Page 59 of A Kingdom of Shadows

Placing the strength, I need into my trembling body; I march and stand beside him. I don't greet or flash him a smile as my gaze sticks to the front, where Dusan has a rolled-up piece of vellum in his hand.

Darius's gaze on me is unforgiving. I can feel it penetrate through me. I try to focus on the king instead, the extravagant jewels upon his fingers, his forest green attire made of fine silk and thread, and his crown of thorns. I wonder if anyone is to try and steal it from him, would it prick them? Or perhaps it's laced with magic that only the king of Terranos can possess.

"Nara." His voice cuts through my thoughts as he smiles, and the open-air filters through the long ashy strands of his hair, making it look ethereal. "How are you feeling this morning?"

A multitude of things. "Dreadfully fatigued."

Dusan chuckles. "You can have a celebratory nap once you have retrieved the stone."

So, he also believes we can do this. "I certainly will," I say, mustering up some confidence as I see Tibith sleeping in the arms of Faye from the corner of my eye.

The view makes me feel better before Dusan says, "There is something you should know for when you arrive at the glacial mountains of Melwraith."

A chord plucks at my already anxious mind as he points a finger in the air and slowly walks back and forth. "You will see that it is guarded by an order of seven priestesses. They will not speak to you, and they will not look you in the eye, but you must tell them your name and your purpose as to what brings you there. You do that, and they will show you the path toward where you must find the stone."

It seems easy enough, but they are not the ones handing us the stone.

Dusan stops in front of Darius, handing him the piece of vellum. "I wish you both good luck," he says with a bow of the head and retreats to where Faye is.

I turn to Darius as he unfolds the map of Terranos. Melwraith points toward the south, and Valdern's port city Edwyrd had spoken of.

Watching Darius roll the map back up and hand it to me, I'm completely captivated by his eyes as his thumb caresses mine. It's just one second of touching me, but I know he did it intentionally.

His lip curls up at the side as he whispers teasingly, "I promise not to drop you this time."

My laugh is short and breathless. As I clear my throat and hold back a smile, I try to act normal, like last night was just a dream. "Well, I'd like to think you wouldn't. Once can be a mistake, but twice—" I tut in mockery, shaking my head "—I'll begin to wonder whether you want me dead."

His smile doesn't quite stay; it's as if my words took a severe turn for him. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened to you, Goldie."

My mockery fades. I'm in a state of shock. Suddenly, the winter clothing is too much for me; I want it off, I want... I want—

"Shall we?" he says, stepping aside like what he'd just said hadn't made me speechless.

I find it difficult to answer, so I hesitate with a nod, and he rolls his shoulders back, taking a deep breath as silver mist and darkness encase him.

Like yesterday, I mount him and press my hands against his scales. He takes off without a second thought, and the journey to the second stone begins.

Chapter Twenty-Four

My boots barely thud against the snowy ground as I leap off Darius, and the cold wind comes down the mountaintop with force enough to push me back. It is definitely not something I'm used to, as my teeth chatter and breathing is difficult. Studying my surroundings while Darius shifts, I glance at the uphill sloped pathway. When Darius was flying over Melwraith, I could see the faint outlines of houses, huts, and lights within dips of mountainous areas. But where we are now is near the peak with no soul in sight except looking down to my left, where I could easily fall to my death. Honestly, you can hardly see the ground from up here; an outer layer of fog covers most of it.

"I'm assuming we must make our way up there." My breath creates a cloud of smoke from the cold as I jerk my chin toward the fang-white mountain, soaring further into the sky.

Darius comes up beside me, and immediately a surge of heat from him has me warming up as I relax my shoulders in satisfaction. I turn my head to look at him and realize he's not doing anything power related except just standing there, analyzing the trek ahead.

I blow a breath, annoyed at myself, and before he can say a word, I start up the steep path.

"You know, Goldie," he says, already having made his way next to me. "If you plan to avoid me during this task after last night, you're going about it the wrong way."

I stop and send his arrogant smirk a glare. "I'm not avoiding you," I say, even if that is precisely what I'm trying to do. "In case you haven't noticed, I have much bigger concerns than talking about your drunken mistake last night."

I urge myself to turn back around, but he grabs my hand, making me snap my head to him. My body tenses with the need to have him hold onto me elsewhere.

"You mean the one where you specifically asked me to kiss you?" His words have my heart trying to hurtle out of my chest.

I snatch my hand away and try walking away again. "I was clearly delusional."

"Then what was I?" he asks in a laughter-tinged voice. When I roll my eyes and don't answer, his hand snakes around my waist, whirling me to his chest. His voice is much lower than before as he says honestly, "Because there's no mistaking how I'd like to do it again, Goldie."

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