Cast Into Shadow

by Angela Colsin

  There, he insisted, “Wash your hands.”

  “I'm fine, Mikail.”

  “Just do it!”

  “Okay, okay! Geeze,” she muttered, crouching to dip her hands in the water and rub them together.

  Placated, he joined her to wash the wyrm blood from his skin and clothing while exhaling what felt like his first breath since witnessing the beast taking off after her. With things finally settling down, his reactions to her peril were sinking in as well, just as Kivsey mentioned playfully, “If I didn't know any better, I'd think you actually cared.”

  He couldn't deny coming to the same conclusion. His heart was still thundering after the panic he'd experienced over the thought of her demise. Yet, and more notably, he was also feeling a swell of admiration over her clever means of dealing with the wyrm—particularly in regards to her confident attitude.

  She'd sounded so casually amused in calling the wyrm a dumbass for eating the snail, as if she hadn't just been chased through a tunnel by one of the most fearsome creatures to dwell in the Vrellan Caverns.

  And damned if the thought didn't flood him with desire.

  Still, and despite how pleased he was that she'd survived, he couldn't ignore the fact that she'd put herself at risk to do it. So, as they both stood from the stream, he turned to face her with every intention of letting her know precisely what he thought.

  Sadly, it didn't quite have the effect he was hoping for, proving the only way to deal with this human was to fight fire with fire—and Mikail was going to enjoy every minute.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ♦

  “You could've been killed.”

  Drying her hands by wiping them on her slacks, Kivsey paused at Mikail's sudden reprimand. He sounded extremely unhappy, and in glancing up, she spied a serious look in the Warlord's crimson eyes.

  The stern expression revealed a startling truth she had no compunctions pointing out.

  “You do care!”

  In response to her observation, the Dok'aal flinched as if slapped, but wasted no time approaching until he was only a few feet away where he replied pointedly, “That doesn't matter. There was no need for you to endanger yourself when I was right around the corner!”

  “Yeah, and while you were right around the corner, that wyrm was right behind me. I didn't have time to wait for you to come back! I didn't even know if you would!”

  “Of course I would,” he retorted as if her statement was ridiculous. “Those wyrms were only babies.”

  Kivsey couldn't help but stare, turning her gaze to the corpse before asking, “Those are babies? How big are the adults?”

  She looked back up just as Mikail growled, “Don't change the subject, human, and don't put yourself at risk again.”

  Under normal circumstances, Kivsey would've angrily argued that her life was already at stake, so it wouldn't have mattered if she'd accidentally poisoned herself. But instead, she grinned, unable to help a sense of satisfaction in realizing the only reason Mikail was acting this way was because he did, in fact, care about her safety.

  Why, she had no idea, and in that moment, she didn't need to know. Instead, she only wanted to enjoy the gratification his worry provided while pointing out, “Look, I appreciate the concern, big guy, but I'm not promising I won't do whatever it takes to save my ass when it's already on the line.”

  The Dok'aal growled, his look suggesting he knew there was no way to argue, and he didn't try.

  Instead, he directed sternly, “Stop smiling like that.”

  “Like what?” Knowingly, she suggested, “Like I know you care?”

  His jaw clenched, and at first, Kivsey thought he was going to erupt in anger and point out all the reasons he'd never care for a human, much less one with elven blood in their veins.

  Yet the tension soon ebbed from his body with a look surfacing in his crimson eyes that almost seemed … enlightened, as if sizing her up for something specific.

  But it wasn't a menacing look—it was devious.

  “Perhaps I do,” he confessed sincerely enough, “and I may even be impressed by your ingenuity. I doubt another human would've fared as well as you did.”

  Kivsey was so stunned by his praise that she remained speechless, providing him the chance to lean in close to add, “But if you keep smiling at me that way, I might have to take it personally.”

  She blinked, unsure what to think, especially when he implied a suggestive meaning to his comment by smirking.

