Page 2 of The King of Frost and Shadows

I blinked several times, forcing my eyes to stay open.

Shuffling outside the main door caught my attention. My mouth dried. If the guards came in here, they’d catch me.

Then one of them said, “Watch out! There’s—”

His words ended in a gurgle, and the door was flung open.

An Unseelie man I’d never seen before blocked the doorway. Shadows curled around his body, hiding him from anyone behind him. He had long, white hair and white eyes.

When those eyes focused on me, he sneered and marched toward us. “What are you doing to my cousin?”

I peered behind him and saw a guard bleeding out on the floor. Fear strangled me. Even though I needed to move, I went still as a statue. Not even my wings spread out behind me.

The air brimmed with tension, and he charged me.

“I’m heal—” I started, but he shoved me away from Tavish.

I shrieked, but the back of my head hit the floor, cutting short my cry. My vision hazed just as the man picked up Tavish’s unconscious body. The last thing I saw was him blanketing them both in shadows.

1

LIRA

My chest tightened as bodies bumped into me. Eiric clung to my hand, making sure we didn’t get separated among the masses, adding to my wariness. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we should head home and leave this overcrowded New Year’s Eve party. The air had become electric since we’d joined the crowd for the New Year’s countdown, but now it felt different … like danger was more imminent. Hard to believe because I’d been on edge after waking from my recurring nightmare this morning.

“Dammit, Lira,” Eiric said loudly over the noise of the jazz music. “I can’t believe you talked me into coming to the City Market on New Year’s Eve! We’re just asking for drunk people to spill their drinks on us or, worse, vomit all over us.”

Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. Earlier, while people-watching from a bench three blocks away, the idea had seemed perfect. Now, the urge to flee damn near overpowered me. Everywhere I looked, I saw dark-slate eyes watching me.

A shiver shot down my spine at the vivid image in mymind. Something made me want to see the person they belonged to, but he was always hidden by shadows and darkness. Only his eyes were visible to me.

I’d had the same nightmare every night for as long as I could remember. Though, through the years, the eyes had become crystal clear, so much so that I could have drawn them perfectly if I’d had the talent.

I’d hoped to calm the restlessness inside me by getting out and around people in the fresh air, but the scents were definitelynotrefreshing. I wanted to jump into the ocean or take a shower because I was certain I smelled like body odor as well.

Despite the faint chill of late December in Savannah, with all of us bunched together, it felt like it was at least seventy degrees out here, and we were still on the outskirts of the grassy lawn, far away from the stage.

“Look, E.” I paused behind a group of guys who were leering at the women in front of them and turned toward my best friend, who also happened to be my sister. I hated to admit that I’d made yet another bad decision, but my discomfort trumped my pride … for the most part. “If you want to go, I guess—”

“Oh no you don’t.” She arched a perfectly sculpted brow and shook her head, her short, tight curls barely moving in two pigtails piled on top of her head. “You’re not blaming this one on me.” The glitter sparkled on her dark skin as if she were magical. “Since you’re willing to leave ‘for me,’ I’m not taking you up on it.” Her emerald eyes twinkled with glee. She’d purposely worn a long-sleeved shirt the same green color, which wasn’t surprising. She favored shades of green.

I lifted my head and pushed back a few of the longblonde curls stuck to my face. I wrinkled my nose from a combination of the smells and her calling my bluff.

The way she smirked should’ve made me angry with her, but instead, I snorted and said, “Wow. Some sister you are.”

Something hit me in the back, pushing me forward into the tallest guy in the group of men.

My shoulder hit Tall Guy, and he jerked forward.

“What the fuck?” the guy said angrily.

Eiric grabbed my arm and steadied me so I didn’t hit the ground and get trampled. She glared at the two women who’d run into me and took a few steps back, pushing them away with her butt.

Tall Guy spun toward me. “You made me spill my—” His bloodshot eyes landed on me, and the anger twisting his face smoothed into a grin. “Damn. I mean, are you okay?”

Ew.

Standing a couple of inches taller than my five-foot-ten frame and buff, the guy wasn’t bad-looking. If he’d been sober, he’d have been attractive to most women. Looking at him closely, I realized he might be the tight end on Savannah State College’s football team. And boy, if I was right, he had a reputation as a womanizer.

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