Page 104 of Shadow Kissed

“I think she did incredibly well. In fact, her time may have beaten some of our Asen soldiers’ attempts.”

I try not to flush under his praise but fail. Tyria nudges me and winks.

“Have you run the gauntlet, Lord Commander?” I ask him, curious to know if he has partaken in what seems to be a tradition for all the soldiers here at the valley.

He smirks. “Of course. It would be poor taste for an army’s own commander not to undergo a test all his men are supposed to complete.”

I place my elbows on the table and lean closer. “And what was your time?”

With slow confidence, he leans forward, our eyes meeting across the table. “Half your time, Terror.”

I arch a brow. “Impressive.”

He nods, leaning in closer. “I aim to be impressive in everything I do.”

And that you are, a voice says in my head. I internally chastise myself. It is the krim talking. I can’t. No, I don’t want this man. He is my enemy, the bad guy. But even as I say the words to myself, I find myself immediately doubting them. Time and time again, he proves his capacity for acts of kindness and support.

“Ladies, the night is young, and I have a desire to dance. Who’s with me?” Jasiel asks, placing his mug down on the table and getting to his feet. Tyria is straight up.

“You can count me in, Captain,” she informs him with a cheeky wink. Imrie agrees and drags Alora up with her. Saveya looks at me to see if I’m going to join and I shake my head. “Go. I’ll join you soon,” I promise her, and she follows behind the others until they all reach the centre of the room and sing along and dance to the cheery music.

“I must say, Terror. You are looking beyond beautiful this evening,” Raegal says, leaning his elbow on the table. His eyes drop to my chest before they drag over my lips. “Your beauty intensifies when you’re naked and writhing beneath me.”

“Raegal!” I exclaim in a breathless hiss. I can’t believe he is talking to me like this in such an open space.

He smirks. “No one can hear me, Terror.” He drains his mug, and rising to his feet, he holds his hand out and waits. “Come. Time to put those dance lessons to the test.”

I look at his hand and then across the room at my friends. “Must I?”

He smirks in response. “Scared, Terror?”

Of being close to you, yes, I want to say. I’m terrified I’ll forget who I am and my allegiances and beg you to kiss me.

“Of course not,” I say with a frown as I place my hand in his and he helps me to my feet.

“Go, dance with your friends,” he says, handing me over to Saveya, who grabs my hand and twirls me around, and I laugh. This type of dancing I can deal with, where we just move however we wish to the rhythm of the music. We dance for a few more songs and I search the room when I realise Raegal is no longer keeping an eye on us from our table.

“Dance with me,” his deep voice says against my ear as he comes up behind me and places a possessive hand on my waist. A slow sultry melody plays, and I watch as others couple up. Tyria grabs Jasiel’s hand and tugs him towards her with a flirtatious waggle of her brows. Imrie bows to Alora and offers out her hand and laughing, she takes it, and they sway together. I watch with interest as the shadow soldier, Eryx, we met when we delivered a letter to Raegal, appears before Saveya and bowing his head, and he offers her his hand. My friends blushes crimson before she slips her hand in his and he pulls her closer. Raegal takes my hand in his and spins me around, pulling me against him. My heart thunders in my chest as I find his eyes. He wets his lips as he stares back at me, and we sway to the slow, hypnotic music. It’s like the world slips away and there’s nothing but him and I. He leans in closer, and his warm breath brushes my cheek like a caress. I’m aware of everywhere that we touch, my body humming with excitement. Fighting this attractionbetween us is like fighting the need to breathe. I relax against him, placing my head on his shoulder. I close my eyes and allow myself to embrace this moment. One that in weeks to come, I will look back on and cherish. The beautiful song ends, and I reluctantly open my eyes, and we step back from each other. When I gaze into his eyes, they are ablaze with desire. Tyria appears beside me, breaking the moment, her eyes brimming with mischief.

“The night is young, and I think a game of Rublas is in order!”

I grin, nodding my head in agreement. While working at the inn, I frequently observed and engaged in the game.

“Have you played before, Lord Commander?” Tyria asks him as we all make our way back to our table, where a fresh jug of krim awaits us.

“Only once or twice. I am a fast learner, so I’m sure I can keep up,” he says with a confident smirk as we all sit down. This time he takes the seat beside me, sitting close as we squeeze into the small space.

Tyria asks one of the serving girls to fetch us the dice and wooden chips, and she explains the rules to everyone as she divides out the chips. Imrie rolls first and scores a hundred a nine with her roll of the dice, and we continue round the table. Raegal takes his roll and I groan in annoyance when he rolls, and he shouts out ‘Rublas’ and gains the top score available. We continue playing the round and I score a respectable second place. Alora, scoring the least, ends up with a hefty amount of chips. We drink as we play, and I can feel a fuzzy warmth envelop me. When we get to the final round, it is just me and Raegal with one chip each, both of us so close to winning.

“Let’s make this interesting,” Jasiel says with a wiggle of his brows. “A forfeit for the person who loses.”

I glance beside me at Raegal, who smirks at me. “I’m game, given I’m going to win.”

I chuckle. “Always so arrogant. You’re on. If I win, you must sing a song to the entire inn.”

He bobs his head. “Deal.” He gives me a wolfish smirk. “If I win, you sit on my lap for the rest of evening and hand feed me.” I hear Saveya giggle beside me as I place my hand in his and we shake on it.

Tyria claps her hands together. “This is it. Final round.” She offers the dice to me, and I lift them to my lips and kiss them before I toss them onto the table. I wait in anticipation as they come to a stop.

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