Page 62 of Bound By Darkness

Ivan’s lip curled upward slightly. “Don’t sweat it. She died when I was young.”

“What of your father?” I couldn’t stopthe questions, the intense need for knowledge about him intriguing me further. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to know his history—the history of a Fae, but as his lips continued to move, my body leaned closer.

Ivan scoffed as he slid the swords back into their sheaths. “Classic Fae. He only cares about himself. Well and his rage. My father strikes first and asks questions later. In his eyes, it’s the perfect quality for a man.”

“I didn’t… I didn’t know you dealt with that as a kid.” That’s what Fin must have meant when he said I needed to know who his father was. His father was awful… abusive. It made sense what Gwen had spoken too. “Gwen also mentioned?—”

A loose sigh left his lips. “She talks too much, but she’s good. Good to me,” he added.

“She issignificantlybetter than you,” I teased as his words soaked into me.

He set the swords beside him as he turned his body. “What’s wrong with you? You’re almost tolerable tonight.”

A slight grin crossed my face. “I’m always tolerable.”

He chuckled as his arm rested over the oak stump. He leaned closer, that familiar scent of rosewood hitting me. “Oh, are you?”

I lifted my head from my knees, my cheeks heating slightly as his breath tickled my face. “Yes. It’s not my fault a Fae prick such as yourself struggles to see my tolerable qualities.”

“Is that who I am in your story? A Fae prick?” He inched closer. “A Fae prick who plucked you from your quaint prison life?” he teased back.

I stared at him, at the freckles kissing the bridge of his nose and the faint scar below his left eye. Even with the imperfections, he was still handsome.

Shaking my head, my amber curls tumbled forward overmy ears as I held his gaze. “No, you’re worse. You’re the villain in my story.”

“Oh?” He licked his lips. “And how exactly am I the villain?” His face lingered a few stones from mine.

“You took my freedom. Villains tend to do that,” I mocked, a smile forming across my lips as I let his gaze sink in.

My shoulders loosened as a breath of air filled my lungs I didn’t realize was missing. The freedom to joke—to be myself was more than enough to keep me leaning closer to him. To feel even an ounce of his presence on my skin.

His gaze swept over mine, lingering long enough that heat crept behind my neck before he sat back, the decrease in proximity making the surrounding air cold. “I’m quite excellent at playing a villain. You, on the other hand, could use some assistance.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This tough exterior isn’t suitable for you,” he said. “You seem to carry layers of history wherever you walk, but I think it’s all a farce. A way to protect yourself.”

I swallowed. “Like you don’t do the same,” I deflected, my hands wringing together.

“Nope,” he said, a cheeky grin plastered on his tanned face.

“Whatever,” I said, leaning against the other side of the oak stump as those words sunk into the depths of my heart.

We sat in silence for a while, listening to the echoes of the forest before Ivan stirred, his eyes glued toward the trees. “I haven’t asked before, but I don’t see you use your casting. You’re supposed to be this legend… thisweaponand I haven’t seen you use any of it. Can you?—”

“It’s… hard to use. When I was in the prison, the bars were made of materials that sucked the casting from me. I haven’t used it in a very long time… not since the night of my family’s death. I know it’s in there, but it feels like it’s in the bottom of a pit I cannot reach.”

I needed to shut up. I needed to keep this to myself, but I found my lips impossible to silence. It was good to explain to someone the inner turmoil my body was holding onto… what my casting was doing inside me—like it was rotting a hole in my chest.

“That’s okay. All I need from you is to be in Laias. To play the role of bait,” he answered. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“And what if I’m not?” What if I ended up in the hands of the rebels or worse—dead before seeing Moria again?

He paused for a long moment. “I won’t let that happen.”

Maybe I was delusional, because I believed him.

“What are you thinking about?” Fin asked atop Beau as he strolled alongside.

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