and I’d wager his teeth were already lengthening behind his clenched lips. I tightened my hold on my knife hilt and made sure my footing was firm.
“Anaria.” Tavion only paused a beat before adding, “My wife.”
One slow blink gave away the stranger’s surprise.
“Anaria.” Tavion’s fingers braceleted my wrist gently as he pulled me closer. “This is my Uncle Dane.” I tugged, but he didn’t let me go.
“Gone for nearly twenty years and the prodigal son returns with a wife. A bloodthirsty one, too.” Dane’s expression didn’t grow any friendlier as he spotted the knife in my hand. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“In truth, neither did I.” Tavion sounded…tired. I wondered if he was as exhausted as I felt, noting the fine lines fanning out from his eyes, the deep ridges around his mouth, and how much they resembled his uncle’s.
