Page 28 of A Trial of Fate

My eyes widened, and I froze.

His voice was like a soft velvet caress on my skin. Daxton called out to me like we had known each other for years instead of only just meeting last night. My animal flooded me with a flush of power in my chest as my cheeks flushed crimson.

How in the gods’ names did I think I could hide my presence from his detection this long?Ugh.Had he known I was here the whole time?This was utterly embarrassing.

“I can sense you behind the crack in the cliffs. I said I would find you, but it seems you have found me instead,” he added.

Dammit. I pushed my back against the divot to try and compose myself, clutching my bag to my chest and placing a palm to my forehead. I had to get a grip, but that was easier said than done. I could feel my animal stirring in response to his magic, a mere dance for dominance.

“Skylar, you can come out. I promise I won’t bite… unless you have a bow paired with a quiver of iron-tipped arrows and are trying to kill me again?” Daxton’s tone was softer this time, almost friendly.

I couldn’t help my faint snort of amusement. Sarcasm, really? Was this ancient fae warrior actually making a joke, trying to make me feel better? Swallowing my pride, I turned around and moved out from my not-so-secret hiding place.

“Promise?” I taunted, cocking my hip to the side and placing a hand on it.

“My teeth will remain caged. It’s never my intention to disrupt your world or stake claim to what clearly belongs to another.”

I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. “I don’tbelongto anyone but myself,” I said with a deep growl at the back of my throat.

“Really?” he asked, cocking an intrigued black eyebrow toward me, seeming surprised and also amused by my response.

I put my hands firmly on my hips, staring down at him without fear. “Really,” I stated plainly.

“All right then.” He smirked, and that damned dimple on his right cheek appeared again.

I didn’t know what to say or do next. My mind shifted to Gilen, and I realized that Daxton must have smelled his scent on me the other night. Awkwardly, I shifted my bag on my shoulder and reached up to scratch the back of my head. Unspoken moments passed between us, with only the gentle crashing of the waves and the churning breeze filling the silence.

“I think we started off on the wrong foot,” I announced, gaining his immediate attention. “So, let’s try this again.” I jumped down from the cliff wall and stood before him. “Hi,” I said shyly, changing my demeanor to try a more friendly approach. “How are you doing today? Is your wound feeling better?”

“Hello,” Daxton answered with a slight dip of his head, followed by a deep, graceful bow. “I’m feeling much better. Thank you, for asking.” There was suddenly a softness in his hardened stare that I hadn’t seemed to notice before. “It is astonishing what treasures you can find hidden in plain sight, is it not?” he asked, his gaze scanning over the beach before returning to look at me. “Unparalleled beauty can be missed if one does not take the time to look. But today, I’m fortunate enough to find what I have been looking for.”

I gulped loudly and began to nervously fidget with a strand of my hair. This male embodied power and strength, and even in this calm, relaxing scenario, he held a natural, regal composure unmatched by any other living soul.

“And what exactly have you been looking for?” I boldly asked.

“A hidden treasure,” he replied, his stare boring into me, nearly taking my breath away. A small curve of his mouth turned upward before he tilted his head to the side with an amused expression flashing across his annoyingly handsome face. “I’ve visited this place before, and I was ecstatic to have found it once again.”

“You’ve been here before?” I asked, learning yet another clue to who he was. “When?”

“You have a curious nature, don’t you?” Daxton rebutted, giving me a full saccharine smile.

“Surprised it took you this long to figure that out.” I shrugged with a humorless laugh.

Daxton didn’t speak, but his smile managed to reach both sides of his face, revealing his teeth that I remembered all too well.

“Well, am I going to get any more answers from you yet, High Prince?”

“No. Not at the moment… but soon.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that,” I grumbled in annoyance as I averted my gaze down toward my side. I was starting to get tired of hearing that answer.

“But perhaps I can share something I have learned over nearly six centuries walking this earth.”

I was immediately intrigued, raising my brows, and crossing my arms, eagerly awaiting his reply.

“Everything in life happens for a reason.”

I scoffed and shook my head, flipping my hair over my shoulder and flashing him a look that said,Really?

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