“Obvious? No,” the man says, leaning slightly closer. “Intriguing? Definitely.”
I tilt my head, playing into the moment despite the gnawing voice in the back of my mind telling me that this man is all pretty smiles and dark motives. “Intriguing can be dangerous.”
“Danger can be thrilling,” he replies, his grin widening. The easy charm in his tone feels forced now, like he’s trying too hard to impress. But it doesn’t matter—this isn’t about him. “Where is a pretty woman like you staying tonight?”
“A gentleman never asks a question like that without offering to solve the problem, now does he?”Oh my gods, why am I still speaking?
Before he can reply, the warmth at my back shifts, a shadow falling over me. My heart stutters, and I don’t need to turn aroundto know it’s Kael. His presence is unmistakable—solid, commanding, and suddenly, terrifyingly and thrillingly close.
“El,” Kael’s voice is low and quiet, but there’s a steel edge to it that sends a shiver down my spine. “I think you’ve had enough fun for tonight, don’t you?”
I glance back at him, my expression carefully neutral despite the way my blood hums in my veins. “You are not in charge of myfun, Kael. Go have some of your own—Jax is waiting.” I wave him off with a dismissive flick of my wrist.
“Let the lady have a little fun, my friend,” the man remarks, and I instantly know that he has made a grave error.
Kael’s eyes are dark, his jaw tight as his gaze flicks briefly to the man at the bar before settling back on me. “You are mine to keep safe,” he grits out.
“Oh?” I ask, my tone light but biting. “And when did I become yours? Before or after Jax was basically sitting in your lap?”
His lips twitch into a smirk, suddenly becoming amused. “Jealousy looks good on you, Duskae.” Without taking his eyes off me, he adds, “He can’t give you what you’re looking for. We’re leaving.”
Before I can respond, Kael steps closer, his muscled body brushing against mine as he places a gold coin on the bar. His presence is a wall between me and the man now, and the air around us crackles with unspoken tension. “Her drink’s done,” he says flatly to the man, who blinks in surprise. He looks like he’s about to argue, but he leaves and returns to his comrades.
Kael turns back to me, his voice low and for my ears only. “I am the only man that will solve the problem of where you are sleeping tonight and any night, do you understand?”
“I am not yours to command,” I counter, my tone clipped. I furrow my brow in annoyance as my chest tightens at the possessiveness in his gaze. “I was perfectly fine here.”No I wasn’t.
“I don’t share,” he says, his hand brushing my arm as if to guide me away from the bar.
The words hit me like a blow, sharp and deliberate, and yet they ignite something dark and exhilarating in me. I don’t fight him as heleads me toward the stairs at the back of the tavern, his grip firm but not rough.
As Kael’s hand brushes my arm, the weight of his words lingers in the air:I don’t share.My heart pounds against my ribs, an intoxicating mix of anger, defiance, lust, hunger, and something darker I don’t dare name. His grip is firm but steady as he leads me toward the stairs, but before we can reach them, the man from the bar reappears, flanked by two companions.
“Taking off already?” the man sneers, his earlier charm now replaced with something far more sinister. He steps into our path, his smile a taunt. “We were just starting to get acquainted.”
Kael’s body shifts subtly, his stance broadening as he steps partially in front of me. His hand releases my arm, but the weight of his presence wraps around me like a shield. “You’re making a mistake,” Kael says, his voice low and calm, like the first rumble of thunder.
The man chuckles, his companions flanking him. “Are you always this possessive of your whores? Look at her filthy body, Galreth’s finest lady of the night.” He says it with grandeur, and looks around at his companions, who snicker at his taunts.
Kael’s smirk is cold, lethal. “Wrong answer.”
The man’s grin falters, and Kael’s hand moves so fast I barely see it, gripping the man by the collar and slamming him against the nearest wall. The impact reverberates through the alley, and the man’s cocky demeanor vanishes, replaced by wide-eyed panic. “Do not touch what is mine,” Kael growls, his voice edged with something primal.
The man’s companions step forward, drawing daggers, but Kael is faster. In a fluid motion, he spins, using the first man’s body as a shield as he deflects a clumsy slash. The alley erupts into chaos, and I’m shoved back against the wall, my breath catching as I watch Kael move with terrifying precision.
His blade flashes in the dim light, a streak of glinting onyx cutting through the shadows. He disarms one of the men with a brutal twist of his wrist, the dagger clattering to the ground. Theother lunges at him, but Kael sidesteps easily, driving an elbow into the attacker’s ribs with a sickening crack.
The Starforged Blade sings at my side, begging me to draw and use it, so I don’t hesitate. I unsheathe the blade, its bejeweled hilt glinting from the Stars in the night sky. The man with the obviously broken ribs moves towards me with wild rage in his eyes, but I am nothing if not at home in alleyway fights for survival. I stalk towards him, my blade yearning to slice through flesh.
The man lunges, his movements wild and unrefined—predictable, even. I drop low beneath his haymaker, the Starforged Blade singing as it slices through the back of his leg. He crumples, screaming, but I don’t hesitate. The streets taught me better—hesitation gets you killed. Revryn’s voice echoes in my mind:Incapacitate first, then go for the kill.My knee drives into his chest as I drag the blade across his cheek. Control the fight. End it before it begins.
For the first time, I see the singe marks left in the blade's wake. He screams in agony, so I lean close to his ear before spitting the words at him, “You should keep better company.” I get off him, a blood-curdling scream ripping from his throat as his hands search his face for the damage, and I’m satisfied that he won’t fuck with me again.
I look up in time to see one of the men slump to the ground, groaning, while Kael turns his attention back to the leader. He’s still pinned against the wall, Kael’s forearm pressed against his throat. “Now that she’s available to give you her full attention,apologize,” Kael demands, his tone ice-cold.
The man gasps for air, clawing at Kael’s arm. “I— I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it!”
Kael’s smirk returns, a shadowed expression that sends a chill through me. “Didn’t mean anything by it?” His voice is a low rasp, thick with contempt. “That’s the best you can muster? After touching what doesn’t belong to you? After disrespecting her?” His forearm presses harder against the man’s throat, eliciting a strangled gasp.
