by Jen McIntosh
It was almost too much to take in. She didn’t know where to look – it was so overwhelming. Alvar seemed to sense her distress and took her hand in his.
Arian appeared at her other side, a long-suffering expression on her face. ‘Market day. I might have known – I thought there were too many people here. It only happens once a month, but of course, it would be today.’
‘Don’t start your whinging,’ muttered Ornak, joining them. ‘It helps us, and you know it. Less chance of awkward questions, and a simple answer, just in case.’ He glanced around, eyes bright and assessing. ‘Right. You three head to the tavern over that way and wait for me there. Shouldn’t be too long.’
Arian nodded in agreement, but the frown on her face said she wasn’t happy about it. ‘Be careful.’
He winked in answer and sauntered out into the marketplace. Arian just shook her head in annoyance and led the way to the tavern he’d pointed at. Taking out her frustration on the first person to cross her path, she haggled so viciously over the price of stabling the horse that the poor stableboy left in tears.
The tavern had an area of seating outside and, despite the cool bite of mountain air on the wind, Arian insisted on dining there. Sheltered beneath a colourful awning, they were able to remove their various coverings. Any complaint Renila had was soon forgotten when the serving girl produced three steaming bowls of stew and a plate of crusty white bread. As she and Alvar tore into their meals with gusto, Arian picked at her food – too busy watching Ornak from the corner of her eye.
Renila followed her gaze, contemplating the big Dragon as he drifted through the crowds, pausing occasionally to examine wares or simply pass the time of day with the merchant. He bought some things now and then, including a new knife he didn’t need, but he seemed to be more interested in information than his purchases. He avoided any stalls run by Dragons – Nightwalker or otherwise.
‘There’s a price on his head,’ Arian said when Renila asked about it. ‘Mortals won’t know who he is, but Dragons recognise their own. Even with the glamour.’
Renila eyed him across the square. ‘Why?’
‘Because he didn’t die when he was supposed to.’ There was a finality in her tone, and Renila knew not to push the matter further. They finished their meals in silence.
Across the square, a Dragon woman was watching Ornak with a coy smile – her bare arms banded in the silver tattoos that marked her as a local. Not a Nightwalker. The first Dragon they’d seen who wasn’t, and he made a beeline straight for her. Her body arched towardss him provocatively, and the lazy grin splitting his face gave some indication as to the topic of conversation. Sure enough, coins changed hands, and she pulled him back into the shadows of a nearby alley. Renila flushed with embarrassment and looked away.
A face in the crowd made her pause.
A pale, serious face – soft with childhood, but likely to be handsome one day. Nothing notable about it now; nothing that would catch the eye. A face born to blend into the background. Except for those eyes. Brightest amber, glowing like hot coals in the sunshine. Her own eyes staring back at her, out of her son’s face.
‘Mother.’
Alvar nudged her with an elbow, jolting her back to reality. ‘Are you alright?’
She shook herself, nodding. She tried to speak, tried to tell him what she’d seen, but the words stuck in her throat. It was madness. It wasn’t possible. But her eyes kept drifting back to that same spot. Where she’d seen him.
Erion.
Ornak reappeared from the alley after about ten minutes, fastening his belt, a satisfied smile on his face. Arian only snorted and downed the last of her ale.
‘Come on,’ she said, standing. ‘He’s got what he needs. Time to go.’
Renila blinked in surprise and allowed Alvar to pull her to her feet. But as soon as he released her, her gaze was drawn right back to the crowd. Searching.
A glint of crimson as a red jewel caught in the light; burgundy hair gleaming in the sun. Long, delicate fingers closing around a slender wrist. The Shade Prince, dragging Erion behind him. She blinked. No – a father and son, fighting their way through the crowd.
Arian and Alvar were moving now, skirting round the edge of the square, working their way over to Ornak. Renila followed, hardly looking where she was going. A tinkle of laughter snagged her attention. A smiling face – that impish grin, a rare but cherished sight. Erion. She shook her head in confusion. No. Just a boy, smiling at the gift his mother had just bought him.
