Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
We waited outside another inn with a salopas beneath it. Jax and Phillen had gone inside to secure rooms before we had supper, and the rest of us had chosen to wait on the street with its perpetual breeze versus the small, stuffy entryway.
Secretly, I thought Trivan opted to stay outside because he and Bowan could then strut and posture for the local females passing by.
Lander casually held onto the ropelike magic that bound Guardian Alleron, not seeming to think anything of the fact that he’d been dragging my former guardian around like a whipped dog all evening.
“What’d you do with your blue gown, Elowen?” Trivan asked distractedly when he watched a female with long brown hair and swaying hips saunter by.
She cast him a smile and winked.
“I asked the shopkeeper to throw it away.” I darted Guardian Alleron a quick look. I’d been careful to avoid his accusing stares, but his current demeanor was practically burning holes into my back. Probably because that blue gown had cost him over three hundred rulibs.
Nobody else seemed to care about that dress, though. Lars and Lander laughed, and Bowan appeared to be grinning, given the deep wrinkles around his eyes.
“Good call.” Trivan nodded. “And what do you think of that, Alleron? Do you also agree that garish gown was best tossed in the rubbish bin?”
“I suppose,” Guardian Alleron replied through gritted teeth.
I cast a wary look toward my former guardian. Since the shopkeeper had draped the sacks containing my new clothes over him, at Jax’s insistence of course, he was not only being dragged around like a pet but also like an indentured domal.
I hadn’t taken much from the shopkeeper, only three more pants and six additional tops, along with new undergarments, so it wasn’t like the bags were heavy. But one would have never guessed it from the miserable frown Guardian Alleron wore. He’d walked the entire way here as though the bags had been packed with solid stone. And I had a feeling that if it wasn’t for his fear of Jax, he would have been verbally lashing out at me and looking anything but humble.
I gave him my back again and played nervously with the hem of my new shirt. The feeling of betrayal still seared my insides, but unwanted nagging guilt had begun to creep in. The sharpness of the previous night, when my guardian’s full betrayal had been revealed, had begun to die. But that only left room for an aching sense of disbelief and searing hurt to move in.
Sighing, I tried to shove my pitiful emotions down. I wished I could be like Jax and feel nothing but contempt for my guardian, but...I couldn’t. As hard as I tried to stop it, guilt kept biting me, and I still fiercely hoped that underneath my guardian’s pile of lies and deception, a part of him truly did love me. Even if it was a small part.
Scents from inside the inn drifted into the street, and I inhaled sharply, using that to distract me. Hunger pains clenched my stomach anew. It wasn’t helping that every time someone opened the front door, mouthwatering fragrances of grilled meats and herbs assaulted me.
My stomach let out another loud howl.
As though he’d heard it, Jax appeared in the doorway. His shoulders nearly brushed against the frame they were so broad.
My mouth went dry. He stood over me with his sapphire eyes glittering like gemstones, and I was once again struck by the sheer force of this male. His aura was pulsing, dominant in a way, and I knew all it would take was a whisper of his magic to rob me of sight and sound.
Yet, as before, even knowing that, I wasn’t afraid. Instead, what I felt was something I’d never experienced before. My stomach did a little leap, my pulse turning thready. And my breathing... Goddess, it was hard to take a deep breath .
“They have enough rooms. We’ll stay here for the night.” His voice lowered, and a hint of amusement rolled into his tone. “And they have plenty of food, Little Lorafin. Best come in before that howling beast in your stomach wakes the dead.”
Similar to the inn in Lemos, a salopas filled the entire first floor of the inn. Although unlike during the time we’d stopped for a meal there, this salopas was crowded, loud, and the entertainment was in full swing.
A group of wildlings was on the small stage, yewens from the looks of it. They played music through their trunks, whacked drums with their three-fingered hands, and thumped their feet. It made for a lively, jovial sound. Already, my foot was tapping to it.
The other patrons seemed to be enjoying the music too. More than a few were dipping their heads in time with the beat or slapping their thighs. Half a dozen fae were also dancing.
