Trial For The Shadow King (Captive 0f Shadows Book 2) Page 8

  Before I realize it, my hand is on the doorknob, and I am wholly intent on finding Briar. I simply want to see her, to assure myself that she's alright and Aiden hasn't done anything to terrorize her. A small voice in the back of my mind warns me to turn around, to go to sleep. I ignore it, wrenching the door open. The hall is filled with a silver glow from the windows at the end of the hall. I peer out the closest one, near the stairs leading down to the first floor. Outside, the night is gray and dull. I can see lights winking on in the distance as the mortals prepare for a day of work.

  I don’t like the mortal realm. I don’t like its garish light during the day or the colorless nights. I don’t like the hustle of the mortal realm; where everyone is intent on money and objects. I prefer the even pace of the Underworld. Even now, I miss the way the orange and pink glow of the sun refracts off of the obsidian mountains in the distance. And the night smelled eternally of jasmine. Here it smells like piss and sewage. The sooner we find the Nephilim, the better.

  "Kane?" Briar asks her soft voice caressing my ear.

  I take a deep breath, hands splayed on the windowsill to steady me. I know she's real. I can feel her warmth radiating from her petite frame. I can hear her blood pounding through her veins; intoxicating and sweet. I turn, eyes softening at the sight of her in a long, plain nightgown. She hovers a few feet away from me, hands clasped in front of her chest nervously. Her hair is loose, cascading over her shoulders. I forgot just how doll-like her features are.

  “What are you doing up at this hour?” I ask quietly, making room beside the window.

  Briar hesitates, her brows furrowed. After a second of deliberation, she inches closer. “I couldn’t sleep, and Aiden went out.”

  I feel a flash of jealousy at the mention of my older brother. “And you would have stayed with him?”

  “He,” Briar starts before falling silent. She mulls over her next words carefully. I don’t like it. “He is demanding, your brother.”

  “And you’re frightened of him,” I say flatly.

  Briar bites her bottom lip, and I feel a sudden urge to trace it with my thumb. By the Night, this soul bond will ruin me. "I'm frightened of what he could tell you," she whispers.

  “What could he tell me?” I ask, staring, enraptured, as she runs her thin fingers through her hair.

  "Lies," Briar says. Her gray eyes meet mine, and I see a flash of guilt in them.

  “What kind of lies?” I prod. “Surely, I should know what they are so I can identify them.”

  “He might tell you that I don’t want to be your bride,” Briar finally mumbles, after long seconds of torturous silence. “Or something like that.”

  I cock my head, a strange feeling building in my chest. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t want to be my bride. You were only a baby when I bargained with your father,” I pause, watching her closely. “Do you want to be my bride?”

  Briar flushes; even in the moonlight, I can see her blush. "I do."

  Her words hit me like a summer storm, and I have to drop my gaze for a moment. I’m foolish, I tell myself as the warm feeling bubbles in my chest. I’m damned foolish. I shouldn’t care what this mortal girl wants – she’s nothing to me.

  And yet.

  “I should go, get some sleep,” Briar says softly, breaking the silence.

  I glance up sharply. She lingers still, her hands behind her back. Wordlessly, I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around her slender frame. She sucks in a sharp breath, surprised, but doesn’t resist when I press my lips to hers. It’s like a glacier melting inside my body, hot and cold colliding in a fierce blaze. Briar’s lips are soft and supple and sweet. I feel light-headed by them as I drink her in. She moans softly, barely more than a breath, but I bask in it.

  How long has it been since a woman made me feel like this? I can’t remember. I trail my fingers over her neck, feeling the pulse of her heart. Our hearts beat to the same rhythm as I relinquish my control on the soul bond. My barriers drop when her arms wrap around me. My apprehensions disappear as she arches into me. I feel her, every piece of her. She’s light and music and fresh air on a summer day. Her soul collides with mine as I twist my tongue through her mouth. And it’s like a wildfire.

