Page 5 of The Sorrow of Shadows

CHAPTER FOUR

BREYLA

“What about him?” I ask Elijah, pointing to the copper-haired male in the corner of the tavern. He’s beautiful, really. Tall, bronzed skin, light brown eyes, and toned. My guess is he’s not a soldier but perhaps a laborer by the defined curve of his muscles. Someone who could throw me around in the sheets, but not necessarily one whose name I’d remember.

We’d been drinking all day, having shirked all our courtly and general duties in favor of getting drunk and forgetting the current state of things. Now, we sat in Luella’s tavern playing a game of truth or dare. In this version, though, if we fail the dare or don’t answer the question, we must take a shot of rum. Considering we knew each other better than anyone else, it was mostly just a game of dares. Elijah and I had a way of escalating the challenges, letting our competitive natures get the better of us. Before this, we had both been tipsy. Now we were one shot away from making fools of ourselves. I couldn’t find it in me to care, though.

“Him?” Elijah quirks a brow at me. He had dared me to kiss the male I thought would be the best to take to bed. With a caveat being he had to approve of the choice.

“Did I stutter?” I give him an incredulous look.

“Someone clearly has a type,” he says, smirking.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I scoff. Elijah didn’t know every male I had bedded, but he knew most of them. I didnothave a type. Unless the type was dominating, muscled, and good at what they did.

“Please, B. I’m not blind. That male bears a distinct likeness to your long-time lover, Ci?—”

“He’s not my lover.” I glare at him over my mug of ale, silently telling him to drop it.

“And I’m not your best friend.” He rolls his eyes, calling me on my bluff.

“That can certainly be arranged,” I threaten. We both know I’m lying.

“Nope, sorry. It can’t. You’re stuck with me until the end of our days. Probably the end of your days since you’re more likely to do something reckless that will lead to your untimely death.”

I stare at him, my mouth hanging open. “Your lack of faith in me is disturbing.”

“I have full faith in you, B. Your taste in males, however...” He trails off, implying he disagrees with my choice.

“Fine,” I huff. “You choose one then.”

He grins at me triumphantly. “That one,” he says, pointing to a dark-skinned male in the opposite corner. “He will do just fine.”

“And you said I had a type,” I say, rolling my eyes at him. Elijah didn’t discriminate when it came to lovers, but this male definitely fit the look of one of his repeats.

He shrugs at me, clearly not denying it. “Go.” He shoos me away from the table.

I down the last of my ale before approaching the male. Hehas rich brown skin, smooth and stretched taut over his muscles. As I near him, I can see he has deep brown eyes—so dark they’re almost black. They twinkle in the light of the tavern as I close the distance between us.

“Can I help you, Gen?—”

“Shh. Not the general right now,” I interrupt him, covering his lips with a finger to hush him. “And yes, you can.”

“Just tell me what I can do for you,” he offers. His voice is low and melodic. I could easily fall asleep to the sound of it.

“Are you taken by anyone?” I ask out of respect.

His eyes widen and he realizes what I mean. “Not currently,” he replies with a wink. “But I could be tonight.”

I chuckle lightly at his brazenness. Technically, I started it. But it takes a lot to openly flirt with the general and princess of this kingdom. Leaning in closer, I whisper, “Perfect. I need you to help me win a dare.”

Before I can overthink it, my lips are on his. They’re full and soft and exactly what I need right now. This started as Elijah’s dare, but I didn’t need much encouragement. A warm body sounded perfect to take my mind off things. He wastes no time kissing me back, his lips pushing and pulling with mine.

The male clearly knows what he wants as he deepens the kiss, his tongue licking along the seam of my lips, begging for entrance. I gladly oblige, opening my mouth and deepening the kiss further. His hand grasps my hip, pulling me down into his lap.

He tastes of whiskey, and I pull his bottom lip into my mouth. I suck and nip, drawing a soft grunt from him. Strong hands squeeze my hips, urging me to rock softly against his hardening length. Happy to oblige, I roll myself against him, a breathy moan leaving my lips.

Breaking free from our kiss, he trails his lips down my jaw, alternating kisses and soft bites until he reaches the base of my neck. I feel him move one of his hands up my side, grasping mybreast and kneading softly. Teeth dig into the soft flesh of my throat, and I moan, throwing my head back.

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