“My kind of place,” Trivan said with a grin.
Lars sighed. “A bit too loud for me.”
Phillen elbowed the redhead good naturedly. “They’re talented. Don’t tell me you can’t appreciate that?”
Lars shrugged. “Just noise, all of it.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You can’t be serious?” All yewens were naturally gifted with a musical aptitude, but this group seemed even more so, given the musical range their trunks produced. It reminded me of the instruments played at Faewood’s court, when the trumpets and drums announced the king. Only here, it was actually entertaining.
Lander snorted. “Don’t mind Lars. ’Tis just his opinion. He’s always preferred the quiet of the Wood to any kind of city.”
Trivan dipped down and said softly into my ear, “He’s never liked crowds or cared for music either. He can be quite boring in that sense.”
“I heard that,” Lars replied in a dry tone.
Trivan chuckled, and Phillen replied, “I think that was the point.”
I gave the redhead a tentative smile. “I can understand liking the quiet and solitude of the Wood. I grew up in it. I’ve always enjoyed it too.”
Lars arched an eyebrow. “You do?”
I nodded. “I didn’t always wear gowns and pay regular visits to the king. When I was a child, we traveled regularly. Oftentimes, we camped in the Wood, much as you’ve all been doing.”
Jax’s attention drifted to me. “I didn’t know that you often camped, but I suppose that also explains why you’ve never complained about sleeping on the ground.”
I raised my shoulders. “I don’t mind that either, although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prefer a soft bed.” I winked playfully .
The corners of Jax’s eyes crinkled, and there was a smile in his voice when he replied, “I think I can safely say all of us prefer beds over the ground, but we make do with what we have.”
Phillen grunted, then pointed toward a corner booth that fae were clearing out of. Once standing, they gestured toward the now-empty table. “Looks like they’re giving you your favorite spot, Jax.”
Jax brushed slightly against me, and a smattering of goosebumps worked up my arms. “Elowen? After you.”
“I’ll send a tray over in a minute, Dark Raider!” the bartender called from behind his workstation as the seven of us and Guardian Alleron skirted our way to the booth.
The bartender returned his attention to his work. He held the handles of three mugs in one hand and moved them beneath a stream of ale before slapping them onto an awaiting enchanted tray. The second the mugs were steady, the tray glided off to serve its patrons.
Floating trays drifted through the air, carrying pints of beer, wine, leminai , and a few other alcoholic beverages I wasn’t familiar with. Just as many trays carried food. I sighed longingly when a tray filled with six plates of spiced meat and fluffy rice floated by.
Most of the fae and wildlings who were seated were drinking, talking, and enjoying the music, but all I cared about was the next tray that drifted past me carrying a plate of ustorill roast sitting on a bed of root vegetables with a side of steamed greens.
Jax put his hand on my lower back, and all thoughts of supper vanished when the heat from his palm warmed me. He weaved us through the crowd, but as soon as more of the patrons became aware of his presence, a path was cleared as dancers moved out of the way, and chairs scooted to the side.
The Dark Raider stopped at the booth in the corner. It struck me anew that each time he’d chosen a place to be seated, it was where he would have a clear view of the entire room, windows, and doors. Even here, in a village that revered him, he didn’t seem to take his safety for granted.
I dropped onto the bench, scooting toward the center. Jax immediately slid in beside me.
His thigh bumped mine, his leg so hard it resembled steel. I froze. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so aware of a male’s every move, each dip of his head, brush of his fingers, sound of his laugh, warmth from his skin...
But with Jax, it was as though he’d enchanted me, even though the reality was he’d abducted me.
Stars, Elowen, what’s the matter with you?
I was acting as idiotic as those females who’d been swooning after him on their porch step, and I really needed to stop.
Phillen slid onto the bench to sit on my other side, Lars beside him. On the opposite end, Lander, Trivan, and Bowan made themselves comfortable. Guardian Alleron, however, stood awkwardly to the side, still magically chained. Several fae gave him curious looks, but none commented, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were used to seeing the Dark Raider arrive with captives.
