Page 50 of Shadows of Ruin

“Do you have a death wish?” I asked, raising my weapon.

His smile wiped away all the concern and tension from his face for a brief moment. “At your hands? I wish for everything.”

He reached over his shoulder, drawing his sword from its sheath at his back, and stepped into the ring.

Storm walked by him, throwing me a grin over his shoulder. “Make him pay.”

“Gladly,” I said, bending my knees into a defensive stance.

The second Storm exited the ring, Kade’s shadows exploded out of him, exactly like I’d seen when we’d first entered Mysthaven.

“Fucking hell, Kade,” Storm shouted, but he was trapped behind the wall of black circling us.

Kade stalked forward, that earlier grin now stuck on his face.

I lunged, attacking first and putting all my energy into perfectly orchestrated offensive strikes. Kade blocked them easily, much to my disappointment.

“Something on your mind?” he asked.

I grunted, blocking a strike near my waist. “A million things are on my mind.” I turned, swinging my sword toward his dominant arm.

“Am I one of them?” He grinned.

"Yes.” I turned, trying to land another strike. “But only because I’m rested enough to want to fight you again.”

His laugh echoed in the room and curled down my spine as he blocked me. Again.

We danced around each other before I used everything I could recall from training with Ian, along with a few additional moves Storm forced me to learn earlier. My breathing grew heavier, while Kade’s eyes shone like this was all a game.

I let my anger get the best of me though, throwing too many emotions into my attacks until they were hardly accurate at all.

He swiped his sword forward in an easy motion, but as I dodged the blade, he crouched, sweeping me off my feet. I hit the ground. Hard.

“You lied to me,” I exhaled sharply. “Again.”

He pounced on top of me, his body pressing mine into the ground. “I like to think of it as failing to mention.”

I felt every muscled groove of his body, as my eyes fluttered closed, relishing the contact despite my fury. He knew it, too. The arrogant bastard’s lips twitched up as he witnessed my heady inhale.

My body trembled in pure desire, and I loathed it.Loathedmy reaction to him.

“I know you have something to say, Little Rebel.” His voice softened as he leaned down, drawing a dagger from his boot. He traced it slowly along my side and up to my neck. “Give me your anger.”

“You deserve every ounce of it,” I said, struggling ineffectively against his weight.

He snorted. “I do. But since the only way you seem to have a real conversation with me is when one of us is holding steel, I’ll wait right here until you’re ready to let it all out.”

I shifted my hips, a poor choice because it only served to settle him more firmly between my legs. I arched.

Stupid lust.

“I gave you the deepest parts of me,” I conceded. If letting him know my wrath would get him off me, I’d give it all. “Secrets only known by those I love. And you gave menothing.” I swallowed, watching his eyes take me in, processing my words.

“I trusted you with pieces of myself I’ve never trusted anyone with. You didn’t have the decency to return even the tiniest bit of it.” I knew struggling would get me nowhere, but I had to fight. He slid his blade down, resting his forearm on my chest, reminding me I couldn’t escape.

“You lied about who you are, what you are. You killed my father. You took his life in front of me. I hate that I had started to forgive you and then another hidden truth is dropped in my lap. I hate that you turn around and dothis. You tease me, mock my pain. You smirk and smile and twist every feeling inside of me and I hate it. Ihateyou.”

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, I lost my breath at their vast depth. “You’re right,” he said. “You opened up to me and I panicked because someone so strong, so perfect trusted me. No one trusts me, except the few you’ve met. No one loves the monster here.”

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