Page 135 of Flirting with Darkness

That shape in the ferns. A monsterhadhunted the wolfmen—something large and violent enough to rip the arm off one.

And I’d found it.

My throat closed and I didn’t even pull away when he pushed my hair back. What was the use? This thing had made that werewolf screech in terror. If I tried to fight him or just pissed him off, he would tear me apart without a second thought.

“A human.” His hold on my waist tightened. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Had he really not realised what I was before now? Or was this a ploy to win my trust?

Turning my head brought my cheek against his, against the tickle of a shaggy beard. It revealed the edge of a bumped nose and, right on the edge of my vision, a low brow spattered with crimson blood.

I stared at the craggy rock opposite, since I couldn’t look him in the eye. “My friend was stolen,” I whispered, barely above a breath. “I need to save her.”

“By them?”

“No. A fae lord. If I can find him—”

“The only thing you need to worry about right now is that pack.”

The howls and searching yips filled the silence he left, some loud, some distant, all echoing through the rocky passages.

“Andyou.” I huffed.

“I’m the least of your worries.” His head lifted and cocked as the pack’s calls grew quieter. Fingers crossed, they’d given up. “You’re trespassing on their land. By law, you’re theirs to do with as they see fit.”

Even though that idea made my skin crawl, I shifted, testing his grip. It was as tight as ever. “You’retrespassing too. What will they do to you when they find you?” If he also needed to escape, maybe I could persuade him to help me.

“I work for the Night Queen. I can go wherever I want in Elfhame.”

That meant he had some degree of power beyond sheer brute strength. “Then tell them to leave me alone.”

He scoffed, a hot breath on my skin that made me shiver. “It doesn’t work like that.Iam under Her Majesty’s protection;youare not.”

“Then distract them while I run.”

He grunted what might’ve been a chuckle. “You stink of fear, but you don’t give up easily, do you?”

He couldsmellit? Good gods, whatwashe? Still, I shook my head. “Never.”

His sigh came out edged with a long-suffering groan, as though he’d been arguing with me for hours rather than only moments. “Why do I get the feeling it’s going to be a waste of breath to try and persuade you to go home?”

“Waste of breath, time, energy—everything. I can’t leave Ari with that thing.” Despite the fear he’d rightly noted in me, my throat ached for her, threatening to break my voice on those last words. Where was she? Had he made her marry him yet?

My captor made a low sound and turned his head. I couldn’t see him properly over my shoulder, even pressing my face against his, but I couldfeelhis eyes on me, and my heart stuttered as I realised what I’d just said.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean—I’m not saying you’re athing—”

He gave another grunt. “I’ve been called worse.” Exhaling, he loosened his grip just a touch. “Problem is, if I let you go, you’ll be dead by sunset. You’re lucky to have survived this long.”

“Girl-toy.” A voice snaked between the rocks, suddenly close. “We know you’re in there, hiding. The longer you make us wait, the longer we’ll play with you.”

A promise, not a threat. Skin crawling, I shrank into my captor’s hold, taking some foolish comfort in how large his arms were.

He smelled of peppermint leaves, damp earth, and a long time on the road. The last part was like many of my conquests when they first reached Briarbridge—the actor from the theatre troupe, the huntsman with his wolfskin cloak, the mercenary who claimed he’d killed a fae. They always carried that same smell of travel and a dozen fanciful stories that were meant to impress me, as though they didn’t understand all I wanted from them was a good time, a pleasant distraction. A glimpse of fun before I got back to work.

More important than my captor’s scent, though, was the fact his chest was a solid wall at my back, and his shoulders curled around mine, dwarfing me. He still showed no sign of tiring from carrying my full weight. Yes, they outnumbered him, but…

“You’re bigger than those beasts. Surely there’s something you can do.” I turned and tried to catch his eye but still failed to get a proper look at him. “Please?”

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