  The look was too sexy to ignore, his smile sensuous, grabbing her attention so thoroughly that when he stood straight again and started walking away, it took her a moment to follow.

  But she soon snapped out of her stupor and rushed ahead to catch up, asking, “What does that mean? You'll kick my ass if I don't stop?”

  “If that's what you want it to mean.”

  Kivsey narrowed her brows. Was he teasing her? Or just trying to drive her crazy with a vague response? His smirk made it hard to tell, but whatever the case, two could play the cryptic game.

  So she promptly returned, “Oh, I don't think you'd like to know what I want it to mean.”

  He cast a brief, but curious look in her direction. “Why not?”

  “Because you couldn't handle it, big guy.”

  Still walking, the Dok'aal immediately scoffed. “Is that so?”

  “Yep.”

  “Fitting, because you likely couldn't handle a Dok'aal taking something personally.”

  There was a playfulness in his tone that Kivsey hadn't heard before—and she liked it. More and more, a clearer picture was forming of the man Mikail truly was, making it much easier to envision him as the type to laugh with those he cared about.

  She also had the feeling she was close to actually hearing such a sound, and had no intentions of stopping their baiting game, announcing, “I guess that means I'll have to keep smiling at you to find out, then. Besides, it's nice knowing you care so much, so … .”

  At that, she cast the same smile up at him, and when he finally glanced in her direction, she punctuated the expression by blowing a quick raspberry.

  Looking ahead again, Mikail's chest shook as if he'd just contained a bit of laughter before suggesting, “You should keep that sassy tongue in your mouth, or things are going to get very personal.”

  “Oh, I'm shakin' in my boots. The scary Warlord's gettin' personal.”

  Apparently, that was the last straw because Mikail suddenly changed directions to head straight toward her.

  But Kivsey didn't stop, and her smile never wavered, backing away from him while adding sarcastically, “Oh no, the tiny human is being confronted by a fearless Dok'aal Warlord. Whatever could he be planning?”

  Despite his imposing stature, he looked amused. “Keep it up and you'll find out.”

  “Bring it on, big guy.”

  At her taunt, he reached to grab her, and she ducked to the side, squealing with laughter when he turned more quickly than anticipated and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  Following the movement, he pulled her back to corner against a nearby boulder, then lifted his muscular arms by her sides to lean against, effectively blocking her path.

  Kivsey snickered—wishing the sound wasn't so breathless. But his closeness was having a stronger effect than expected, or maybe it was the way he stared, his red eyes glowing with intensity.

  Whatever the case, it made focusing a chore when he asked, “Do you enjoy trying to rile me, human? Or are you always so insolent?”

  “Insolent?” Kivsey scoffed, striving for a neutral tone in replying, “I was just pointing out the truth. It's not my fault you don't like caring what happens to a human.”

  “And I wonder why that matters so much to you,” Mikail returned drolly. “Perhaps it's because you care for me in turn.”

  “I've got no problems admitting I care what happens to you.”

  “No?”

  “Of course not. I'm pretty dependent on your skills for survival right
now.”

  “Yet you just escaped a wyrm all by yourself.”

  “I didn't say fully dependent,” she countered. “Now move. We're wasting time just standing here.”

  “Ah, but I thought you wanted to learn what my taking it personally meant,” he retorted.

  Rolling her eyes, Kivsey realized he wasn't going anywhere, and decided to attempt gaining his cooperation by pushing at his chest—for all the good it did. Feels like pushing a brick wall.

  So she tried harder, turning to shove a shoulder into him while grunting with her fruitless efforts. But no matter how much strength she put into it, he wouldn't budge, and merely watched with an amused smile.

  “Give up yet, human?”

  Grumbling, she finally stopped struggling, but only because she knew she'd never best him in a physical contest. Instead, she'd have to find another way out—and just happened to have the perfect idea in mind.

  So she answered plainly, “Not quite, Dok'aal. I'm just changing tactics.” And if you were even remotely impressed by my great wyrm escape, you ain't seen nothin' yet, big guy … .