In minutes, we had mugs of ale and plates of food before us. Everyone dug in. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one ravenous from the long day of traveling.
It wasn’t until I’d cleaned the meat off the bones and spooned every last bite of the delicious sides into my mouth that I felt satiated. Sighing in contentment, I returned my attention to the music and was soon drinking the bottomless rounds of ale the bartender seemed intent on sending our way while the lively beat ignited my soul.
“I take it you like music?” Jax asked quietly, his words like a low rumble beneath the steady beat. Around us, Phillen and the other males had fallen into a lively discussion about the upcoming Centennial Matches and were placing bets on who would win what competition, but Jax hadn’t joined in.
I trailed a hand through my hair, moving the long strands behind my back. “I do. I’ve always loved music.”
“Do you play any instruments?”
“Only one, the piano.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded. “It was part of my education growing up. What about you? Do you play anything?”
He scratched his chin through his mask. “The fiddle, but very badly.” I laughed lightly, and he inclined his head toward Guardian Alleron. “Did he teach you?”
“No, he hired a piano tutor for me when I was younger and we lived for two full seasons in Ironcrest Kingdom.” I eyed Guardian Alleron. He still stood stiffly, his expression neutral, but I’d been with him long enough to notice the tightness around his jaw. For a moment, I worried he could hear us talking about him, but then I realized the music was too loud for words to carry. I could barely hear Jax, let alone someone as far away as my guardian.
Jax leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, “Maybe you can play for me sometime.”
I whipped my head toward him. “Play for you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
“But that would require having a piano.”
He shrugged. “True, which might prove tricky at the moment, but eventually we’ll be near one.”
I frowned, cocking my head. I took another drink of ale, letting the delicious frothy liquid fill my mouth before swallowing. “And where will that be? Is wherever we’re going blessed with musical instruments?”
He chuckled at my wry tone and took a drink of his beverage, the mug disappearing beneath his mask. It was impossible to ignore how his throat worked and not glance at the corded muscles in his neck that moved with each swallow. There was so little of him that I could see, and I couldn’t help but soak up what hints were visible .
When he finished, he set his mug back down. “There’ll be a piano.”
“Which is at...” I let my words hang and raised my eyebrows.
“What else did he teach you?” He inclined his head again toward Guardian Alleron. “Did he allow you to go to school?”
Sighing, I let it go that he was avoiding my questions. “No, I wasn’t allowed to attend school, but like the piano, I had tutors. Many of them. My guardian thought I would be more appealing to lordlings if I was educated.”
Jax’s eyes hardened. “So that education wasn’t to benefit you but rather to increase his profits?”
My lips parted. I’d never thought of it that way. I’d simply been grateful for the lessons that had broken up the monotony of my days. I hadn’t been allowed to play with other siltenites, had never had another female or male siltenite to call a friend. The only friends I’d ever had were wildlings, and I’d always suspected that was only because Guardian Alleron didn’t know I’d befriended any of them.
Usually, when I wandered around in the Wood, my guards followed far behind me. They were often bored out of their minds, so much so that they’d had no idea of the quiet conversations I’d struck up with nearby wildlings. And I suspected that was only because wildlings were so good at blending into the Wood. My guards probably hadn’t even known they were there.
Looking down, I played with my fingers as those confusing feelings within me rose again. “He took care of me, you know. I know that he enslaved me to him, and I now know that he killed my mother”—my throat rolled in a swallow—“but it could have been so much worse considering what I am. He provided food for me, clothing, shelter. Alone, I would have either died or killed many, many fae, and then I would have been executed because of it.”
Jax made a low sound in his throat. “I can see he’s fed you many beliefs over the seasons.”
I looked up, my eyebrows pinching together. “Meaning that everything he told me was a lie?” I knew my guardian had indeed deceived me, but to think that every single thing he’d ever said to me had been fabricated and twisted to serve his own convoluted purposes was so evil that?—
Pain fired through me, twisting my stomach and sinking my heart. I shook my head. I couldn’t accept that. Guardian Alleron did care for me on some level. He had to. Surely, there was something worthy enough in me to love, even if he betrayed me.
