Page 37 of A Kingdom of Shadows

His lips carve into an unabashed smile. "Of course."

I wet my bottom lip, and we succumb to a comfortable silence. He waits for me to ask him something as I let my right-hand slip from his neck, tracing my index finger along the stubble of his jaw. His breathing is slow, hardly steady, as the pads of my fingers now run over his lips.

What else do you hate?

Your hair.

Your stubbornness.

Your strength.

Your laugh.

"Darius?" My whisper is a sacred sound as the rain settles. "Am I still that same asset to you?"

His eyes meet mine, and it's like he stops breathing. His face hardens, not for anger, not for annoyance but regret.

Many things haunt me from my time in the city, and I know he had lied that night of his capture. His heartbeat may have been steady, but his eyes told me something else.

Answer me, I want to say, tell me what I hope to hear.

But I don't get that answer as branches crack and split from the other side of the forest like something is approaching us.

Darius keeps his arm around my back and carefully lifts me up with him. I remove my hands from his neck, and Aias and Tibith come to each side of us. I push myself in front of everyone like that will do much when what appears through the trees is a woman—no, an Elven woman. Pointed ears peek through the loose curls of her raven hair down to her hips, and her skin glistens in a deep bronze tinge.

She has an arrow pointed at us as her grey eyes narrow at our state. Her clothes are a long sleeve green tunic, fitting her slender figure with a hood and high ochre woven boots that make her blend with the forest alone.

Another second ticks by, and Tibith hugs my leg from behind as more Elves emerge from behind trees. Emerald armor plates cover them as they rest a hand on their hilts, differing from the female elf before us.

"Who are you?" she asks us, her voice melodious and clear. "And what is it that you are doing in our lands?"

Chapter Sixteen

The female elf watches us as Darius speaks of what we've endured the past few days, our encounter with Renward leading up to his death, and the need to meet with the Elven King.

I chew the inside of my lip, growing heavier with unease as she hardly blinks.

She slowly lowers her arrow, and what comes from her lips is not the response I had at all expected. "You all look terrible." She doesn't sound compassionate, nor does she even smile at the least.

Darius scoffs beside me. It is blatant that he is about to object to that and possibly throw a jab my way, but I smack the back of my hand against his chest and say to the elf, "Yes, yes, we do, which is why we only ask for safe passage toward the Elven King."

She stares at me as though searching to see if I am speaking the truth until Tibith steps forward, waving at her.

"Hello, Miss," he says. "You are very beautiful! My name is Tibith. What is yours?"

She looks down at him with a frown. "Arlayna." Then her eyes cut to us. "A Tibithian who speaks. How?"

Simultaneously, Darius and I look at each other.

"He was taught," Darius answers.

Arlayna's brows lift, slightly impressed, before masking her expression with a flinty look. She clears her throat. "If it is the king you wish to speak to, I can take you there."

"Your Highness, you know the king despises woodland Elves—"

Your Highness.

Surprised, I frown as one of the Elves in armor tries to protest. He must be a warrior for the king.

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