Chapter Fourteen
The sun is fading by the time I make my way back around to the south side of Shadow’s Keep. Across the river, the castle and the other buildings in the compound rise in the distance. But there’s one more place I want to visit before I return.
My little secret garden looks as it had before, except there are now dozens of white flowers blossoming amidst the moss that covers the ground.
I let the wall of vines that cover the entrance fall back into place, and I walk slowly through the walled space.
A shiver moves over me as if I can feel the memories and time this place is steeped in.
As if the spirits of those who came before are walking alongside me, whispering tales of their past.
If I were a spirit, what tales could I tell?
I am missing most of my life, a fractured vessel walking this earth lacking vital pieces of myself.
With a sigh, I sit down on a vine-covered bench and place my head in my hands.
A breeze rustles the leaves of the nearby trees, carrying the scent of flowers and the river.
“There you are!”
I jump at the voice, straightening and turning in its direction. Toryn strides into view, the late afternoon sun hitting his golden hair and turning his eyes deep amber.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Professor Julian thought you’d tried to escape.” He stops in front of me, arms crossed over his chest.
“Escape? That makes me sound an awful lot like a prisoner.”
“He’s just worried… after what happened earlier.” Toryn frowns.
“News does travel fast around here.” With another sigh, I get up off the bench. “Alright, then.”
Toryn steps closer to me, blocking my path. “You know, you don’t have many allies here. The Guardians are not used to having a human in their midst.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, I’m well aware. You all have made that abundantly clear.”
“But I’m on your side. You know that, right?” Toryn reaches out and takes my hand.
“I do appreciate that,” I say with a small smile. “One person who isn’t trying to kill me. Well, two, including Julian.”
Toryn throws me one of his disarming smiles, and he strokes his thumb over the back of my hand. “I could… keep a closer eye on you, if you like. I’m sure you’d sleep more soundly if you shared your bed with someone.”
I can feel my eyes widen at his abrupt proposition. My pulse quickens and my stomach does a little flip, but not in a good way. Toryn is gorgeous, but there’s something about the way he said it…like he expected me to be grateful. Like I owed him.
I pull my hand out of his. “Uh, thanks, but I think I’ll be alright.”
His expression ices over in an instant. “Will you, though, Embyr? You should really think twice before turning me down. You’re lucky I’m paying you any attention at all.”
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 be very careful 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 be very careful, 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 by all fae.”
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 can see 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…”
“No. It isn’t.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t want me here, then. I nearly got shipped off to fae prison today. I suppose it’s only a matter of time.”
“You act remarkably brave for a fragile human. And you’re wrong. This is new.” Daemon’s eyes burn into mine, heat laced into his tone. “You may have been hunted before, but not by fae. Don’t underestimate the danger you’re in here. You haven’t the slightest clue what you’re up against.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to do about any of this?” I snap. “It wasn’t my choice to come here. And I’m not allowed to leave, either.”
“Well, if you hadn’t come here, you’d be dead.” His words hit with nearly physical force.
“So, you admit it, then. You did bring me here.”
Daemon lets out a growl and spins away from me, stalking off deeper into the garden. I hesitate a moment, and then I follow him.
“Why? Why did you do it, Daemon? You at least owe me that much.” I jog after him, afraid I’m going to lose him in the dark. “My whole life is nothing but a big tangle of secrets. I want the truth for once.”
He spins so abruptly that I nearly run right into him. His face flashes with a mix of emotions. “The truth? I don’t know the truth any more than you do, Embyr.”
“Just tell me why you did it,” I whisper, my voice weighted with desperation.
Daemon’s whole body is rigid, like an arrow quivering in a bow, ready to snap at any moment. His gaze searches mine as if I’m the one with the answers. “Because I couldn’t let you die,” he says at last, his words like a storm breaking.
Then he turns, and he leaves me, stunned and alone, in the darkness.
It’s only later, when I return to the castle, that I realize my bruise is inexplicably gone.