Page 29 of Blackwarden
Until her.
She was still wooed. I could feel her desire, so strong it was disorienting. She wanted me, almost as much as she wanted to know what was going on. But it was more than lust. She wanted to anger me, to see the expression on my face change, to see me react. She wanted tobreak me,and I could feel it wicking through my skin every time she stared at me.
And her wanting was so deliciously addictive.
The problem wasn’t her. It was me.
Because I wanted to answer all of her questions. I wanted to tell her everything, to give her every last precious piece of history I could about the Gatehouse, the reasons she was here, the Hag Queen, the curse,me. I wanted to talk with her all night and see the sun warm the sky in the morning. I wanted to show her the gallery, my paintings, the legacy of this curse. I wanted to get to know her, Rosalin Greene, the woman who wouldn’t stop asking fucking questions.
I’d never been interested in spending time with the maidens. As far as I was concerned, they were all the same. Scared, shallow humans, waiting to be saved by some knight in shining armor. But not Rosalin. No, she would save herself. The determination that dripped from her flesh was intoxicating. There was no knight coming to save her, and she’d accepted as much the moment she saw me step from my shadows.
The temperature in the room plummeted, leaving my breath solid in the air. I tried to pull a blanket over myself, but I wasn’t strong enough as darkness crept over my vision.
“I just need a little more time,” I pleaded.
And I needed distance from her, because in truth, every time her inquisitive green eyes searched mine for answers, I loved it. And my soul would be shattered when I dragged her to the Unseelie Court where she would be destroyed by the Hag Queen’s harem.
I wanted her to ask me whatever questions her heart desired, and I wanted to answer those questions even more. I wanted herto sit with me in my dining room, glaring at me with her adorable anger. I wanted her to see me, all of me. I wanted her to break me over and over again.
I wantedher.
“Just a little more time,” I choked out, gasping in pain, my eyes rimmed with tears I hadn’t shed in centuries. “Please.”
The last brazier in my room went dark.
Chapter 15 ~ Keres
Rosalin
––––––––
He didn’t come to dinner and every second it took me to choke down the stew and bread I’d conjured from the stupid Gatehouse magic was agony. His empty chair mocked me. I knew his absence was my fault. I took a sip of wine and lost myself in the liquid as it sloshed against the sides, running in long threads down the inside of the glass. It reminded me of the blood that had run down Keres’ pristine skin.
“Fuck.”
I was trying to calm my racing heart as I made the decision not to finish my pathetic dinner. I needed to find him. I needed to make sure he was okay. I’d done this to him. I’d tried to break his silence, only to realize—too late—that whatever this curse was held him in its vicious claws. It wasn’t me that was cursed.It was him.I was just collateral damage from some strange agreement made centuries ago to end a war.
I didn’t waste any more time, walking as fast as I could without hyperventilating, the braziers springing to life as I made my way down the hall. There was a buzz of energy rippling through the Gatehouse. Something was wrong. Everything seemed lighter eventhough the sun had already set. It wasn’t until I’d made it to the last door on the right that I realized why—there were no shadows.
With a shaking hand I knocked. There was no response. I bit my lower lip and waited a few seconds before knocking again and pressing my ear against the door to catch any sound on the other side.
Nothing.
“Fuck.” I spun a lock of hair around my index finger, trying to take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. What if he... I shook the thought away and tried the handle. It was locked. I hadn’t expected it to be otherwise.
“Keres?” I called through the door. “Are you in there?”
The silence that surrounded me was darker than any of his shadows. A tremble crept into my hands as I tried to press my fear into submission, wishing I had the cloak he’d conjured for me so I could pull it around my shoulders.
“Keres. Please talk to me. I just need to know if you’re alright.”
It sounded like something fell off a shelf and rumbled across the floor. I yanked at the handle wishing maybe I hadn’t turned it hard enough, but it was definitely locked.
“Keres? Are you okay?”
Nothing.
I looked up to the rafters. “Can you help me?” I asked the Gatehouse. I was desperate. “Can you unlock the door?”
