Page 124 of Once the Skies Fade

“Come with me,” I said curtly. “We need to talk.”

“Wouldn’t you know, the guards forgot to leave me the key,” he said, his tone still flat.

Sending my shadows into the lock, I snapped it open and pushed the gate inward, banging the edge of it into his leg. He didn’t wince or react at all. “Wouldn’t you know, I have ways around locks,” I said. “Now come on.”

At the end of the hallway, I led him into a room with an iron door, using my shadows to slam it shut behind him.

“Your shadows work in an iron cell?” he asked with more curiosity than was comfortable.

Ignoring his question, I said, “Against the wall, arms up.”

Surprisingly, he obliged, even going so far as to smirk, though the humor didn’t reach his eyes.

“If you wanted to get me tied up, you could have just asked. No need to threaten those I care about,” he said, not reacting at all as my shadows locked iron cuffs around his wrists so that his arms were suspended by a thick iron chain connected to the ceiling.

For a long moment, I simply stared at him, trying to pinpoint what it was about this particular male that twisted me in such confusing knots. How could one male make me hot with rage and desire at the same time? Why did I feel so drawn to him, even while wanting to strangle him? Was I being mocked by the stars? Was this their idea of a damned joke? If so, I wasn’t laughing.

But Matthias was.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, forcing myself to step away from him, not trusting my hands to stay off him. He was fully clothed, but my memories needed no help in stripping him down.

Fuck. Get a grip, Calla.

Matthias’s laughter faded, leaving a too-attractive half-smile on his lips. “You look so conflicted, Killer. Like you can’t decide whether to kill me or fuck me.”

Steeling my expression, I drew in a long breath, desperate to hide just how accurate his assessment was. My shadows itched to be freed of my palms, as if they, too, yearned to feel him again. This was a mistake. I should not have come down here, at least not alone. Looking toward the door, I contemplated leaving him here while I went to find Isa, but that would just prove my weakness, and I refused to have him think me weak or fragile.

Turning back to him, I darkened my expression and let my head fall to one side. I studied him for a quiet moment more, tapping a finger to my lips steadily as I gathered my thoughts.

“I should kill you,” I said. “What you did back there? I should have strangled you where you stood.”

He cocked a brow at me, his gaze falling to where I now folded my hands at my waist. His eyes flicked back up to mine. “Your shadows like me too much.”

“You think so?” I asked, and I hoped he didn’t sense the shaky doubt I was trying to conceal. I’d begun to think the same thing. As much as they were a part of me, they also seemed to have a consciousness of their own, and more than once they had acted as though they were connected to him as well.

How utterly absurd.

He shifted the corners of his lips down into that too-adorable frown. “You could always let them loose and ask them,” he suggested.

“No.” The word fell from my mouth before I could think of anything cleverer to say.

Matthias shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Well, then, let’s get on with it. What do you want to talk about?”

“Why in such a hurry?” I asked.

“Quickly losing my patience with your games, is all,” he said, his face instantly dissolving into an expression of bored irritation.

“I haven’t even begun to play games with you, general,” I said. He didn’t take the bait, though, and I had to swallow down my bitterness when he simply asked his question again.

“What do you want?”

What do I want?

Peace. An end to this madness. Freedom from this grief. To be done with all of these damned rumors. For my enemies to be punished thoroughly.

I didn’t mention any of these though. What was the point of voicing them when he couldn’t do anything to help me achieve them?

“I want to know why you stopped me from killing those women.”

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