Then a man began to emerge above the yellow and red flowers as he slowly rose from his hiding spot. Black, shoulder-length hair came into view first, dangling down in wet strands, shadowing sand-colored skin. His head was tipped down as he straightened to his full height, showing a bright, white, flowing shirt over a ridiculously massive chest honed with muscles.
And he just kept gettingtaller.
He stood well over my six feet, his lower half encased in black leather breeches, just as muscled below as above.
Then he looked up, straight at me.
Solid honey-brown eyes met mine, not one bit of white showing in his gaze, holding his brutal attention on mine.
He was ashifterI’d seen from afar, one I’d always been warned to stay away from, to never get too close.
That plan was now fucked.
I slowly licked over my bottom lip and stared back just as brutally into his hardened gaze. Then, with the frigid wind in my tone, I questioned bluntly, “Mind telling me why you’re here, shifter?”
He cocked his head, entirely animalistic, betraying his origins even further. “My name’s Bishop Marzel. I’m the personal assistant and personal guard to King Athon.”
A soft snort left my lips, watching this dangerous man’s every tic and move. “I know who you are. I asked why you’re here.”
Honey-brown eyes didn’t look away, steadily holding mine. “Will you not grace me with your own name as well?”
I flicked my attention up and down his powerful body, a frame meant to hurt and rip asunder. “If you’ve tracked me down, you already know my name.” I stared pointedly. “I’m sure you and King Athon have talked about me plenty.”
His lips twitched. “Yes…I suppose you’re right. Even if your last name seems to be mysteriously hard to find.” The shifter carefully lifted his right hand, a small, white bag within his grasp. “May I approach and give this to you, Caspian?”
My forehead gradually wrinkled, attempting—andfailing—to understand what this shifter was doing.
Through clenched teeth, I questioned, “What is it?”
With sunlight shining down on his drying hair, he shrugged and stated gruffly, “Elf candy. The good kind.” He cleared his throat and glared at the bag in his hand for the longest damned moment before looking back at me and muttering even more deeply, “Call it a gift if you wish.”
Thatwas not what I expected him to say.
My jaw slackened at this point.
I stared like he’d lost his marbles.
Tilting my head back from this oddity, I flicked a finger back and forth between me and the shifter. “You do know this is…strange. You showing up randomly in the Elf Kingdom.At my home.” I peered at him pointedly. “Whatever you’re doing right now might end with you dead.”
“Oh, I know full well how unusual this is.”
He took a small step forward in my direction, watching me just as closely as I was him. Those solid honey-brown shifter eyes never broke contact with my own gaze as he carefully—and meticulously—moved closer…and closer.
This shifter, who I’d never met in person, acted in dueling counterpoints, treating me like the assassin I was…but also like a scared rabbit ready to bolt. Each movement he made was precise and vigilant as if he could sense my trepidation—and the dagger hidden in my left hand.
His tone was gentler as he stepped nearer, almost within touching distance. “I didn’t know what candy you liked, so I grabbed a few of my favorites.”
My brows heavily wrinkled toward one another, staring hard at this shifter. “I would rather know what in the Fae fuck you’re doing—” I instantly snapped my mouth shut, cutting off my words as a scent attacked my senses, slamming into my skull like a mallet to the brain.
The scent of lilies hammered into my very essence, coating all thoughts with the flowers of death and gripping lethally tight.
I sucked in a harsh breath and held completely still as his eyes glared into mine, not backing away from an undeniable truth. Finally, I opened my mouth in shock and mumbled breathlessly, “What…”
Bishop thrust the white bag against my chest.
A beat later, I dropped my head down dumbly and stared at the gift he held against me. I eyed it for a full minute before I jerked my head back up, trying to process how in the realm this could be so fucked up.
I blinked and muttered as calmly as possible—which wasn’t much, “Look…I think we’re going to have a problem here.”
