My lips part, and his stare doesn’t waver from me until three hundred pounds of muscle collide into his side and take them both to the ground. An involuntary noise of alarm leaves my mouth, but Darrius is quick to vault to his feet, his lithe body moving like liquid, and he returns the attack, despite the fact that that blow would have killed a lesser man.
The onlookers go wild, money changing hands as more wagers are made. The king swipes his opponent’s feet from under him, and the crowd cheers as he follows up with a slew of vicious strikes. For such a big man, his body is poetry in motion, moving with such sublime grace that he could be dancing in a ballroom.
Darrius doesn’t look at me, though I sense that the connection between us is as intense and visceral as ever. I can’t explain how he can feel me, only that I know if I were to move an inch, he’d be aware of it in seconds. How is he doing that? Focusing on the fightandme at the same time? I can barely control my own traitorous body.
You were given orders to go to the stables.
I startle at his deep voice resounding in my head. Somewhat awed but hiding it, I send my thoughts back.Don’t blame me. It’s your sister’s fault we took this detour.
He doesn’t reply—perhaps because he’s fending off his enemy with a series of spinning kicks that makes my breath catch. The expression on his face shows nothing—no pain, no anger, no triumph. In fact, the only spark of emotion I’d seen was when he’d noticed me. He fights with a cold, unearthly precision, every attack perfectly timed and executed.
Suddenly, the man he’s sparring with transforms into a snake and wraps his sinuous body around him in heavy green coils. I hiss out a sharp breath, but Darrius doesn’t even appear to be worried. I shouldn’t have been alarmed, either, because in the next second, his entire body dissolves into a vortex of shadows that swallows the snake entirely for a handful of heartbeats.
Sands, will the shadows eviscerate the snake? But in a blink of an eye, they release their prey and dissipate, and the two men face off once more.
Slightly traumatized, I glance at Ani. “That was... unusual.”
She grins at my pale face. “Magic is a weapon like any other here and meant to be used. It’s a gift on and off the battlefield.”
“I bet.”
I’ll deal with my sister later.You should not be here.
Stars, even his inner voice is domineering.Why? Are you worried that I’ll use your distraction to subvert your precious kingdom?
I sense the burst of irritation, barely visible in the tightening of his facial muscles, and I revel for a foolish second in the fact that I alone can disrupt that stony, impenetrable exterior.
Careful, Starbright.
I lift a brow when his eyes catch mine for a split second.I thought “intrusion into the mind is an indelicate, invasive thing” and that you require consent?
I am projecting my own thoughts. You are choosing to receive them and reply, which in its own way implies tacit permission.
Very well, then I choose to send this.
I envision the clearest picture of a middle finger I can manage.
He must have decided he’s done with sparring, because he lets out a growl that I can feel to my toes and takes his adversary to the ground with one knee to the back and an arm around his neck. The man yields with a shout, and a chorus of cheers and groans ensues as wagers are concluded with coin changing hands. The end of the match is so fast and so easy that I wonder why the king wasn’t fighting with all of his skill before.
And then the answer is obvious when he vaults the fence and comes striding up the small hill toward Ani and me.Shit.I straighten as he closes the distance, ready to do some verbal sparring of my own, but then his delicious scent surrounds me, and I can barely put up any kind of valiant offense. My senses scatter like dandelion seeds in the wind.
Gods, it isn’t fair for a man to smell sogood.
I swallow my groan. When did I develop some kind of peculiar olfactory obsession? My eyes rove over his exposed skin. Or a tattoo and glistening muscles obsession? Those inky designs curl lovingly over his defined body in intricate swirls, arrowing down his torso to those dangerously low pants. Do the markings goallthe way down? I feel my core clench even as I yank my gaze back to a respectable level.
Down, girl.
“This isn’t the stables, sister dear,” he says to Ani. He slings an arm over her shoulders, dragging her close, and she squeals.
“You’re sweaty and disgusting. Get off!” She shoves him away, and he laughs.Laughs!“And wewereon the way to the stables. I opted for the scenic route.”
I’m picking my jaw up off the ground as I watch the interaction in surprise—a far cry from the stilted, rude ones I’d seen before. But I suppose the first time in my room, he’d been more concerned with guarding his precious secrets from an interloper, and in the throne room, Ani had been his scribe.
“You should spar more,” he tells her. “We miss your skills in the ring.”
My brows shoot up. Ani looks like a strong wind could blow her over.
“I’ve been busy with my duties, Dare,” she says, eyes flicking to me before she shrugs. “The king of Oryndhr has been difficult, insisting we’ve committed an act of war. He refuses to be civil or reasonable. And the horde clans are refusing to agree on anything, as usual.”