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ♦

  Jennifer Kivsey was turning out to be much more than a typical human.

  And Mikail liked it.

  He'd called her insolent, but in truth, he found her sass beguiling, and though he'd talked a big game, he had absolutely no plan for retaliation in mind when he'd trapped her against a boulder. He only knew one of two things would happen as a result—he'd either intimidate that damned alluring smile off her lips, or she'd find some way to escape.

  And he was far too interested to see what she'd do to let her go.

  So, in response to her boast of changing tactics, he asked, “Oh? About to impress me with another spurt of ingenuity? Because I doubt you'll top that escape from—mmph … .”

  His comment was unexpectedly muffled when Kivsey leaned up and pressed her soft lips to his in a chaste kiss. It was a bold move, his arms drawing back in surprise as he forgot their conversation completely in attempt to figure out how to respond.

  But the moment she sensed the movement, Kivsey broke contact and slipped away, leaving him staring at the boulder in complete bewilderment.

  She'd obviously meant only to throw him off, and he couldn't say she hadn't played her hand perfectly. He was enjoying their banter far too much to even consider the possibility that she'd kiss him, and even if he had, he wouldn't have believed she'd take that route.

  But with his surprise came a sense of disappointment over how she'd teased him by slipping away before offering a true taste of her mouth. Instead, she'd left but a brief impression of how soft her lips were, a ghost of sensation lingering on his own.

  Mikail nearly growled at the thought, and only stopped himself in realizing what his frustration meant.

  He wanted to kiss her.

  His eyes widened in astonishment. Kissing was an act he'd only ever considered acceptable to share with his mate. The gesture was simply too affectionate for anyone else, and the notion that he was willing to give Kivsey such attention made it difficult to know how to respond to her ploy.

  It was a difficulty she compounded by stating, “Just so you know, I wasn't trying to top my escape from the wyrm, but if that impressed you, consider my ego stroked.”

  Turning to face her, Mikail spied the same victorious smirk she'd given after escaping the wyrm, proving she'd enjoyed besting him—and he could almost literally hear her calling him dumbass.

  That's when it hit him. Not only had he seriously underestimated this female, he couldn't respond any other way than by simply being himself.

  And that was precisely what he was going to do.

  Walking over, his gaze narrowed in asking with the utmost seriousness, “You call that a kiss?”

  Kivsey's answer was given immediately, and she specified it with a gloating smile.

  “No, I call it a distraction.”

  “A distraction?” Drawing in closer, he retorted, “That's not what I'd call it.”

  “And what would you call it?”

  “A tease.”

  Finally, that smug smile faded over the implication of his statement—and Mikail took full advantage of her distraction. I never could let a tease go without a proper response.

  Clasping the nape of her neck, he leaned down and captured her mouth with his, causing Kivsey to gasp and tense in a way that made him think she'd pull back. But instead, she surprised him again, her small hands cupping his cheeks in a gentle caress that nearly made him forget the sole aim here was to one-up the human, not make out with her.

  Yet he found himself purposefully dragging his tongue along her lips for a taste, letting a ragged groan when her own sneaked out to flick his, coming to a quick realization—this didn't seem wrong at all.

  By all the gods, kissing this woman felt utterly right.

  Reality came crashing down at the thought, leaving him shaken as their lips broke contact. Possessive instincts roared to life in turn, and he nearly pulled her back in for something much more meaningful.

  But Kivsey broke through his daze in groaning breathlessly, “Wow … if that's how a Dok'aal takes something personally, I might just enjoy my stay in Satorala more than I'd thought.”

  It took a moment for her meaning to register, but once it did, a smile split Mikail's lips with a laugh rumbling from his chest. Not only was Kivsey's attitude attractive, her wit left nothing to be desired, making it official; he liked this human.

  It was a startling development, but in that moment, he didn't care, focusing less on his frustrating admiration, and more on her reaction to his laughter.