Jax’s eyes softened, and his tone gentled. “I’m just saying that what you’re telling me doesn’t entirely align with what I know of lorafins, but you’re probably right that not everything he said was a complete lie.”
I smoothed my hair again and cleared my throat. Even though my stomach was twisting, I shoved my reaction to what Jax was implying about my guardian down as far as it would go. Sitting a bit straighter, I asked, “And how do you know that your knowledge of my kind is correct?”
He shrugged. “I trust the scholars who educated me, and I certainly trust them more than I trust him .”
“Do you know him?” I angled myself toward Jax more, and my arm brushed against his. An acute array of shivers blasted up my spine. “Sometimes the way you speak of Guardian Alleron, it’s as though you’ve met him before.”
He looked down at where we’d touched and then said gruffly, “No, I haven’t met him, but I know an abuser when I see one. I’ve met plenty.”
I took another drink. “Is there anyone in your life who’s abused you?”
I could have sworn his jaw tightened. “Define abuse.”
I ran a flustered hand through my hair once more, and Jax’s attention followed the movement, his gaze straying over the long chestnut strands. “I don’t know. Did anyone hit you? Or starve you? Or lash out at you verbally?”
“Yes, to all of those things.”
My heart thumped. “ All of them?”
He took another drink, and the aura around him pulsed like a growing orb of light. “There’s a reason I became the Dark Raider, Elowen.”
He said that so softly that it took a moment for me to comprehend his words. “You became what you are because you were the victim of the things you’re trying to stop?”
He neither nodded nor shook his head. He just chuffed. “I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this.” He took another drink, then faced me. His blue eyes flashed in the salopas’s glittering lights, and his expression turned serious. A heartbeat of silence passed, but his gaze didn’t waver. “There’s something about you, Elowen. Something I recognize in you is in me too.”
He waited, watching me, his look so intent, so full of... something . It was as though he expected me to say similar words in response. But I didn’t even know what he meant by that.
My heart leaped, and that strange feeling flipped my stomach. It coiled around me, pulling me in and making me feel...
I struggled to put a word to it, but these feelings felt more like... yearnings . And nothing about them felt safe.
I faced the dancers, looking away from Jax entirely, and changed the subject completely. Anything to get away from whatever this emotion was clogging my chest.
“Now that we’re in Stonewild, are you going to have me search for whomever it is you’re seeking?” I cast him a brief side-eye, but he’d looked away, and his gaze was once again entirely veiled. Whatever that strange emotion was that I’d detected in him only seconds ago had vanished. “I know I said I would be able to soon, but it may take an extra day. And it sounds like we may be reaching wherever it is you had in mind tomorrow? This mysterious place with a piano?”
I could have sworn his lips twitched, but then he cocked his head. “How do you know that we’ll be there tomorrow? ”
“You told the shopkeeper we only have another day of travel, implying one day.”
“Ah, I suppose I did say that.”
“So you don’t want to have me perform your calling here?”
He arched an eyebrow. “You want to do that here ?”
I shrugged. “It would be no different from anywhere else, I suppose.”
But he shook his head. “Not here. It’s why we’re traveling to the place I’ve chosen. It’s secure there, and there won’t be any distractions. From what I’ve been told, it’s important for a lorafin to feel safe, rested, and mentally sharp when performing a calling. I don’t think here is a wise place for that to occur, even if we’re in Stonewild. So, no, we’ll wait.”
I released a breath. Those were the most details he’d ever revealed to me of what he planned. I took another drink of my ale to calm my nerves and then another.
A smile entered his voice when he added, “And perhaps being intoxicated while you perform a calling isn’t the best idea either.”
“What? I’m not drunk.” A hiccup escaped me.
Another twitch came from under his mask. “Perhaps not drunk quite yet, but you certainly seem more talkative.” His eyes glowed with mischief.
