Page 12 of Trial of Three
Ignoring Shade’s indignant whine and the cold air raising tiny bumps across my skin, I stalk into the corridor. The way today has gone thus far, I’ll come out ahead even if Coal decides to tear me fiber from fiber. And if he does... I’d rather bear the brunt of Coal’s fury than ever see the male on his knees again.
My breath stills as I knock on Coal’s door, sweat coating my palms despite the chill. Around me, the sleeping suite mutters its usual nightly sounds of steady breathing and the dull whine of floorboards, the latter coming from our singularly nocturnal upstairs neighbors. Amidst it all, the soft rap of my knuckles against Coal’s door sounds loud as thunder.
No answer.
I frown, my resolve faltering for a moment before I reclaim it and knock again. Louder.
Nothing. Not even when I put my ear against the door. Not Coal’s breathing, not the creaking of a mattress, not even the echo of the tolling bell that seems to vibrate through every other wall. Trulynothingis coming from that door. As if something is purposely ensuring silence... just in case Coal wakes with a scream.
My pulse quickens. “Coal?” A final, futile attempt to get an answer.
I take a breath and let myself in.
8
Lera
Turning the knob, I step inside a large lantern-lit room. Anemptylantern-lit room. The four-poster bed, a darker twin to my own, stands vacant and as disheveled as if someone had wrestled atop the covers. Thick curtains are open to the forest and a starlit sky. The scents of leather and steel hang thick enough to hint that Coal has been sharpening knives and oiling armor right in his own bedchamber.
And yet the room doesn’tfeelempty. On the contrary, the very air hums with energy, as if it too is curling its fingers into a fist.
“Co—” My words die as a large hand grips my neck. Air catches in my lungs then escapes in a strangled croak as my back slams into the wall. The door claps closed, the room shuddering with the impact. I blink, gasping as the confusion and fear seizing me morph into blinding fury.
Coal. Bare-chested and towering over me. His muscled arms pin me against the wall like a ragdoll. The perfect lines of his face, too beautiful to be anything but immortal, are tense as he glares down at me. His blond hair is down, brushing against his shoulders.
“Get the hell off me.” I shove Coal’s chest. The thin sheen of sweat coating his skin slicks my palms. My heart thunders, my breath coming in short, hard bursts. I’m going to kill the bastard, and then I’m going to rip off his balls and feed them to the crows. “You knew damn well it was me coming in.”
Coal releases me, his chest heaving as he plants his hands on the wall just above my ears. Even now, in the middle of the night, strength and violence roll off Coal in waves. The heat of his body, clad only in loose cotton trousers that hang on the wings of his hips, soaks through my thin silk shift and spiders across my skin. Dipping his head down until his face is only inches from mine, Coal finally speaks. “I’m subtly suggesting that barging into my bedchamber uninvited is unwise.”
Holding myself steady is a struggle. “Noted.”
Coal’s lips curl, showing his elongated canines, the sheer maleness of him making my thighs clench involuntarily. His eyes, blue ice even in the dim light, radiate power as loudly as his wide stance and spread shoulders. “What do you want, mortal?”
A fight, apparently.“I couldn’t sleep.”
“And why, pray tell, should that translate into you not lettingmesleep?”
“Quit the horseshit, Coal. You weren’t sleeping.” Ducking beneath his arm, I wheel on the male, my hands on my hips. “I’m too damn sore and exhausted and sleep deprived to keep pretending that nothing happened this morning. So we are going to talk.Now.”
“Was I too hard on you, little Leralynn?” Coal purrs. “Are your bruises too deep?” His voice changes, becomes harsh. Cruel. “You walked yourself into that problem when you accepted the Elder Council’s terms and became a Citadel initiate. Go whine to Shade or Tye, and leave me alone.”
I wait for Coal’s words to find their mark, but the memory of him kneeling on the sand is so potent that I hear his tossed words for the shield they are, see the breathtakingly brave male bleeding behind them. Straightening my spine, I stride deeper into Coal’s room. Swords and knives with wicked-looking blades line the warrior’s dresser, pieces of leather armor laid out beside them. Vambraces. A half-mended chest guard. A sword belt still shining with cleaning oil.
“You’ve been busy.” I pick up one of the knives, its blade sharpened to a deadly edge. Resolve pulses through me, holding me up as I summon words I wish I could spare Coal from. “But then again, this is easier, isn’t it? Focus on work. Blameme.Callmeout for self-pitying words.” Returning the weapon to its resting spot, I slowly turn toward Coal and find his eyes, the ghost of vulnerability in them tearing through my soul. I’ve always imagined that being on the receiving end of blows is hardest of all. Apparently not. I step toward Coal, mercilessly invading his space. “It is so much easier to shove me away than to face your own bloody darkness. To admit thatyourdamn nightmares shred you to bits. And have been doing as much for three hundred years.”
“Stop flattering yourself.” Coal’s voice is low, dangerous. “The only thing I feel just now is annoyed.”
I snatch hold of Coal’s wrist, the sores on it healing slowly after centuries of damage. I take a quick fortifying breath and torque the skin viciously. “Good thing this little bothers you,” I say, holding his eyes through the pain and fury flashing in his gaze. “I’d hate for you to start whining.”
Beneath my grip, Coal’s pulse pounds against my skin. His lack of retort is as loud as a clap of thunder.
Too far. I’ve sliced too far, too quickly. Brought us too close to an abyss. My heart pounds, ice and fire crackling down my spine. I can feel Coal’s bottled terror stretching the bounds of his control, and I know that one wrong breath will topple us both into a deadly chasm.
So I might as well jump. “Tell me, Coal,” I say quietly, aiming my blow to shatter what’s left of his shell and bare the male beneath. “What did the qoru do once they had your arms trapped and grew tired of whips and brands? I think I’d enjoy learning how one puts a fae warrior through his... paces.”
Coal’s eyes darken, his breath coming faster. “What do you want from me, Lera?”
“You.” I swallow. “I want the true you, not the cleaned-up, gelded version that you pass off as truth to the world.”
