Page 44 of A Blade of Blood and Shadow
“Wow,” I said, not bothering to make sure we were out of earshot. “It seems your reputation precedes you.”
Kaden shifted and tucked his free hand over my arm, as if that small bit of contact could shield me from the unsettling gazes of the faeries who surrounded us. “They don’t know anything about me,” he said in a voice that was uncharacteristically cold. “Only what they’ve heard.”
“Which is?”
“Nothing current, I can assure you. Most of these fae came into the mortal world before the portals were sealed five hundred years ago. They’ve been trapped here ever since.”
“And you haven’t?” I probed.
He gave a small shake of his head. “I came here after that — slipped through like a spider.”
A dark smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and I shivered at the thought that beings like Kaden could slip into the mortal realm whenever they felt like it.
“Most of what they’ve heard is conjecture,” he continued. “I only came of age a few decades before the wards went up between our worlds. They don’t know anything about the male I’ve become.”
My stomach gave a funny little jolt as though I’d missed a step going down a flight of stairs. Kaden was over five hundred years old.
Although hunters and witches naturally had much longer life spans than mortals, hunters were usually killed before they had the chance to grow old. I couldn’t even fathom what it would be like to live as long as Kaden had.
At that moment, Caladwyn materialized in front of us, his features just as taut and ageless as the Ringmaster’s had been.
Up close, the old faerie wasn’t as tall as I’d expected. The top of his head only reached my nose, but what helacked in height, he made up for with smugness and magnetism. He didn’t smile, but the slight twinkle in his pale turquoise eyes seemed to invite us to play a part in his little court nonetheless.
“Cousin,” Caladwyn exclaimed, spreading his arms wide.
Cousin? Kaden had failed to mentionthat. The flaxen-haired male didn’t bear any resemblance to the dark fae on my arm, so perhaps they were distant cousins.
Still, it seemed like something Kaden could have mentioned.
“Howwonderfulto see you.” Caladwyn’s mouth stretched in a genial smile that, nevertheless, bore the edge of a challenge. “It’s a rare treat to have you grace us with your presence. And you’ve brought this ravishing creature for us to admire.”
Caladwyn’s blue gaze slid over to me with a predatory gleam, and I felt Kaden stiffen at my side.
As if he’d somehow sensed Kaden’s reaction, the fae’s grin widened.
“Caladwyn,” said Kaden, inclining his head just enough to be respectful but not deferential. “Your gathering is a spectacle, as always. This is Lyra.”
My stomach dropped at his use of my true name, but then I remembered what he’d said about lying to the fae.
“Ly-ra.” Caladywn seemed to savor the sensation of my name on his tongue as he reached for my hand with both of his gloved ones.
I fought the urge to rip it away as he bent to place a cool kiss along the ridge of my knuckles.
“Curious that you would bring ahuntressas your date,” Caladwyn added to his cousin. His tone was one ofintrigue rather than anger or disgust, but it still put me on edge.
“I’m sure I’ve done stranger things,” Kaden said breezily, tightening his grip on my arm.
“Yes, well, I do hope you enjoy yourselves,” Caladwyn drawled, his gaze drifting over our heads a little too blatantly to be natural. “It’s sure to be an interesting evening.”
Something about that comment grated on my nerves, and I had the distinct impression that Caladwyn wanted to appear disinterested just as much as Kaden wanted to appear relaxed.
Was there a faerie in this room whowasn’tplaying some kind of game?
As Caladwyn swept away to circulate among his guests, Kaden veered sharply to the right and ushered me onto the dance floor.
All eyes were on us as he took my hand, resting his other on my waist.
“W-what are you doing?” I stammered, acutely aware of all the attention we were attracting.