I scowled at him. “Okay, fine, Dark Raider. I may be slightly impaired and tired and—” One look at his mocking gaze, and I slugged him in the shoulder.
He laughed and rubbed his arm. “So violent. ”
“Compared to you? Hardly.”
He shook his head, still chuckling.
“But back to what you were saying earlier. About where we’re going tomorrow...That destination is where , exactly?”
“Our destination is somewhere that’s not here.”
I sighed dramatically. “Back to the cryptic answers, I see.”
“You can hardly blame me.”
“Actually, I can completely blame you. My life has been turned entirely upside down because of you. Not only do I have no idea where we’re going, but in the span of three days, I’ve learned my guardian meant to enslave me forever, and this”—I pointed to my collar—“is never to come off.”
He looked down at his drink and rubbed his finger along the wet ring it left on the table. “I’ve been thinking of that, and I think we should try what I suggested last night. I can command your former guardian to release your collar’s hold on you and never restrain you again with it. The collar will still be on your neck. I won’t be able to physically remove it, but at least its magical capabilities will lessen and possibly be removed entirely.”
A sharp sense of hope filled me. Jax appeared to be trying, truly trying to find a way around the collar’s restrictions. Maybe it was possible I would still be freed after all.
“I could command him to do it tonight,” he added softly. “There’s no reason we need to wait until after you do my calling to rid you of that collar’s stifling hold. Would you like that? ”
“Tonight?” My heart instantly leaped, and the thought of my lorafin magic being entirely free sent a bolt of panic through me. I fidgeted, running my fingers up and down my beverage. “No, not tonight. I’m not ready. I mean, I don’t know...or rather, I’d have to prepare...” I hastily took another drink of ale. “No. Not tonight.”
“Are you sure?”
A buzzing energy filled me. It was possible when my collar was loosened, that my magic would burst out of control, and the thought of hurting fae in this town or subjecting them to possible death...
My pulse fluttered. Schooling my expression, I replied, “I’m sure. Not tonight. But thank you.”
A groove appeared between his eyes. “Is it me you don’t trust or your guardian?”
My attention snapped to him, but his gaze was entirely veiled. “I suppose I don’t know. So much has happened that I don’t know what to believe or trust, but I’m not ready yet for my collar to be subdued. I need to prepare.”
He inclined his head, his brow furrowing. He took another drink of his ale. “In that case, I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
A flush of gratitude rushed through me that he wasn’t pushing me, but I also knew that me being ready had a time limit. It wasn’t like the Dark Raider was going to cart me around indefinitely. After his calling, I would be forced to allow him to command my guardian to remove the collar’s suppressing magic, or I could kiss my chances at being free of its caging hold goodbye. Because once Jax’s calling was over, we were parting ways.
But that also meant I had at least another day, possibly two, before that time came. It wasn’t happening yet, but knowing it was coming and knowing consequences might arise because of it made unease slither through me.
After all, I’d always pictured that day coming on my thirtieth birthday. I’d imagined myself preparing beforehand for weeks, possibly months, for that event. I’d secretly hoped my guardian would employ a tutor to coach me or teach me about what to expect. I certainly hadn’t thought it would be thrust upon me with no tutoring in sight and only one day of preparation.
Oh Goddess.
I chugged the remainder of my drink, the cool liquid flowing down my throat in anxious gulps.
Around us, the music grew louder, and my attention drifted to the fae who were dancing. I focused on them, welcoming that sliver of distraction. Even more were on the dance floor, and the wildling band was in full swing.
I listened to the music and began tapping my foot to the beat again. The other males were still talking about the Centennial Matches, their voices getting louder and rowdier as the drinks flowed, but Jax sat quietly.
He sipped his beverage, and it wasn’t lost on me that he was still nursing his first one. The Dark Raider’s energy remained subdued yet alert, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. He appeared lost in thought.
The band finished their song and shifted to a new one. Their trunks played louder, the tempo increasing. I swayed my upper body to the tune, and as each song passed, and the energy in the room grew, I began to wish I could join the dancers. Expelling my nervous energy on the dance floor seemed like the perfect way to deal with what was to come.
