Page 32 of To Bleed A Kingdom

Lips tightening, Griffin inhales a long breath through his nostrils, chest expanding as his arms fall limply to his sides. “You asked my opinion and I'm telling you. We don't know anything about this woman. Who she is, what she is, or what her motivations are, whether they’re good or bad. How easy do you think it would be for her to sway people to her line of thinking? Not difficult at all, I’d wager.”He barks a humorless laugh, swiping his hands through his hair. “That's a lot of power for one person to hold. Too much. It's a bit frightening.”

“What do you think their purpose is?” I ask, that knot in my chest twining even tighter, fraying at the edges. “You said you think they’ve dealt with something traumatic. Maybe they're hiding from someone? Or escaping?”

“Or both?” He shrugs. “Regardless, they're here for something, and it’s not to trade leather. With how secretive and mysterious they are, it leads me to believe it can't be good for Cascadonia.”

“But you said they’re good souls,” I remind him, grasping at anything that’ll lessen the gravity of the situation.

“Yes, but good people can do horrible things if they feel it's for the right reasons.” Watching me roll my shoulders forward to ease the sensation in my chest, a brittle smile crosses his face and he slaps me on the back. “I don't think they’re a threat to us or that they're here for malicious reasons, but I do believe their presence alone might signify a chain of events that are.”

I shrug off his hand, turning my back on him to stare up at the starlit sky, wondering how I could have missed so much. How I could’ve allowed my judgment to become so skewed all because I felt more than an ember of attraction to someone.

I chuckle bitterly to myself. Of course the Stars would tempt me with such a vixen, knowing she'd be the worst possible choice. Thank the gods I regained my wits before we went any further. If I allow this foreigner to get close to me, possibly even giving my trust in the process, it could have disastrous consequences for not just myself, butfor all of Cascadonia.

Disgusted with myself for allowing my emotions to get the best of me, I recall Amara’s words of how most males can't see past their dicks to the predator in their midst. Maybe that's accurate for most, but I sure as fuck won't be one of them.

Chapter 6

Lena

No sight.

No scent.

No sound.

Only the complete absence of light. Only the fluid touch of the all-consuming blackness flowing beneath me. Inky liquid spills over me. Its obsidian ribbons glide across my skin, slinking through my hair, and trickling over my face and torso to snake around my arms and limbs, enveloping me. Cocooning me. Shielding me from the burdens that only light can bring.

“Wakey, wakey.”

The blackness shudders, contracting. The veil I'm swaddled in ripples on a glassy sheen.

A moment passes, then it stills, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief as it loosens its hold. I allow my limbs to relax as I sink back into its slithering embrace.

“Wakey wakey,” the distant voice coos again, followed by a tap, tap, tap on my nose.

Tremors wrack through the blackness and it roars its wrath. Fractures form and spread, beams of light spearing through the cracks webbing along the veil. Waves wash over me, slipping into my eyes, nose, and mouth, leaving me no choice but to flee, to wade through the torrent and emerge from the once peaceful oblivion offered by the darkness.

Nose twitching, I battle the grogginess of sleep and lift my heavy eyelids. Squinting against the bright light, I wait until my eyes acclimate to the brightness. When they do, I find a heavily muscled male crouching beside my sleeping form.

The cobwebs of sleep instantly receding, I slip my arm out from beneath the blanket, raise my flattened palm cautiously slow… and smack him in the ear.

“Ow!” He collapses to the floor, clutching his ear. “Lena, It's me! Zander!”

“I know.”

His arms fall limp to the floor and he purses his lips.

“Is Amara awake?” I ask on a yawn, hoping to redirect his attention away from me so I can embrace the darkness once again.

A saccharine smile, so full of naivety, spreads across his face. “Not yet.” Standing, he rounds my twin-size bed and creeps towards where Amara is sleeping beneath the lone window.

How he's not aware he's walking the plank is beyond me.

Too lazy to follow him, even with my gaze, I shut my eyes and enjoy the warmth of morning light heating my cheeks as I tug the woolen blanket up to my chin, burrowing into the scratchy fabric. I wait for the inevitable.

Hearing the creaks of the floor halt with his steps, an evil smirk quirks my lips.

“Wakey wakey. It's a beau– Ow!” he yowls. “She bit me! You fucking bit me! Why do you always have to bite?!”

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