  For some reason, it looked as if he'd just made her whole day, and as she stepped back, he asked, “What?”

  “Nothing,” she remarked, and almost sounded coy. “I just love your laugh.”

  Her claim was unexpected, but he grinned anyway, asking arrogantly, “Do you, then?”

  “Mm-hmm. Though I'll admit, I'm wondering if I should be taking that kiss personally or not.”

  Earlier that day, Mikail would've given off an air of indifference, or perhaps scoffed and told her no. But now, he found himself wondering what harm there was in some meaningless flirting? Wouldn't such gestures help him to figure out if she was his mate sooner? And even if she wasn't, she was still desirable—enough so to thwart his temporary impotency.

  So who knew where it would lead, saying it led anywhere at all.

  Still, the notion that she was the woman he'd bond with filled him with emotions he couldn't put into words. Awe? Longing? Uncertainty?

  All three were present, as was a deep sense of curiosity over numerous things he wasn't ready to open up to her about—nor did he believe she was ready to hear them. In the beginning, he'd scoffed at the thought of having a half elf as a mate, and it was questionable how she'd view the possibility of having him in turn.

  He certainly hadn't provided her with any reason to like the idea, anyway.

  Still, revealing his suspicions now would only complicate an already precarious issue, making it a better idea to see how things progressed before dropping words like bonding and mate.

  So he started their walk again with a casual reply.

  “I've never been able to let a tease go without giving a proper response, but if you do take it personally, I'll be interested to learn what that means.”

  She grinned, musing, “I don't know. It seemed kind of brief to be personal, so I'd have to think about it.”

  “Then I trust you'll do me the courtesy of letting me know when you figure it out.”

  Kivsey chuckled with her nod of agreement, then snapped her fingers. “Oh! By the way, how far are we from Satorala now?”

  “About fifteen minutes.”

  “Damn it.”

  He glanced at her in surprise. “I thought that would please you.”

  “Oh, it does. I'm just ticked at you.”

  Now, he was even more confused. “Why?”r />
  “Because I had to spend this entire trip watching you find a hundred different ways to scowl, and now, when we're fifteen minutes outside the city, you're Mr. Smiles McGee. So do me a favor and pretend you still hold me in contempt for being a human with an elven ancestor.”

  Mikail supposed that made sense, and decided to ask, “Who says I don't?”

  Smirking, she replied, “Perfect.”

  He snorted, glad to oblige. But as they resumed the last leg of their journey, the undeniable truth was staring him in the face—he'd failed miserably.

  In a mere two day's time, Kivsey had gotten under his skin with ease.

  Now it was just a matter of figuring out what to do about it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ♦

  Satorala was nothing like Kivsey expected.

  It was better.

  As promised, their walk ended at the exit of a tunnel which grew brighter with each step taken. The soft, blue glow wasn't average lighting by human standards, but it was certainly enough to allow Kivsey to see without any assistance, and the view from the ledge they stopped at stole her breath.

  Overlooking the westernmost district of the subterranean metropolis from at least two hundred meters up, the buildings seemed small, settled upon various rocky levels connected by both bridges and stairs carved into walls. Most of those walls were symmetrically wrought, suggesting someone had shaped them, then decorated them with a number of intricate carvings.

  Those designs were illuminated by light spheres embedded into the rock, and posted in tall street lamps. The buildings themselves possessed a type of elegant architecture she'd never encountered before, and amid the structures were towering columns that supported the cavern's vast dome.

  There wasn't an inch of that dome that didn't possess some type of decoration, either. Like the walls below, patterns had been carved into it, most of them focused around light spheres embedded in the rock, creating glowing points reminiscent of stars, as if the Dok'aal had created their own constellations.

  Giant, iridescent crystal formations graced the dome as well, and the mineral was similar in look to Mikail's blade. When asked, he confirmed that it was the same material—aeonite, which was found in abundance around the city and possessed a number of potent magical properties if forged correctly.