Ornak was close now, his brow creased with concern and eyes flashing at something behind them. He seemed to be trying to signal Arian, but she couldn’t see him through the crowd. Renila was about to say something when a voice made her turn.
‘Mother.’
She stilled, her gaze wide with wonder as she reached for her son. ‘Erion. How?’
‘There’s no time to explain,’ he said, taking her hand in his own. His face was pale, drawn with worry and fear. ‘Quick, come with me. It’s not safe for you here.’
Renila frowned, confused. Her mind was so sluggish. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘The people with Alvar,’ he whispered, drawing her close. ‘They work for the Shade King. They’re here to kill you.’
She blinked, shaking her head. ‘No, that can’t be. They’re my friends.’
‘It’s true. I saw them talking to him, just before I escaped. He sent them to hunt you down and kill you.’ A small voice in the back of her mind whispered that none of this made any sense. That she was being tricked somehow. But it was silenced when she registered the fear in her son’s eyes. Erion was dragging her backwards now, pulling her with him as he melted back into the throng. Still, something nagged at her senses.
‘What about Alvar? We can’t just leave him.’
‘It doesn’t matter. They’ll kill you and take me back to the King. I can’t go back there. Please, Mother, please don’t make me go back.’
Any hesitation that remained was drowned out by the desperation in his voice. She had never heard her son sound so scared. It broke her heart, and in that moment, Erion vanished. Panic gripped her like a fist around her chest, squeezing all the air from her lungs. She darted forward, pushing and shoving as she searched for him, trying to scream his name but unable to summon the strength. Her legs trembled, almost too weak to hold her. Her vision blurred, like she was wading through fog. There was a hollow ringing in her ears – almost drowning out the familiar voice roaring her name over the din. People were screaming, the crowd recoiling from something behind her, pressing so tight around her she could hardly breathe.
Then Erion was there, his hand somehow finding her through the crush. His bright amber eyes flashed with fear and relief. Then they were running, fleeing with the churning crowd from some faceless menace bearing down on them. Erion’s grip on her hand was unyielding, a lifeline to cling to in a roiling sea that threatened to drown her.
Out of the marketplace, sprinting down the winding streets, they allowed themselves to be swept along by the screaming throng. Then Erion swerved hard to the left, dragging her with him down a darkened alley. There were fewer people here, but in the narrow street it was still difficult to catch her breath.
He veered right, down another alley. Then another right. Then left. Left again. And again. Right. Darting through the maze of dark, narrow streets with unerring surety.
Then they were through the great gates, twisting and turning through the town until there was nothing but open hillside in front of them.
Gasping from exertion they paused, hidden in the shadows of an outlying house. She swayed, but Erion held her tight. Too tight.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked. She nodded and tried to pull away, unsure. He smiled, but her stomach shifted at the sight. There was something dark and malicious in his face that had not been there before.
His eyes swirled and changed – palest blue, shining like moonstone. Familiar, yet not. Suddenly, she realised that she
was looking up at him. Dark hair faded to silver-blonde. The scrawny arms holding her, the slim chest pressed against her, filled out. Became the body of a man, strong and lean and corded in powerful muscle. A strange, star-shaped mark bloomed on his brow. That boyish face grew thinner, more handsome. Breathtaking. So stunning that she could only stare. He smirked, running gentle fingers down her cheek in a tender caress. Some instinct screamed at her to fight back, but she couldn’t move. Couldn’t even stretch her fingers towards the knife Ornak had given her, sheathed at her hip.
Two figures stepped from the shadows beside them. Cloaked in darkest grey, their faces hidden beneath hoods, one of them led a stallion by the reins. A magnificent beast, his coat glistening like quicksilver.
‘They’re not far behind you,’ one figure warned.
The man smiled. It was an evil, wicked thing. ‘I’m sure you can remedy that. I’m paying you enough.’