“Do you want to...” Jax gestured to the open floor.
“Dance?” I asked with a hopeful grin.
“If you’d like.”
My eyebrows shot up, and my stomach flipped. “Are you inviting me to dance...with you?”
A ripple of energy shot through his aura, and I could have sworn his eyelids grew slightly hooded. “As tempting as that is, not with me. I’m not much of a dancer, but feel free if you’d like.”
Another flip tumbled my stomach. It was tempting to dance with me? I didn’t know how to interpret that, and a rush of relief flowed through me that he declined joining me. Dancing was always something I loved, but I’d never danced with another. And to think of Jax beside me, his hands on my waist, our bodies shifting as one... To feel a male like that, especially him , made a zing of electricity barrel through me, getting a vibration from my collar. Doing such a thing would completely contradict the point of why I wanted to dance. I was trying to expel nervous energy. Not acquire it .
Sweet Goddess .
“I won’t be long.” I barely waited for his affirmation to leave the group before elbowing Phillen to get out of the way. “Move, if you would, kind sir.”
He snorted in amusement before he and Lars slid out of the booth.
Once free of the confining table, I stepped away from the corner, dancing along the way to the center of the room. I could feel Guardian Alleron’s glare, but since I didn’t care, I knew that I was indeed slightly drunk, if not completely intoxicated.
Candlelight flashed from the salopas’s corners, and a fairy light glittered above the dance floor. That, along with the music, made for a hypnotic ambiance.
I closed my eyes and quickly got lost in the music.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been given the luxury of something as simple as this. Occasionally, Guardian Alleron would allow me to leave whatever home we’d been staying in to attend a nearby ball or to join a village celebration. Sometimes I was allowed to dance, yet not often. It usually depended upon which guards he’d sent me with and how accommodating they were feeling.
But when the opportunity presented itself, I never turned it down.
I lifted my arms, letting my hair fall down my back. My new clothes made moving easy, and my limbs felt flexible and eager to be set free after so many days atop a stag.
I was soon shifting and swaying, dipping my hips, waving my arms, and fluttering my hands. My feet moved of their own accord, following the natural beat of the song as I twirled and flowed, getting lost in the rhythm. The dancers around me were doing the same, some dancing as couples, others dancing alone.
I danced and danced, joy spreading through my soul at this one simple freedom.
Sweat soon beaded down my back, and the longer the night went on, the more my muscles quivered, and my breaths quickened. Pants lifted my chest, but it felt so good to move, to feel this alive .
A few times, between songs, I glanced toward the booth, just to see if any of Jax’s friends had joined the dance floor. A female fairy was entwined in Trivan’s embrace on the floor, but the others were still talking to one another, although Bowan now had a female sitting on his lap. Only Jax sat quietly.
Every time my attention shifted his way, our gazes locked. The Dark Raider’s eyes were hooded, his expression impossible to read with that damned mask on, but his attention seemed to be entirely focused on me.
The intensity of his stare sent a ripple of goosebumps skating over me. It felt as though I was the only thing in the realm when he looked at me like that.
Turning away, I carried on and soaked up every minute of the night that I could, but as the hour progressed, the dance floor began to clear out, and more locals came in. Many were already inebriated, and the atmosphere in the salopas began to change.
The band continued playing, the lively music never faltering. Bawdy laughter and whistles began, though, in addition to the beat. I slowly became more aware of my surroundings and realized an entire group of males I hadn’t seen earlier were sitting around a table. All of them were watching me. Some weren’t even trying to hide their lustful stares and suggestive smirks.
They were looks I was used to. As a lorafin, my magic had blessed me with physical beauty and a sultry physique. They certainly weren’t the first males to ogle me, and they wouldn’t be the last.
But I’d learned to ignore males like them, so I kept moving, heaving in breaths. My body felt blissfully alive, but I was also beginning to grow tired.
Slowly, I began to wind down, not moving quite as sharply and quickly as I’d been.
“Don’t stop on account of us, beautiful!” one of them yelled over the music. “I was enjoying the show.”
