Page 11 of Hallowed Games

Her mouth closed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. “She’s Serpent-touched, Anselm. She shouldn’t even be here.”

She turned and stalked out of the cemetery. Anselm hurried after her, and I watched him leave—the last man I’d ever kiss.

My chest ached.

I blinked to clear my blurred vision, my thoughts scrambling. She wouldn’t tell anyone my secret, would she? We’d once vowed to always look after each other, always, mingling blood from our fingertips…

As I walked to the cemetery exit, my gaze landed on a brand-new threat. The bloody Raven Lord was here. My heart stuttered at the sight of him stalking closer to me, his pale gaze locked on me like a hunting falcon locked on its quarry.

What was he doing here?

My blood roared to life as I wondered if he’d come for me—or for Leo. Had someone else informed on us? My breath quickened.

A muscle twitched in his chiseled jaw as he moved closer. His eyes danced with what looked like curiosity, and I had the disturbing sense again that he was peeling back my layers, reading my secrets. Was that one of the dark powers of the Raven Lord?

He stopped just one foot from me, and I arched my neck to look up at him. “Hello again.”

“The last time I saw you, mistress,” he murmured, “two people ended up dead. And now, after a moment of speaking with you, the new bride is running away in a flood of tears. Should I be concerned about your presence?”

My skin felt alive and sensitive around him with the sense of power he exuded. Maybe an effect of his pent-up sexual energy. After all, he was a young man forbidden from carnal desires, but it wasn’t as if lust just went away.

My heart slammed against my ribs, but I kept my expression serene. “We’re a few hours from Penore. Seems a strange coincidence to find you here.”

The lord’s mouth looked too full and soft for his chiseled features, his hair a little too long. It fell down around his sharp cheekbones at the front. “What, exactly, did you overhear in the whispering chamber that day?”

I breathed in a slow, steady breath. “Something about heresy. I’m not sure who was speaking.” The less I said, the better. “I can hardly remember now.”

Sunlight washed over his pale skin, gilding his sharp jawline. “Why don’t you tell me why I make you so nervous?” A knife’s edge of a threat slid under his silky voice.

Because you Ravens are a plague on our kingdom, spreading fear and death in your wake and leaving a trail of innocent dead behind.

But of course, saying what you really thought could be a death sentence.

So instead, I gave him a small smile. “You don’t make me nervous.”

A faint smile played over his lips. “Mistress, I can quite easily tell when a person is lying. I can feel your fear like a caress.”

I searched around for Leo, my breath shallow. Now, he’d really be able to sense my fear. “Do you encounter many liars? I would guess that many people are nervous around the Raven Lord.” Maybe it’s to do with your habit of rounding up people and burning them. “Apologies, my lord. I must go.”

“Maelor.”

I stared at him. “Pardon?”

“My name is Maelor.”

“If you’ll excuse me, my lord.” As if I’d call him by his name, like we were friends.

“Take care, mistress,” he called out after me. “I do hope to see you again.”

Maybe he could have been charming in another life. But in this world, he was a vicious hunter—and for once, I was the prey.

CHAPTER 6

I woke to the sound of shouts echoing off the barracks’ arched ceiling. Dawn light hadn’t yet pierced the sky, and chaos reigned in the dark.

One of the night guards was shouting at us all to wake. “Get up! Get up!” The frantic, ragged tinge to his voice set my teeth on edge.

My first thought was that something was on fire, but I couldn’t smell smoke. I turned to see Leo still fast asleep. Of course, the boy would sleep through a stampede of wolves.

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