“Uh.” Eres’s eyes widen. “We should—”
Between one breath and the next, the door flies open, smashing against the wall. I shrink back into the wall of flesh behind me as a third male appears at the entrance. His gaze swings wildly, taking the three of us in.
This is the kind of Darkwielder I expected.
Shadows wreath his arms, twisting and unfurling from the palms of his hands. He’s…huge. Wide in the shoulder, tall enough that he almost fills the doorway entirely. The sleek, almost delicate shadow-lines that mark Eres and Darian’s skin are reflected in the male who stops to stare at me, except his are deeper. Darker. Rougher, almost as if someone has carved him with a knife. The black leathers he wears cover most of them.
Silver eyes, flecked with black lines and full of anger. Dark hair, cropped close to his head.
My eyes drop to the moonlit skin of his throat, searching for confirmation.
There.
The shadowed veins against his skin form a recognizable crest. An obsidian ring crossed with thin jagged lines and a hollow center. One that I’ve studied too many times to count.
Kaelen Duskbane.
Crown prince of Umbraxis. Heir to the Darkwielder throne.
And my target.
The shadows in his palms swell and grow.
“What,” he says finally, “thefuckis going on?”
Eres clears his throat. “Hypothermia.”
Two dark eyebrows raise. “Hypothermia.”
He takes a single step into the room. There’s an energy to his movements that feels unlike anything else I’ve ever encountered. The hairs on my arms stand on end, as if there’s a storm in the air.
“Kaelen,” Eres murmurs. I glance at him, gauging his reaction. He doesn’t seem frightened. Almost amused, if anything. My eyes move between them as Kaelen stalks forward. Eres’s arm shoots out, and he stops.
I glance down, to where his arm stretches over me.Protective?“Stop that. You’re scaring her.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. Duskbane stops. His head turns to me slowly, tilting to the side. “When Nythen told me you’d brought back a Lightbringer, I didn’t expect to find it in your bed.”
Act vulnerable.
My eyes widen, and I press myself back into Darian’s chest, dropping my gaze.
It’s notentirelyan act. He’s more intimidating than I ever imagined.
“She’s injured,” Eres argues. “I need to examine her.”
“With no clothes on,” Duskbane drawls. “In your bed.”
Behind me, Darian is shifting. “I’m going to just—”
“Andyou.” Duskbane rounds on us, aiming his snarl over my head. “Get the fuck out.”
Darian stiffens. I feel the bed shift beneath us, the warmth at my back disappearing. “I’m going.”
Any amusement has disappeared from Eres’s expression. “That isenough.”
He stands, crossing his arms and facing off with Duskbane. “She needed help, and I needed Darian.”
It feels as though I’ve dropped into the middle of something… personal. Frowning, I attempt to sit up. All three gazes snap to me at the low groan that catches in my throat.