‘You didn’t tell us who we were delaying,’ the other objected. ‘The price is double.’
‘The price is what we agreed,’ the man breathed, his voice soft and all the more dangerous for it. ‘If you want to earn some extra pennies, you can always deliver their heads to Elucion. The reward the King has offered for just one of them would keep you both in wine and women for the rest of your lives.’
The two figures hesitated, glancing sidelong at each other. Black eyes flashed beneath those hoods. Nightwalkers. One jerked his chin at Renila, still motionless in the man’s arms. ‘What about her?’
‘What about her?’ the man snapped. ‘She’s for the Princess, and therefore, none of your business. Now get a move on. The Hal bastard is close and Zorana will have your hides if I fail.’
The Nightwalkers hesitated, but they nodded and handed the reins over. Then they vanished back into the shadows. The silver-haired man looked back down at Renila, fighting against him with all her might but still frozen where she stood.
‘Sleep now, little dove,’ he murmured. ‘Save your energy for later. You’ll need it.’
Then his mind was inside hers, seeping in through her defences like smoke and smothering all resistance. She had never felt so helpless – he was in control, able to move her body like a puppet master twitching the strings of a marionette. And then with a simple whispered word, he soothed her fears; altered her emotions from terror and dread to trust and contentment.
‘What are you doing to me?’ she heard herself ask, though she no longer understood why she objected to what he had done.
The man chuckled darkly. ‘You are mine now, sweet Renila. Sleep.’
Unable to fight him, she did as she was bid.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Alexan would never know for sure how he evaded the Dragons hunting him. The echoes of their roars and the howling of Théon’s Casting followed him for miles as he careered over rock and moor, but even they fell silent.
Théon. Gods, please let her be alright. He didn’t think he could bear it if she was hurt protecting him.
You broke your vow.
He shoved the thought from his mind. She’d ordered him to run. He’d done as he was told. But now what? There was nowhere to hide. No way off the island either. Not unless he called for help, and he was damned if he was going to be the one to bring the Shade King to these shores. Fuck. How had he forgotten the damn ring? Or underestimated the Princess? Her Dragon lover and his sister? He knew better than that. Had spent long enough studying them all. Know your enemy. A lesson learned on the streets of Illyol as a child. One that had kept him alive in the Shade Court since the Claiming.
He dropped to a crouch and considered his options. Magic writhed in his veins, rising in response to his frustration. His fear. That dark behemoth of power waking from almost a century of slumber. It was a sign of his distress that it had stirred at all. For her. His Queen. The mark on his palm burning. Please, Gods, keep her safe. He reined it back in, but it did not go quietly. Once roused, it begged to be loosed. Gods, he was tempted to destroy the Dragons who had threatened his Queen, to watch them burn in magic more like a Shade Wielding than an Elvish Casting.
He uncoiled a small, searching tendril of power, searching for anywhere that might offer some shelter from pursuit. Sighed with relief when he found what he wanted. Then frowned when he realised what he’d have to do to get to it.
The sea cave was one of the biggest he’d ever seen, but that wasn’t what drew him to it. No. Of far more interest was the freshwater cave adjacent. Carved out by the river rushing down off the moor, now dropping through rock in a thundering waterfall. So either he’d have to follow that route, or else pick his way down the cliffs and then swim through the connecting chamber. Neither of which was appealing in the cold dark of the night.
Both, however, were better than facing the Dragons.
What if she was hurt? Trapped? Dying?
He shoved the thoughts away and chose the cliffs. Slower, but safer. Especially when he needed to conserve every ounce of power in case the Dragons found him. He was no use to his Queen dead.
The cave entrance was at the end of a long, broad gorge – no doubt carved out by the sea and perhaps once part of the cave itself. And if he thought the opening was big, it was nothing compared to the vast chamber beyond. It was remarkable. Breathtaking. And useless as a hiding place.