  Pleasure erupts through me, and I feel my legs tremble at the force of it. My darkness entwines with her light, creating a hazy, purple dusk. Briar groans, her nails digging into my back as my magic becomes one with hers. Eagerly, I hoist her into my arms and prop her on the windowsill. She eases her legs apart, making room for me to press my body against hers. I drop my hand to her lower back, fingers brushing over cold metal before gripping her supple ass. I pant, trailing my kisses from her lips to her neck. Her heart is beating wildly, blood moving quickly through her jugular. I rest my fangs on it, nipping her gently, and she giggles. The sound makes me smile.

  When I slip a hand beneath her nightgown, trailing it over her thighs and up her abdomen, she gasps. Briar breathes shakily as I explore her body, leaving soft kisses along her collarbone. Mine. She is mine, and I am hers. And at this moment, the thought doesn't frighten me. I run a hand down her spine, feeling that cold metal again, and suddenly Briar twists out of reach. She curls in on herself back pressed tightly against the window. Her cheeks are red from our kisses and perhaps guilt.

  I cock a brow and drag my finger along her jaw. “Briar,” I purr. “What are you doing with a dagger under your nightgown?”

  She shivers, leaning into my touch for an instant before pulling away with a look of fear. “For protection,” she says hurriedly.

  “Against?” I press a light kiss to her finger, tongue darting over it quickly. Night, I want to swallow her and her magic whole.

  “Aiden,” she whispers.

  I pause in my teasing touches and narrow my eyes. “If he touches you – does anything – you will tell me.” It isn’t a question.

  “Would you believe me?” She asks, looking doubtful.

  “Would you lie?” I counter.

  Briar pauses, tongue darting over her pouty lips. “Not to you.”

  “Then you have nothing to fear.” I take her hand and help her down from the windowsill. She stares up at me, looking lost. “You should sleep now.”

  “Can I stay with you?” She asks.

  “Willem would be put out to find I suddenly had a new roommate,” I say with a grin, even though regret hangs heavy in my chest. “This will be your only night with Aiden, I promise. Tell him I ordered him to sleep on the floor – on pain of death.”

  “Alright, I understand.” Briar smiles softly at my poor attempt at a joke. “Goodnight.”

  The influence of the soulbond is wearing off now and I drop her hand reluctantly. "Sleep well, Briar."

  “Maybe I’ll dream of you.” Is her whispered reply as she disappears down the hall.

  I wait until the lock clicks closed before releasing a long, ragged breath. I lean on the window, thoughts racing. “Shit,” I mutter, pounding my fist on the glass. “Shit, shit.”

  I used to pride myself on my self-control; on my focus. And now, one doe-eyed look from a beautiful mortal has me losing all my senses. She isn't mine to love – not even mine to fuck. She's a tool. A tool that suddenly became significantly more useful. I bite my lip, not daring to hope too much. I felt magic when we kissed, and our souls touched. The magic I need – my opposite. She is light, where I am dark.

  It should be impossible, of course. Few mortals are ever blessed with magic. Her mother’s lineage is one of the few lines that possess it, one girl in every generation. Of course, the translations said it was the first-born. Rose. And yet, Briar seems to be the key in all of this. The translations might have been wrong, I think giddily. I needed the last-born all along. I should thank her father for correcting a grave error.

  If, I think fiercely if her magic is real and not some illusion of the soul bond. But, Night, I hope it's real. Not simply because I will have the tool that I need, but because if it were r
eal, I wouldn't need petty revenge any longer. It wouldn't be necessary to use her to hurt her father. Perhaps, perhaps seeing Briar happy with me would be the best revenge of all. I shake my head, trying to clear it of the muddied mess it's become since I opened the soulbond completely to her. I can still feel her heart beating in time with mine. Find the Nephilim first, I chide myself, and then I can deal with Briar.

  Chapter 12

  Briar

  “We’ve been here for days now, and still no sign of the Nephilim,” Aiden complains, leaning against the dirty bricks of the Diamond.

  I purse my lips, already tired of the Minor God. But I share his unhappiness. Verstad is nothing like I remember, and nothing I ever want to experience again. I watch guiltily as a girl who can't be any older than twelve ushers her younger sister through the crowded streets towards a baker's stand. I've seen them for three days now, and each day they're dirtier than the last. At least the baker is kind enough to offer them a sweet roll to share between themselves. I never wanted for anything as a child.

