Thayden said yes because he couldn’t afford to say no.
I reached the door.
I could sense him before I even touched the handle. Thayden's presence leaked through the wood like a stain. And I could smell his fear.
Good.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside, letting it close behind me with a decisive click. Although it was still bright outside, a handful of lit candles were dotted around the room.
Thayden stood near the far wall, his back rigid and turned to me. His hands were clasped behind him in what might have been an attempt at dignity.
A single table dominated the center of the space, flanked by chairs that looked like they were waiting for us to sit.
I stopped in the center of the room, and he turned to face me.
His jaw was set in grim determination, but the look in his eyes was brittle. Like glass under pressure, waiting for the right moment to shatter.
My shadows flicked out around me, agitated from the sight of him. They poured from my form, dark tendrils stretching across the stone floor and climbing up the walls.
Thayden watched them, unable to look away.
I let them expand to the walls, feeding them with the darkness that lived beneath my skin. They filled the space between us, a visible manifestation of the power that ran through my veins.
Thayden's shoulders tensed as the shadows reached toward him, though he tried to hide his reaction.
The motherfucker knew he was out of his depth here and he’d seriously fucked with the wrong person.
Finally, his gaze returned to me and his expression hardened.
"Quite a show you put on today,Lord Nightblade," Thayden said, his voice carrying a forced lightness that didn't match the tension radiating from his frame.
Lord Nightblade. He’d been the only person today who hadn’t acknowledged me asYour Highness.No surprise there.
"That was no show." My voice cut through the shadows and they rippled. "I came here for war."
His jaw tightened at that, some of his practiced composure slipping.
"The last time we saw each other, you were ramming a sword through my heart," I continued. Getting to the point.
The memory seemed to flicker between us.
I'd survived.
That was never part of whatever deal he’d struck when he decided to test fate.
"Could you blame me?" Thayden's voice took on an edge of wounded pride. "You stole my girl."
I let the silence stretch, let my shadows pulse with dark amusement before I answered. "Did I?"
Pride swelled within for my ingenious plan. The bastard had no proof of what I did.
He was stuck and he was showing his hand.
“Didn’t you?”
Really? That was his best come back.
“How I metmy wifeis none of your business.”
