Page 24 of Eluvonia
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “What am I, a youngling?”
“Might as well be,” he replies with a shrug, gesturing toward the bed. “Get in.”
I glance at the bed, then back at him. “This one? Where are you sleeping?” I ask, my brow furrowing.
Kaida doesn’t miss a beat. He steps over to the bed, opens a small drawer in the bedside stand, and begins rummaging. “In the bed next to you,” he says simply, his tone matter-of-fact.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” I mutter, crossing myarms again.
He snorts, still digging through the drawer. “Like you have an option.”
“I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you!” I snap. “Who knows how perverted Dragons are? You’ll probably—” I cover myself dramatically for effect and shiver. Kaida straightens, holding two ropes in his hands, his expression unbothered.
I stare at the ropes. “Okay, one—what are those for? And two—” My gaze darts to the drawer he pulled them from. “Why do you have rope next to your bed?”
His eyebrow arches, his lips curling into a smug grin. “Nope!” I hold up a hand. “Never mind the second question.”
He chuckles, low and deep, and starts toward me. The sound makes my stomach churn. “You cannot be trusted,” he says, lifting the ropes slightly. “And I need my sleep. This ensures you can’t harm me or run away.”
I glare at him. “Then let me sleep in another room! Why do I need to stay here?”
Kaida scoffs, stopping just inches from me. “Because you cannot be trusted,” he repeats, his voice harder, colder. Hatred smolders in his eyes, his shadows curling tighter around his body like armor.
I start to turn away, but something cold and solid coils around my ankles.
“Wha—hey!” I yell, struggling as the shadows tighten their grip, freezing me in place.
Kaida grabs my wrists with startling speed, wrapping the rope around them and pulling it taut. Fury burns in my veins as I stare at the knots.
“Untie. Them. Now.” My voice is low, seething.
He laughs—actually laughs—in my face.
The shadows release my feet, and when I glance down, I see another set of ropes securely tied there. My jaw drops. “What the fuck—”
Kaida strides back to the bed, unconcerned. “Get in,” he orders, his tone casual.
I lift my bound wrists. “How the fuck am I supposed to do that, genius?”
He shrugs without looking back. “Hop.”
My mouth falls open. He sprawls onto the bed, hands clasped behind his head, shadows pooling around him as he crosses his ankles. A satisfied smirk tugs at his lips.
I want to throttle him.
But I glance around, weighing my options. There’s no way I can get far like this—what, hop down the hall and hope no one notices? Yeah, that’s not happening.
My eyes land on the couch by the wall. I could manage to hop there. With a resigned sigh, I start shuffling awkwardly toward it.
I make it two hops before the shadows wrap around my waist, yanking me backward with force. “Hey!” I scream as I’m lifted off the ground. My back hits something soft, and the air whooshes out of my lungs. I twist around to see I’ve landed on the bed. His bed.
Kaida chuckles without even looking at me. “Try it again, and I’ll just do the same thing,” he warns, his eyes still closed. I let out a frustrated growl, kicking at the mattress uselessly.
“I hate you,” I hiss.
“Noted.” His voice drips with amusement.
I wiggle down to the foot of the bed, putting as much distance between us as possible, and flop onto my side in defeat. Twisting my wrists against the scratchy rope, I tryto slip free, but after a few moments of nothing but raw skin and frustration, I give up. Kaida moves slightly, his shadows curling protectively around him like a nest. “Sweet dreams, little Fae,” he murmurs, his voice laced with sarcasm.