  “What are you looking at?” Aiden asks, tilting his head curiously. He follows my gaze to the two girls and scoffs. “For someone on a mission to kill her future husband, you certainly have a bleeding heart.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say quietly and drag my gaze to the crowd.

  “Watch your tone,” Aiden snaps.

  I ignore him. I've grown braver over the past few days with Aiden. He still threatens to reveal me, but he doesn't know I took precautions myself. My cheeks warm as I think of the night Kane and I last collided. It was like nothing I've ever felt. It was like he and I had been fused together somehow. And it was easier than I thought it would be to manipulate him. I feel a flash of guilt at the thought. It's been eating at my insides for days, and every day I try to rationalize it by telling myself that I needed at least some protection. But it doesn't help. When I see Kane, the memory and guilt flood through me again, and it makes me sick.

  “Briar Deslionne of Ryrn?” A stiff voice asks.

  I turn, suspicions peaked as I take in the stranger in front of me. He’s dressed in simple, clean clothes typical of a public servant. His brown eyes rake over me, taking in my coarse appearance and dirtied trousers. I pinch my forearm behind my back, trying to distract myself from the shame his judging eyes have sparked.

  “You are?” I ask.

  “I bring a message from Her Highness, Princess Fera. She requests the pleasure of your company and your betrothed this afternoon,” the man says. “I’ve come to escort you.”

  “I don’t understand,” I say, eyes flaring with nerves. She can’t possibly know I’m here. “How?”

  “The details haven’t been disclosed to me.” The messenger looks impatient. He looks over me again, with clear disdain this time. “I’ll give you some time to refresh yourself.”

  I tug at the hem of my tunic at his words, cheeks hot. I don't look like the princess Fera knew when were young. If she saw me, then she recognized me despite my grungy clothes and greasy hair. The thought has my face burning. I leave the messenger outside the Diamond, clearly uncomfortable at his surroundings, and head upstairs to freshen up. Inside the room, I now share with Kane, I take a strangled breath in front of the mirror. My cheeks are streaked with dirt, pores clogged by the polluted air. I have no hope for fixing my hair; I forgot to bring a brush with me, and I've simply been pinning it up at the base of my neck since. If I showed up like this at the palace, in front of an old friend, I would be humiliated.

  Suddenly, I hear the door click open and quiet footsteps. I don’t have to look to know it’s Kane. I feel him inside me when he’s near. I splash cold water on my face, hoping to hide my flushing from him. Kane sags down onto the bed with a sigh. I can feel his eyes on me, watching while I do my best to scrub my face.

  “What’s the occasion?” He asks.

  I pause, patting my face dry with a rough towel. "The princess of Verstad has requested you, and I join her for the afternoon," I say. I can hear the trepidation in my voice.

  "Has she?" Kane cocks a brow, and my blood stirs. "How in the world do you always fail to remain inconspicuous? Do I need to magic a disguise over you?"

  I press my lips into a thin, unhappy line. “We have to go. If we don’t, there will be rumors. It will draw even more attention.”

  “Alright,” Kane sighs, rising. His black eyes glitter mischievously. “But you’ll owe me a favor. I usually make a point not to join mortals for lunch – unless they’re on the menu.”

  I pale at his words, but I can’t deny the stirring of excitement I feel in my core. Dangerous, I think giddily, Kane is dangerous. “The messenger is downstairs,” I say, trying to hide the tendrils of want seeping through my body.

  After the first night, I spend with Aiden, Kane demanded I move into his room. I was nervous at first, but Kane never spends nights with me. Once, I imagined I saw him on a rooftop as dawn spilled over the horizon, but he was gone in an instant. I wonder if he avoids being alone with me on purpose. I mull over this as we head outside to the messenger. He starts when he sees the tall, lean Kane looming over him. I feel a seed of satisfaction at the messenger's frightened response to Kane. I don’t suppose he believed I truly was betrothed to Death. But Kane exudes a sense of power and darkness. It’s something I’m finding myself addicted to.

