Page 25 of Song of the Dark Wood

Rowan swallowed hard. “I think I don’t want to die to hold up a world that doesn’t care about me.”

The Wolf crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Rowan shifted from foot to foot under the weight of his gaze. She clenched her hands in her dress, counting her breaths to settle her racing heart.

“That’s a bold request for a brand-new Maiden.”

Rowan gnawed at her bottom lip. She couldn’t argue with that. It was bold, but waiting for something to go wrong was torture. It was easiest to get it out of the way now. Her mouth was so dry she could barely form the words as she forced herself to speak again. “So you’ll consider it?”

The Wolf pursed his lips. “Everyone talks about the bargain, but no one seems to remember why it exists.”

Rowan crossed her arms. “Enlighten me.”

He closed the space between them in three quick strides and it took all of her self-control not to run. He tilted her chin up so she’d meet his gaze.

“There are more frightening things than me, lass. Our deal was made to give us the combined power to banish something sinister. Even if I wanted to change it—which I don’t—it would require extreme caution.”

Rowan’s blood chilled as she considered what might be worse than death.

The Wolf sniffed, his eyes glowing faintly. He stepped away and left her trembling where she stood. “I’ll consider it, but I make no promises.”

It was noncommittal, but at least he hadn’t tried to kill her.

Rowan’s shoulders sagged in relief when a man appeared at the door holding a tray with two steaming cups and a plate of biscuits. He looked fully corporeal, but Rowan could tell he wasn’t by the sound of his energy alone. He was tall and built like a warrior, with a scar that cut up his left cheek and disappeared into his hairline. Still, he was incredibly handsome with dark hair, tan skin, and pale gray eyes.

It seemed everyone in Wolf’s Keep was extraordinarily good-looking.

The man grinned as if he’d heard her thought.

“This is Charlie,” the Wolf said, gesturing to him. “You’ll likely see him a lot, and he can help with any rogue souls that don’t want to be corralled here. He’s a?—”

“Reaper,” Rowan finished.

The Wolf whipped his head around to look at her. “How did you know?”

Rowan looked down at the ground. She couldn’t seem to stop blurting things out. She’d kept her magic under wraps for years, and now she found herself unable to shut her mouth about it. “He just sounds like it.”

The Wolf frowned. “Soundslike?”

Rowan wrung her hands. “He has a resonance that’s between the souls and…um…you.”

“What do I sound like?” the Wolf asked. There was a sudden vulnerability in his eyes that made her uncomfortable, as if he wanted her to assure him it wasn’t something horrible.

She met his gaze and swallowed hard, worrying her lip with her teeth. “You sound like silence. Like a total lack of sound. Complete stillness.”

The Wolf’s shoulders sagged, and she reached a hand out, nearly touching him. She drew her hand back at the last second.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Rowan said. “It’s actually quite nice. The village can be very loud for me. There’s this frenzied song that runs through everything, and it’s dissonant and grating. Being in the forest is quieter, more melodic. But being around you is pleasantly silent.”

She blushed fiercely as she met the Wolf’s gaze. “How many reapers are there?” she asked. Immediately, she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have just blurted that.”

She was royally screwing things up.

“What happens if you ask questions out of turn in Ballybrine?” the Wolf asked.

Rowan involuntarily tucked her hands inside her cloak, but he grabbed them and wrenched them into the light, taking note of the red welt that looked especially angry in the firelight.

“Bastards,” Charlie breathed.

“It’s fine. It barely hurts anymore. They say I’d be better suited with a less curious mind,” Rowan said. She couldn’t help that she wanted to know everything she could about the world around her. The more information she had, the better chance she had of surviving.

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