Page 23 of Taken By the Shadow Prince

I can’t very well say no, can I? Even if the idea of it has my very bones crackling with nerves... it’s not the sort of opportunity I can pass up. From the way he spoke, I’d say there’s quite a handful of them in Atheya. Ineedthat handful. So, I nod. “Yeah.”

He grins. “Excellent. Goodnight, Mavey.”

My gaze turns back to the fire as I sink into my thoughts.

Atheya. Demons. The princes.

It is going to be very hard to sleep tonight.

Chapter 14

Armin

just in case

I don’t sleep.

Not that I’m not tired, because I am. Something about remaining in this realm for too long Everything on this realmfeelsdifferent. Probably because of how much different it feels. Even the air smells different. In Atheya, it’s like night cloaked with jasmine. Here, it smells like dead leaves and smoggy skies.

I’m not a fan.

But I don’t let myself sleep, because I have to figure out how I plan to play my cards. My best bet, I think, is to just give in. And by that, I mean to Mavey. Whatever she wants, I’ll probably give it to her. She doesn’t seem like she asks for much, anyway—or everdemands. Perhaps she rolls with the punches for the most part.

More than that, there are plenty of things Iwantto give her, that I hope she asks for, that I try to allude to in sexual jokes that never really seem to get her to bite.

Either I need to try harder, or I need to back off. It’s hard to tell, with her. As much as I feel like I’ve figured her out, I still know next to nothing about her, and I don’t like it.

I want to know everything.

Do I introduce her to everyone in Atheya, take her with me when I leave my palace? Or should I leave her there with the servants, so I know she’s safe? Not that she would beunsafewith me, but... demons like to test boundaries. All of them at once, if they can. We like to figure out which buttons are the most fun to push, the most effective ways of doing it.

I’m not sure she’ll be prepared for that—for the prying, for the indelicate commentary about every potential sore spot in her life. I’ll tell her before we go, of course. Tell her to build those walls up tall and thick, to keep herself from listening as much as she can, but...

It’s not quite as easy as it sounds. I remember how easily set off I was when I was a child. Yes—even children are pushed to the limits in my realm. To build thicker skin, they say, though we all know it’s because it’s a hell of a lot funnier to piss a child off than it is an adult—they react with far more drama.

The bedroll in my tent is not nearly as comfortable as my mattress back home. It’d be easy to slip back into Atheya each night and come back every morning, but... I don’t relish the idea of leaving Mavey alone in the woods all night by herself, whether it be wolves or men that find her.

If there’s a difference at all.

I believe she can handle herself—yes, that body of hers, those knives, those muscles. That slightly infuriating way in which speaks (and in which she doesn’t). I’m sure it’s not for show, and that she’s handled more than her fair share of trouble.

I’d still really rather not risk it. What would I do if my selfish desire for a bit of comfort got her killed? How would that make me feel—and howlaughablewould it be—to have waited so long for no reason at all?

What a shame it would be. I think I’d probablybegElix to strangle me at that point.

It’s for that reason that I don’t sleep well. I don’t even try to, really—I’d prefer to keep an ear out, an eye open, for any sign of struggle coming from her side of the campsite.Just in case.

As usual, I wait until I hear her moving around the camp, getting that fire roaring again so she can cook whatever breakfast she’s hunted before we leave for the day.

I put on a fresh change of clothes, having bathed yesterday in Halle’s cottage before Mavey and I left, rather than sticking it out in a stream this morning like I usually do.

And thank fuck we’re going to Atheya today. I haven’t had the luxury of shaving in a while now. I can’t stand the feeling of the growing beard on my chin.

When I’m dressed, I pack all my things up and toss them out of the tent before slipping out after them. I pretend to not even cast a glance in Mavey’s direction as she works on getting that fire roaring. I break my tent down and roll it up, shoving it in its pack and attaching it to my horse. I could whisk everything away in the blink of an eye, but after she pointed out that using my magic to make fire required no effort, I am reluctant to do it and risk appearing lazy.Is she watching me?I can never tell.

Either she genuinely could not care less about my presence, or she’s far better at hiding it than I am.

And it’s probably the former, since I’m essentially kidnapping her for five years. Clearly, the first impression I gave her couldn’t have possibly been any better, any more endearing. Who doesn’t love a good hostage situation, right?

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