“I know he did. I witnessed it myself.”
The raw pain in Einar’s voice stole my breath, and for a moment, I was speechless. The idea that King Aolis had used shadow magic, a power that no elemental fae could wield, was preposterous. Everyone knew he’d used the legendary Spear of Destiny, gifted to him by the Radiants, to drive the dragons back to their borders and kill them off. As beings of light, there was no way the Radiants would have given him a relic crafted from shadow magic.
And yet, the anguish burning in Einar’s eyes couldn’t be faked. He definitely believed King Aolis had used shadow magic to kill his people. And if I was being honest, it wasn’t as if I actually knew the truth about anything, especially since I hadn’t been alive during the war. In fact, it was becoming more and more obvious with each passing second that I knew nothing at all.
“This conversation isn’t going anywhere,” I said with a huff. “Thanks for saving me, but I have to go now. I need to find my mother and get some answers.”
I turned away, but before I could take a step, Einar was suddenly in front of me. “You’re not going anywhere.” His massive hands curled around my shoulders as he loomed over me, and I swallowed hard, steeling myself for a fight. “Not until I get some answers of my own.”
10
Einar
The moment I curled my fingers around Adara’s shoulders, my desire for answers evaporated, leaving me with the burning need to pull her closer, to bury my nose in her hair and inhale her scent. I gritted my teeth, fighting against the temptation, against the instinct to claim what every inch of my body screamed was mine.
You don’t want her,I reminded myself—a mantra I would be repeating for the days to come.This is just the mating bond talking. She’s still a filthy, murderous fae.
Adara’s eyes narrowed, as if she were sensing weakness. Moving so fast I could barely track the motion, she gripped my left arm with both hands, then spun around and dropped her weight. Before I knew what was happening, she’d hauled me up her back, then flipped me over, sending me flying across the clearing.
I crashed into the ground several feet away with a surprised ‘oof’.
“Go find someone else to give you answers,” she called in a scathing voice over her shoulder, her footsteps scuffing against the dirt as she strode away. “I don’t have time to play with you.”
I snorted. Did she really think she could walk away from me so easily? I volleyed to my feet, then somersaulted through the air, landing right in front of her. A punch flew straight toward my head, but this time I was expecting it, and I caught it with my fist.
She gritted her teeth, and I arched an eyebrow. “Where was this fighting spirit before, when you were getting eaten alive by dire wolves?”
“Get out of my way.” Adara wrenched her fist out of my grip, and swung for me again. I blocked the blow, then countered with one of my own, enjoying the combative interaction despite myself. It had been a long time since I’d sparred with anyone, and though I would never admit it aloud to this female, she clearly had some talent.
“Not until you give me some answers.” I dropped to the ground and swung my leg toward her ankles, trying to sweep her. She jumped up at the last second, then snapped her foot out, the sole of her dusty boot flying straight for my nose. But I’d already anticipated that, and I rolled onto my shoulders, avoiding the blow. Upside down, I glommed onto her leg with all four of my limbs, pushed on her hip with my foot, and pulled her ankle at the same time.
“Giant’s teeth!” she swore as we fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs. I popped up and spun around, then covered her body with mine and pinned her beneath me. Spitting mad, she flung every curse I’d ever heard—and a few that were new to my ears—at me as she tried to buck me off, but I kept my knees and elbows tight against her, refusing to give her any space.
Which turned out to be a mistake, I realized as her scent enveloped me. The salt of an ocean breeze, the perfume of water lilies, and lying just beneath, the hint of burning embers. My body responded instantly, lust surging hot in my veins, and I became painfully aware of every dip and curve of Adara’s body as it molded against mine. I could feel myself growing hard, and I instinctively flinched back, not wanting her to feel any evidence of my arousal.
Unfortunately, that gave her the space to buck me off. Planting her hands on my rib cage, she threw me forward, then shoved herself between my legs and scrambled out. I flipped my body around just in time to catch the silver glint of a knife in her hand, and I braced myself, expecting her to lunge for me.
But she didn’t. Instead, she remained where she was. One knee on the ground, the other foot planted, dagger clutched in her fist with the sharp edge of the blade facing me. Her long hair had come free of its braid to frame her face in wild, lavender-blue waves, and her pale skin glowed in the moonlight as she regarded me warily out of those cornflower blue eyes.
I’d never seen anything so beautiful, or so deadly, in my life.
“Where did you learn to fight like that?” she asked in a breathless voice. A flush stained her alabaster cheeks, her chest rising and falling rapidly from our recent exertions. “I’ve trained with soldiers before and I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
Fresh pain bit into my chest as an old memory surfaced, cutting through the arousal. Daryan and I used to grapple all the time, both as whelps and young males, pitting my superior strength and size against his speed and wiliness. Those scraps had taught me that natural strength was not enough to win battles, that skill, timing, and the willingness to wait for the right moment could make all the difference in the world.
And yet, none of that had mattered in the end. Daryan was dead and gone, and leaving me with a void in my heart and nothing, not even the ashes of my homeland, to comfort me.
“A friend,” I bit out. I allowed my hatred of the fae to creep back into my heart and fill that void, pushing out any lingering feelings of desire. “I won’t speak his name aloud—your pointed fae ears are unworthy of hearing it.”
Adara rolled her eyes. “Ahh, back to hating me again. Perfect.” She sighed and leaned back a little so that her bottom touched the ground, taking the weight off her knee. “I would take this opportunity to leave, but I’ve used a lot of energy fighting you, so I’ll just take a nap instead.” She leaned her head back against the tree behind her and closed her eyes, lavender-blue lashes fanning against her milk-white skin.
“If only I could go back to sleep,” I muttered. “That’s all I want.”
Adara cracked one eye open. “Allyou want?” she asked. “I thought you wanted answers.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Answers are necessary if I have to live in this forsaken kingdom alone, but I wouldn’t need them if I could return to my enchanted sleep. I have no desire to live out the rest of my days in a land plagued by shadows and populated by fae who would kill me on sight if they knew I existed.”
“Hmm.” Adara’s other eye opened, and she tapped her chin thoughtfully. “What if I could put you back to sleep?”
