Page 141 of Bound By Darkness

My head swiveled, pieces clicking together. “Let’s make a deal.”

He cocked his head to the side, a dazzling smirk crossing his face. “Another deal?”

“If I land an attack on you, you answer any question I give you.”

His eyes lit. “And if I win?”

“You may ask the same, unless you want something different,” I challenged.

He licked his lips. “No, questions are fine.” He stood as he gripped a sword in his hand. “We could get in trouble for this.”

I grabbed the twin blade to his, the feel heavy in my hands. “You? Scared of a little trouble?” A wicked grin lit my lips as I raised the blade, my eyelashes fluttering. “I mean, if you’re scared I’ll?—”

“No, no I’m not scared.” His eyes flicked to me as a grin lit his face. “I hope you know I won’t go easy on you.”

“Fine,” I said as I flicked my hair over my shoulder. I only needed to mark him once.

Without waiting, his sword crashed down upon mine in a fury of power, my grip nearly releasing at the impact.

A grunt left my lips as I grounded myself, taking the brunt of his impacts.

The swords slid against each other, my grip loosening as he brought the tip closer to my hand.

With a quick jerk, the blade nicked me, blood staining mypalm from the puny cut. Precision didn’t even begin to define the swings he had made to mark me.

“My question.” He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. “Go on.”

“What’s your favorite attribute about me?”

“Really?”

“You said any question, now answer it,” he said as he lazily swung his sword back and forth.

“Your eyes,” I muttered, a bit of heat binding to my cheeks.

“Nothing else?”

“A second question,” I countered, my legs moving into their stance as I willed my face to cool.

“You’re practically asking for another cut,” he said as his blade whipped around, meeting mine with a loud echo.

“You won’t be lucky again,” I snapped, my blade hissing against his as I swung it low.

He stepped out of the way, the momentum swinging me forward as the hilt of his blade cracked upon my back.

My legs stumbled as I smacked into the ground, the blade skittering a few stones from me. A wheeze blew from my lips as I stumbled to my feet, my face turning red.

“Second question,” he said, delight dancing on his tone. “Do you believe in everlasting bonds?”

My legs stopped moving. That was a term I hadn’t heard in a very…verylong time. “Siorai? Are you honestly asking me if I believe in Siorai?”

He didn’t move. “Answer the question.”

A puff of air escaped from me. “I don’t know. Probably not as the gods haven’t blessed anyone with that term in centuries.”

The last known Siorai had died when the Fae gods left. Their names weren’t even remembered anymore. Not even written into history.

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