Page 87 of Stolen
Alaric is already sitting up beside me, hair wild, tattoos glowing faintly like embers.
His voice is all gravel and fury when he growls, “Speak.”
One of the men steps forward.
Broad, shirt unbuttoned, bronze-skinned with curling black horns jutting from his temples, he answers in a voice made for battlefield speeches.
“They’re attacking the villages at the base of Mount Thorn,” he says grimly. “The SoulTakers. They’ve come in force.”
Alaric snarls.
That sound reverberates straight through my spine.
The other man leans against the doorframe, nonchalant in a way that makes me nervous.
His eyes are pale. I can’t tell the color. But his smile? It’s sharp. And are those feathered wings? I blink.
“You sleep too long, Brother. I can see why, but it’s a good thing we showed up before your borders burned.”
I scramble to pull the blankets higher, realizing I’m still naked and very much on display for these two warlords or Demon dudes or whatever they are.
Alaric’s eyes flick toward me, and with a flick of his wrist—snap—magic washes over me.
I feel refreshed, like I just took a shower. Even my teeth feel brushed and my breath is minty.
Silk wraps around my skin, soft and warm, forming into a deep midnight-colored dress with silver sparkles dancing across it like stars. It’s belted at the waist with braided leather.
Practical, but beautiful.
My hair lifts from the pillow and falls into a quick twist, secured with a small silver pin shaped like a dragon in flight.
I blink, stunned, and whisper, “Uh, thanks.”
“Kael. Dagan,” Alaric bites out. “Don’t pretend this caught only me unaware. The SoulTakers are getting bold. But my guard will be ready.”
He doesn’t look at me. Standing up, I see he is dressed in leather pants and what looks like an armored breastplate.
“Cozy. So, this is she? Your human?” one of them, Kael I think, asks.
Alaric snarls at the two men, though the other one is not even glancing my way.
“You will not look upon her,” Alaric says coldly. “She is mine.”
Kael snorts.
“We noticed. May I offer my congratulations, my lady? Oh, hush your snarling, Alaric. I’m simply surprised you claimed her so quickly. And I didn’t expect Nightfall to mark her as well.”
The other one—Dagan, I think—raises an eyebrow.
“You congratulate him when you accuse me of moving too fast for simply scouting out some locations in the Earth realm?”
Shade clears her throat loudly, stepping between me and the doorway.
“Lord Alaric, Lords Kael and Dagan only arrived moments ago. Their forces are gathered at the base of the Eyrie. The people are afraid. Some are here, at your door?—”
Alaric snarls and rises from the bed.
Tall, powerful, bare.
