Page 35 of A Deal with the Shadow King

Rain glistens down my face, and I wipe the fresh water from my eyes, feeling more alive than I’ve felt in a long time. Maybe ever.

As we reach the cover of the breezeway leading to the basement, I slow down. “This is fun.”

One turns around to look at me, and the wide smile on his face disappears. He comes to an abrupt stop, and his entire body goes rigid, like he suddenly remembered something important that displeases him greatly. Something vital, even.

“Is everything alright?” I ask, searching for the source of his anger.

He’s not half as wet as I am, the fabric of his tunic and hood water-resistant. My wet nightgown does very little to hide the roundness of my breasts, and I cross my arms over my chest as we continue on to the tall mirror beneath my father’s castle.

“Hurry up, will you?” One says.

“Why are you suddenly so angry with me?”

The shadows around him thicken, and he picks the lock to the mirror room open with his magic. “I’m not angry.”

“You look angry.”

He flexes and extends his fists a few times before forcing them open. “I’m not. Let’s go.” The dark Fae doesn’t spare me another glance, his mask angled to the corner of the room.

With a grim pout, he hands me the blindfold, and I tie it above my brows. “Is it about what I saw the other night in the gardens?”

One freezes in a perfect statue of a predator caught in a snare. “And what exactly did you see?”

The subtle shift in his stance sends my pulse flying. “Was it a nightmare?”

His spine relaxes at that, but his voice remains quiet and dangerous. “Not a nightmare.”

“What, then?”

“Something else. Something broken.” A dark hint of tenderness laces the words like he’s talking about a long-lost lover. He spreads his arms to pick me up for our journey through the sceawere, but I take a quick step back.

“Something? Or someone? Two said that he had gotten out?—”

“You’re stalling. Do I have to remind you of what will happen if you refuse to come?” he says without a trace of humanity left.

“Are you serious?”

Magic electrifies the air, his tone cold and withdrawn. “Last chance, Miss Darcy.”

What in the Mother’s name?—

The knot in my stomach swells to the size of a small sun, but I lower the blindfold over my eyes. I thought we were having fun. I can’t understand what upset him to begin with, but he’s clearly not willing to share his secrets—or his feelings.

The voyage isn’t as painful as it was the last two times, but my pride aches when One dumps me in the middle of my Fae bedroom. He hustles out without a word.

“It was nice to see you too,” I grumble after he’s gone.

Baka flies in from the mirror. “Welcome back, Nell. Was yer trip home pleasant?”

“Of course,” I bark.

Baka grimaces at the impolite greeting and lands on the bed, her light weight barely making a dent in the mattress. “I was just tryin’ to make conversation. Dinnae bite my head off for nothin’.”

“I’m sorry, I just—I got an abrupt wake up call.” Shame licks my ribs. I peel the wet nightgown off and pat myself dry with a towel.

Baka’s eyes soften. “Did ye swim here?”

“Haha. No.” The dresser creaks when I pry out what Lori called a sports bra—the new world’s equivalent to a corset, but lighter and flexible. “It was raining, and One was in a foul mood.”

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