Page 76 of A Reign of Storm and Madness

“We have a lot to discuss when we get back to the Academy and—no, don’t start spewing your vitriol, secret keeper,” Ruen says, stopping me as I open my mouth. “I’m not done.”

I huff out a breath and cross my arms, shifting back against the swaying cab’s wall as I glare at the man sitting across from me. Now that it’s just the two of us in this space, I wonder just how he and I had managed to sit in one seat while another couple had sat across from us on the way here. He takes up the entire side that he’s currently sitting on, his massive shoulders nearly spanning the length of the narrow cab. Even his parchment, ink, and mint scent seems to overwhelm the musky scent of body odor that lingers inside.

“You have a lot to explain to me, Kiera,” Ruen continues. “About who you are, why you’re at the Academy, and how the fuck you’ve managed to last so long out of the eyes of the Gods.”

I snort. “They’re not as all seeing as they’d like for you all to believe.”

The red is completely gone from his irises now, but the stormy seas of his eyes settle on me. “Oh, I am well aware of that,” he tells me. “That still leaves much to be discussed between us, and I do mean all of us, Kiera. You will explain yourself to me and Theos, and then Kalix will tell me how he figured you out.”

Ruen is nothing if not loyal to his brothers. What would it be like, I wonder dimly, to be the recipient of that kind of dedication. The closest I’ve ever managed would be my relationship with Regis and Ophelia.

Yet, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if it came down to me or Ophelia—she’d sell me out in a heartbeat if it meant she would survive. She’d never made that a question. She never promised loyalty where there was none and she never lied about her priorities. Regis is far less jaded than her, but I’m not stupid enough to wish for him to give up his future for someone like me, to give up the chance to find his brother—his real family.

“What are you thinking?” Ruen’s question jolts me out of my reverie and I blink, glancing at him sharply.

“Why?” I demand.

“I don’t like the look that just crossed your face,” he answers. His brows furrow as he stares at me as if he truly can see into my mind with little more than his own force of will. “I want to know what caused it.”

“None of your fucking business,” I snap defensively, huddling further into the corner of my seat as if doing so will keep him at bay.

A glimmer of irritation flashes across his expression. “Everything about you is now my fucking business, Kiera Nezerac,” he informs me. “As of this moment, your fate is intertwined with my own.”

And just like that, I know for certain that no matter what happens—whether I follow him back into the Academy or not—Ruen isn’t planning on revealing my secret. I can’t say what tips me off, what makes me so sure. It could be the hard, flinty look in his eyes or the words that leave his lips.

Fate. A word I’ve tried not to think about for the last ten years. Fate is what killed my father. Fate is what saw me at the hands of the Underworld. Fate had irreparably stained me in the blood of those I’d murdered. But fate has also brought me to this moment, to this man. To Ruen Darkhaven and his brothers, and I have a feeling that it hasn’t even begun to show me what it has in store for me.

Chapter 38

Kiera

Sneaking back into the Academy is a far simpler task than sneaking out. I would be confused by the fact that the security of those wishing to get in is far more lax than those wishing to get out if I didn’t know the insidious reason behind it. Much to my surprise, however, instead of leading me towards the same southern gate we’d previously used, Ruen guides me around to the northern part of the Academy walls. The two of us move in quiet sync under the cover of one of his illusions, but my eyes continue to trail him, watching his stoic face and the shadow of beard growth that seems to have gotten darker as the morning has waned into early afternoon.

Ruen looks over his shoulder at me as we come to a junction between two walls where a large swath of deadened ivy and foliage covers the stones that make up the wall before us. His deep midnight-blue eyes rove over me, as if examining me for a clear threat. Now that he knows my secret—one of them, at least—he likely understands that I don’t need to be holding a dagger in my hand to be a threat. Still, he looks me up and down and then turns away as if what little Divine power I have is nothing compared to his and he can just turn his back on me without concern.

There’s a not so small piece of me that’s insulted by his obvious dismissal. I grind my teeth and, instead, refocus my attention as he steps up to the dead foliage covered wall and presses two fingers into the dried vines and brown leaves not yet dropped despite the cold air around us. Something slithers through the air as he whispers a few words in the ancient language. To my utter shock, the vines begin to unravel and move apart, and a small sliver of an opening appears. A crack in the wall.

I gape at the opening he’s created. “What … why didn’t we use this before?” I demand, glaring at him as he gestures for me to go in first. It would have been far easier than waiting for Hael to unlock the gate. “Is it because you didn’t trust me then, but you do now?”

Ruen levels me with a dark look. The indigo swirls of his irises parting as little pin pricks of black and red surface. “I don’t trust you now.” His reply is cold. “But it doesn’t matter. This is a long-term illusion spelled to my blood. You won’t be able to find this place without me or one of my brothers.”

I flinch but recover quickly. “That still doesn’t explain why we didn’t use this method this morning,” I remind him.

He sighs and reaches out, grabbing on to my arm and hauling me closer. My hand moves back, palm covering the hilt of my dagger still strapped to the small of my back, but he pauses, not moving, and just because he freezes, I do too.

“I will find out what you’re doing here, Kiera Nezerac,” he warns me testily, the tightness in his tone making his displeasure obvious. As if the glare and ice practically dripping from his gaze wasn’t warning enough. “You don’t get to ask any questions, not until you’ve answered some.”

My lips part, a retort at the ready, but then his palm squeezes against my side. Hard fingers digging into my waist and flashes of silken sheets and naked flesh flash through my mind. I close my eyes immediately and shake my head, warding those images off. When I reopen them, it’s to find that Ruen has leaned even closer, narrowing his gaze.

“Get. In. The. Fucking. Hole.”

I bite my lip, not wanting to snort since this is truly not the time. When he releases me, I follow his command. Not because I’m afraid of him. Oh no, Ruen Darkhaven might think he’s the most terrifying creature in Anatol, but I know what fear is. I’ve lived with it pressing its boot against my throat for a decade by now. To an extent, I’ve become somewhat immune.

I duck my head and scamper through the hole he’s opened for the two of us. When I come out on the other side it’s in a small alcove between the wall and the rounded stone of the northern tower where his rooms reside. A moment later, the dead vines and leaves shift and Ruen appears, glowering at me. It’s a bit more of a squeeze for him, but he lowers his head, turns to the side, and slips through with practiced ease. How often must he or one of his brothers use this secret entrance for it to look so effortless with his massive body?

The second Ruen is through the opening, the vines and deadened leaves move back over it and the hole disappears entirely from view. Catching my look back, Ruen reaches out and grabs my arm with a snarl. “Don’t even think about it,” he growls at me.

I roll my eyes and deftly twist out of his grip, breaking the hold easily. If he’s surprised, he manages to hide it well. Now that I’m no longer pretending, I find that my attitude comes far faster than it would have had I not been stifling for the last few months. “I know,” I snap back. “You said it’s spelled to your blood only.”

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