He prowled inside on silent feet, overwhelmed by the roar of the waterfall thundering down into the pool below. He peered through the darkness, thanking the Gods for his Darkling-heightened senses as they picked out the shore tucked behind the waterfall. With a grimace, he dropped into the water, sucking in a sharp breath at its cold bite, and swam across.
His body was aching by the time he pulled himself out of the water. Whether from cold, exhaustion or just the stress of the last hour, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps a combination of all three. Whatever the cause, a wave of fatigue swept over him as he crawled onto the shore. He barely had the strength to warm and dry his clothes before passing out face-first on the rocks.
He was woken by the sound of footsteps echoing in the sea cave, though how he heard them over the roar of the waterfall he didn’t know. Survival instincts were strange like that. He rolled to his feet, hunkered down between some of the larger rocks and waited with bated breath.
A familiar figure appeared above the rock pool, silhouetted against the moonlight spilling into the cave beyond.
Théon.
Relief crashed through him, and even in the darkness, he could see it mirrored in her as she sensed his presence. He was in the water and swimming to her without a second thought, desperate to hold her.
A desperation she seemed to share as she threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him. She was shaking. From cold or fear or relief, he wasn’t sure. Didn’t care. All that mattered was she was in his arms. Where she belonged.
‘You’re alright,’ he murmured into her hair. ‘Gods, I was so worried.’
‘I’m fine,’ she promised.
‘What happened? How did you get away?’
She laughed breathlessly against his throat. ‘My Shade magic might be bound, but my strength isn’t. I might not have the Wielding, but my Casting is powerful enough to handle two Dragons.’
‘You killed them?’
A violent shudder wracked her slender frame. ‘No. Gods, I was tempted. When I realised they would kill you no matter what I said, the rage … If the Shade hadn’t been bound … But no. They’re family. By blood and more.’
He nodded in understanding and held her a little tighter. ‘How did you find me?’
‘Tracked down my magic,’ she said, tapping the ring on his finger. ‘Surprisingly effective.’
Then, before he could say anything more, she kissed him. With such unbridled passion it made his head spin. Her lips were soft and warm but insistent, and he almost gasped out loud when her tongue stroked his lips. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her hard against him, sweeping inside her mouth with his tongue. Smiled as she moaned, her hands in his h
air, crushing his mouth against hers.
Conscious thought was beyond him at that point, and his hands moved of their own accord, tracing over her hips until he grasped her firm arse. She squealed with delight when he lifted her and wrapped her thighs around his waist. Pinned her against the rocks as he revelled in the heat of her body against his. Her hands moved from his hair to grip his massive shoulders for support. Something inside him longed to throw his head back and roar as she dug her nails into his back. Instead, he kissed along her jaw and down her throat, for once ignoring her blood singing to him from beneath her skin.
Then her hands dipped inside his shirt. He groaned, desperate to touch her skin as he tore her clothes from her body. She ripped his shirt in her rush to remove it, but he barely spared it a thought. He wanted to be inside her with an urgent need, the like of which he had never experienced. A thought struck him in the moment before their joining, and he paused.
‘Are you sure?’ he groaned against her mouth. She pulled away long enough to look him in the eye.
‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘I want you.’
‘I don’t think I can be gentle,’ he warned, quivering with the effort of restraint. The look Théon gave him was almost his undoing. Her eyes glowed with that terrible, pulsing light, the Shade threatening to surface, as some of that darkness locked deep within her was unleashed.
‘Likewise,’ she growled, her voice husky with desire. ‘I’ll try not to break you.’ She moved, and Alexan surrendered to his impulses. His eyes rolled back into his head as he roared with the sheer pleasure of her. He wasn’t gentle, not by any means, but neither was she.
It was perhaps an hour before dawn. They lay tangled together on the shore of the rock pool. She was dozing in his arms. They hadn’t slept much. He’d had her against the rocks, and then again in the pool, and then beneath the waterfall itself. He’d got on his knees and worshipped her like the Queen she was, and when he was done, she’d repaid the favour.
