Page 10 of The Shadowbound King

But a few silvery puddles illuminated the ground, lighting the way over the dead leaves and fallen branches. Clumps of brush and tangled thorns huddled at the bases of the trees. Everyso often, a pair of glowing eyes peered from the shadows that lingered between the trunks. The dark clouds massed at the edge of my vision, a few creeping forward as I kept my gaze straight ahead. When I glanced in their direction, they retreated swiftly.

A screech ripped through the air. Behind me, Mirella cried out. Leaves crunched and then she was a quivering presence at my back.

I paused, looking over my shoulder for the first time since we left the Covenant. She stood shivering, her dark blue gown clinging to her rounded hips and long legs. The thick strap of her leather satchel lay across her chest. When another screech rang out, she winced, her wide eyes glued to the trees next to the path.

“Are you afraid?” I asked.

She jerked her gaze to mine. “No,” she said, lifting her chin.

It was a stubborn chin. Round and soft but hard and stubborn all the same. The messy braid over her shoulder was a deep, rich red. Freckles a few shades lighter dusted her nose and high cheekbones. She was tall for a human but too curvaceous to be mistaken for an elf.

Because she isn’t one.I couldn’t let myself forget that. The trickle of elven blood in her veins was a remnant. A mistake that should have never happened. But my ancestors, for all their ancient wisdom, had been men like any others. And when a pretty human crossed their paths, the ancients had followed their cocks instead of their heads.

Now, I got to clean up their fucking legacies.

“You’re a liar,” I said, stepping forward. Mirella stepped back hastily, stirring the leaves. When I kept coming, she darted a look around as she continued backing up, her long velvet skirts threatening to send her tumbling to the ground.

I bore down on her, herding her toward the blackened, twisted trees. “Do you know what happens to liars in the Autumn Court, my lady?”

“Stop,” she gasped, color staining her cheeks as she scuttled backward. Anger and fear fired in her golden eyes. “What do you want from me?” she cried.

I seized her arm, stilling her retreat. Her pulse beat wildly in her neck, and her full tits heaved as she stood her ground.

“The truth,” I said, moving my hand to her neck. I thrust my thumb under her chin, forcing her head up. Her mouth trembled. There was no hardness there. Pink and plump, her lips promised nothing but delicate pliability.

She was beautiful. An arresting combination of ethereal and buxom. Even with sweat stains under her arms and dirt smudging her cheek, a light, feminine scent clung to her.

But so did the unmistakable stench of deceit.

“I can smell your lies,” I said.

Her throat moved under my palm as she swallowed. “What do they smell like?” she rasped.

Surprise flitted through me. Of all the responses I might have expected, curiosity wasn’t among them. She waited, wariness in her big, golden eyes.

“Sweet,” I said. “And sickly. Like rotting fruit.”

Her breath fluttered over my hand. Between her parted lips, her teeth were white and even. She held her hands against her skirts, the shadow tether black against the creamy skin of her wrist. Her heart-shaped face was the same shade—except for a purple stain on her jaw.

“Who struck you?” I demanded, tilting her head. When she resisted, I tightened my grip until she gave in with a low, angry sound. She held herself rigid as I examined the bruise.

“Answer me,” I said.

With her head angled away, she was forced to watch me from the corner of her eye. She licked her lips. “Gerren. The blacksmith.”

A big man. One who wielded a hammer for a living. With a more forceful blow, he could have broken her jaw.

Shadows moved at the corner of my vision. They grew bolder, thickening as they sent tendrils over the ground.

Mirella clearly sensed them. Her nostrils flared, and the pulse in the blue vein that ran down her neck throbbed more insistently. The light, feminine scent teased my nose again. Against my will, I dragged it deeper into my lungs. My mind went hazy. Dimly, I knew I’d lingered too long. The Edelfen was impatient—and hungry.

But, fuck, I was hungry too. The haze in my head thickened. Somewhere, in the deep recesses of my mind, caution bloomed. I had somewhere to be. Something important to do.

Later.

Yes. It was better to wait.

Of course it is.

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