  “Lead on,” Kane says. He doesn’t bother to ease his tone to put the messenger at ease. I like that too.

  Kane and I are silent as we take a nearby carriage towards the center of Verstad, where the palace awaits. I pick nervously at a stray thread on the knee of my trousers. I never imagined I would ever be in a position to meet my equal and feel so completely inferior. Fera is nice in her own way, but all the royals know she’s a gossip. I can only imagine what she’ll say when she takes in my appearance – or what my family will think when they hear of it. For all I know, they could have gotten wind that I’m staying in the slums of Verstad with three men. I blush furiously, stomach roiling with nerves.

  “After you,” Kane says. His voice breaks the oppressing silence inside the carriage and shatters my thoughts. I glance up sharply, shocked that we’ve already made it to the palace. He tilts his head, eyes boring into me. What are you waiting for? He seems to ask. Who is this princess to intimidate you?

  I slip out of the carriage as regally as I can manage. I straighten my shoulders, staring up at the white facade of the palace. Four massive towers jut up from the main palace, and a glass dome in the middle serves as the roof of the palace proper. Gold filigree glints off the fixtures of the towers and the statues decorating the palace walls. The palace of Verstad is meant to be luxurious, to ooze wealth and power. But I've felt it looked like a boxy prison since I was little.

  “The princess is in the conservatory,” the messenger says, gesturing for us to follow him.

  “It’s alright,” I say, lifting a hand to stop him. “I know the way.”

  “If you insist.” The messenger bows.

  I nod tersely. “I do.”

  Kane joins me in staring up at the palace. It’s nothing like the elegant and spindly towers that make up his castle in the Underworld. I suddenly miss it. “You’re afraid,” he says quietly.

  “If she sees me like this, she will tell everyone,” I say. I start up the palace stairs, towards the heavy oak door leading into the imposing building.

  “And that bothers you?” He asks, cocking a brow judgementally.

  “I have a reputation too,” I murmur. Servants push the doors open wide for us. I take a deep breath before stepping over the threshold.

  “Then I suppose she shouldn’t see you like this,” Kane says.

  His cold hand closes around mine, and I feel a fire burning in my chest. I meet his black gaze, lips parted in confusion. Suddenly, my palm tingles and the sensation travels up my arm to my shoulders and down the rest of my body until it even touches my toes. I gasp, startled, as shadows streak towards us. Ne
arby guards freeze, eyes locked on us warily. Kane ignores them as he commands his magic. The shadows coil around my feet and up my body, licking at me. When they fade away, I inhale sharply in shock.

  Kane’s magic has replaced my worn trousers and dirtied tunic with a gown of the softest material. It frames my body perfectly, light enough to keep me cool despite the heat of the afternoon. It’s midnight black, with obsidian gems decorating the sleeves, sparkling subtly in the light. My boots have been replaced with dainty slippers. He’s even used his magic to fix my hair. He left it loose, with a braid wrapped around my crown.

  I run my fingers over the material, wondering at it. “It’s a special material, made only in the Underworld,” Kane says, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. “It’s made of my shadow.”

  “You can do this?” I ask disbelievingly.

  I tear my eyes away from the lovely gown to look at him. He’s magicked his own clothes. His trousers are well-tailored, a black shirt tucked into the waistband and a black jacket over his shoulders. His hair is swept back, drawing my attention to his endless eyes and the beard shadowing his jaw. He takes my breath away.

  "For the time being," he says, a hand on my back to push me forward. "We're late."

  “Right,” I say, feeling light-headed by his sudden show of kindness. “It’s just this way.”

  I hold my head high as we enter the conservatory. Kane has his hand on the small of my back, looking for all the world like a gentlemanly fiancé. My heart hammers in my chest as we pass tropical trees and exotic flowers towards the center of the conservatory. Fera always loved the conservatory. We used to play hide and seek in it when we were young, and as we grew older, it's where we would go to share our secrets. That is until I realized it wasn't wise to tell her my secrets.