Page 22 of Blooms of Darkness

“I’ll never break,” the dark one hissed at Storm, and my attention jerked to their position. “You know nothing of our plans.”

Storm whipped a blade across the collarbone of the Fae, and as the shirt fell away, I noticed a thick black circle, surrounding a thinner, tapered shape. It appeared similar to an eye. Black ink stood out on the sunken, pale skin of this particular dark one, marked clearly beneath the center of his collarbone. A low-button shirt would have revealed it, as well as Storm’s slash job.

A hiss at my right and a stinging sensation on my leg distracted me.

A dark one who escaped Kade had nicked my calf with his blade. The arrogant bastard still fought, though. I was mid-spin when I glanced his way, noticing him lost in his own fight.

The dark one twirled his blade in his hand. “He will keep coming for you. You can’t stop us.” His head twitched, jolting like a pulsating vein before he charged, running in more of azigzag pattern than straight at me. His movement allowed me to use the latest set Ian taught me and I sliced across his stomach, his scream dying as another blade ripped through his neck.

I whirled around, only to come face-to-face with Kade, his bloody sword at my throat.

The cold steel pricked my skin, but I held steady. A darkness shadowed his eyes, but they grew even darker as he looked me over, his body tense and his breathing choppy.

Prepared to push him away, I put my hand to his chest. “Kade,” I said. I had meant to shout, but it came out softer.

He blinked, his sword remaining at my neck, but his eyes cleared the longer he stared at me, until he looked down to my lips, and they immediately shifted back to grey.

His cocky grin returned.

“Get your blade away from her,now.” Ian seethed.

As soon as Ian spoke, Kade’s grin faded.

I didn’t need Ian to run interference with this man, though. Not as I previously needed him all the years before.

“I vowed to destroy the last Fae who threatened me with a blade.” I didn’t step away, didn’t back down, and Kade’s lips twitched into a small smile.

“Careful, Little Rebel,” he said. “Violent words tend to lure me closer, not push me away.”

He lowered his weapon at the same time Storm tugged him backward, putting space between us. He clasped Kade’s shoulder, and I didn’t miss the way he stared at his eyes, looking for something.

Maybe Kade only had outbursts when his eyes darkened.

“You all right, brother?” Storm asked. I turned from the pair, not ready to believe Kade was anything but an asshole.

“How are you here? How did you find us?” Ian’s fury mingled with his power, rolling off of him in a display of dominance.

Kade didn’t appear the least bit intimidated. “With our superior magic and senses,” he said, “we smelled a fight.”

Storm crossed his arms. “We’d been following a group of dark ones.”

“I think you mean to say, ‘thank you.’” Kade glared at Ian. “Be happy we were here, and let’s all move on, shall we?”

Corbin cleared his throat to get our attention. “Georgina and Harold both fell,” he said. “We didn’t plan to be away and would be missed from—” He hesitated, glancing at Storm, then Kade. “We don’t have time to do the drop ourselves.” Corbin watched his words carefully, his message unwavering.

The drop had failed.

My heart tightened. Georgina and Harold had only been trying to help their village. They’d done so willingly, aware of the danger, and their lives had been sacrificed.

“We’ll take the supplies to the town. Where were they from?”

I whipped my head toward Kade. He’d go out of his way to help strangers?

“Winershire,” Ian said, scratching his stubble, looking at me. “Hidden Henchman, it's your call.”

I shifted my gaze between Storm and Kade. They had fought with us twice now, likely saving our lives in the process. Conceding, I nodded once in confirmation.

“We have ways of knowing if the supplies got to their destination,” Ian said. “If you are stealing from us, we’ll know.”

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