Page 31 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
Sometimes I really hate it when I’m right. There’s a rush of heat in my veins, but this time it’s anger. “Is that the way of all the Guardians? They only protect people if they sleep with them?”
“I would beverycareful what you say within these walls,” Toryn hisses. “You can’t afford to make any more enemies than you already have. You’re lucky you weren’t strung up in a prison cell the day you arrived.”
“I didn’t ask to be brought here,” I snap. “And I didn’t ask for your protection. I may only be a human, but I can take care of myself. I’ve been surviving for a very long time without anyone else.”
“You’re going to regret turning me down.” Toryn reaches out, lightning fast, and crushes my wrist with an iron grip. “People do not say no to me…”
My hand is on one of my daggers in an instant, but then another voice cuts in.
“I think she already did.”
A tall shadow falls across me as Daemon steps out from behind a curtain of vines. He walks slowly toward us, his cloak billowing behind him, and he radiates such an intense predatorial vibe that my heart pounds even harder in my chest. They are like day and night—Toryn tawny and golden, Daemon all moon and midnight.
He comes to a stop right behind me, so close that I can feel the heat of his body against my skin. “Let go of her, Toryn.” I shiver as the dark, dangerous velvet of his voice vibrates through the air around me.
“Or what? Are you threatening me, Shadow Walker?” Toryn’s grip tightens and he pulls me even more forcefully. “I would beverycareful, traitor. One word from me and you’ll find yourself in a prison cell.”
Daemon doesn’t blink. “Your word overrule that of the Queen? I’ll take my chances.”
Toryn’s gaze swings to me. “And you…if you think you’re an outcast now, you don’t even know how bad things will get for you if you align yourself with this one. He is hated byallfae.”
I feel a pulse of heat from Daemon, but he doesn’t move from his spot at my shoulder. I turn and look up at him, but his eyes are fixed on Toryn. And Toryn is right—the last person I need to take sides with is Daemon. Yet, in this moment, it’s not even a choice.
I take a step back until I feel my shoulder brush up against Daemon’s chest. Toryn is holding my wrist so tightly it feels like it’s going to snap. There’s a moment of silence, and Toryn’s eyes widen in disbelief before narrowing in fury.
And then, the air around us shifts, tightens. In the waning light, it seems as if all the shadows in the garden move toward Daemon, concentrating around him. They swirl slowly behind us, like a moving wall of night.
Toryn lets go of my wrist as if it burned him. “I won’t forget this, Embyr. Not ever.”
My voice comes out as a low growl. “Neither will I.”
He casts one more hateful glare at Daemon and then he spins and stomps out of the garden. I don’t let out the breath I’m holding until he ducks beneath the vines at the entrance and strides down the path beyond.
I’m still pressed up against Daemon, so close that for a moment I think I feel his heartbeat. Slowly, I turn around and look up at him. The shadows are still clinging to him as if he has become a part of the night sky. Darkness seems to have fallen in the short span of time since Toryn found me here, or perhaps whatever magic Daemon possesses made it fall even faster. I cansee the spark of a star high up in the sky. Another shiver moves over me.
His eyes finally drop to mine, and even in the twilight hues of the garden, I can see the green depths of them.
“Thank you,” I say. “I… I don’t think things would have ended very well if you hadn’t been here.”
“I’m sure you could have handled yourself,” he says, his voice darker than the shadows. “I just like to torment Toryn any opportunity I get.”
“Maybe.” I shrug. “Maybe not.” I reach down with one hand and feel carefully along my wrist where Toryn grabbed it. It’s going to be bruised, I can tell.
Daemon follows my gaze, brow furrowed. When his fingers brush against my wrist, I flinch, and he pulls back. Our eyes meet, and he must see the permission in mine, because he carefully takes my hand and raises it up to get a better look. In the dim light, I can see a dark circle already forming where Toryn’s grip crushed into me. Daemon rubs his thumb along the line of it, frowning, as if he’s never seen a bruise before.
“I’ve had worse,” I say. His scrutiny makes me feel weak. And I don’t want Daemon to think I’m weak.
“Who? Who hurt you before?” The shadows stir behind him, and suddenly I am very glad that Daemon is on my side. If that’s what’s happening here.
Another shrug. “I’ve moved around a lot. Lived in all the big cities. It’s inevitable. Humans aren’t as strong as fae.”
“You’ll have a mark on your back now,” Daemon says, releasing my hand. “Toryn won’t give up so easily.”
“Well, then it’ll be nothing new. I’ve been hunted my whole life.” I try to keep the shake out of my voice, and mostly succeed.
His eyes are hard on mine. “You shouldn’t wander this far from the castle.”
I shake my head. “I can’t stay cooped up within those walls. I know it’s not the wisest move…”