I took a step back and glared at him. “The show wasn’t for you.”
One of the males beside him laughed and slapped the other’s back. “She must not be interested in you, you big oaf.” He turned glittering eyes on me. “But what about me? ”
Before I could respond, he prowled to his feet and closed the distance between us.
A sharp zing from my collar made my heart leap. The male towered over me. He was a siltenite with coarse ashen-colored hair and sharp brown irises. A glaze filled his eyes, telling me he’d had more than a few drinks.
A new song started up, and he slipped his arms around my waist, not even asking if I was okay with it.
My breath sucked in, but before I could push him off, he rammed his pelvis against mine. I was so speechless at the feel of him grinding against me that I momentarily froze.
But before I could blink, an avalanche of magic swelled around me.
The drunken male dipped unsteadily to the side to gaze at the male barreling toward us. A vicious snarl tore from Jax, and then in a flash of speed, he ripped the male off me.
The drunk went sprawling, sliding across the floor, his body squeaking along it the entire way.
My chest heaved, and I nearly yelped.
Jax stood over the male, murder shining in his eyes. “I don’t believe my lady enjoys your touch.”
The male scurried back on his elbows, and several of his friends stood from the booth, but in a flash, all of Jax’s friends were surrounding us.
Violent energy swelled around them, and each and every one of them pulsed with magic.
“Best to sit this one out.” Trivan patted one of the males condescendingly on the shoulder as Jax arched an eyebrow at the male who groped me.
I could tell that Jax was waiting. Just waiting for the male to rise and fight. Malicious energy strummed around the Dark Raider.
“Sorry,” the male mumbled quickly. “I’m very sorry,” he added in a rush.
Jax leaned down, glaring at the male. “It’s not me you need to apologize to.”
The male’s gaze cut to mine. Fear bled into his eyes. “I’m...I’m sorry, my lady.”
The band kept playing, as though used to such occurrences during their riffs, but the bartender stood as tense as a board behind his bench. He didn’t interfere, not even when the rest of the dancers moved farther away, but he called out, “That group isn’t from around here. Apologies, Dark Raider.”
The male’s friends all sat back, panic growing on their expressions when they realized who they provoked.
Jax cast me a questioning look. “Elowen, do you accept this male’s apology?”
I glanced between Jax and the male and wondered what Jax would do if I said no . I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. There’d been enough violence today.
Chest heaving, I nodded. “Yes.”
Flickering candles and the glittering fairy lights continued to bathe the room in a myriad of changing colors, but I could barely breathe, and a warning rattle came from my collar .
Jax righted himself, but a barely leashed storm seemed to swell around him. The male who assaulted me still lay on the floor, staring up at the Dark Raider with terror in his eyes.
Jax paused, and I could have sworn that his jaw was pumping beneath his mask. His hands fisted, and pulsing malevolent energy grew around him. From the tense way he held himself, despite me telling him it was fine, he appeared on the brink of erupting.
But another moment passed, and the intensity of his aura dimmed.
Finally standing back, Jax growled, “You’re lucky her heart is more forgiving than mine.” He rounded on the other males sitting at the booth. “Anyone else care to touch her uninvited?” He arched an eyebrow, and for some inexplicable reason, I had a feeling he wanted one of the males to bait him, that he was spoiling for a fight.
But the remaining males didn’t say a word. A few hastily shook their heads, and one even apologized.
Another tense moment passed, but when none of the males rose from their seats, Jax finally gave them his back. “Tie them up,” he told his friends. “They stay bound until we leave tomorrow. We can’t trust them if they’re not local.”
Magical ropes extended from Bowan’s hands, unfurling from his palms, as he called upon whatever magic he’d mastered to conjure such restraints. The bands lashed around all of the males, tying them up completely .
Lars’s eyes took on a manic glee as he moved around the males to help Bowan secure them to the booth.
“Elowen?” Jax stepped closer to me, moving like a predator. I barely heard the music, even though it still played despite the tense interruption. He lowered his voice and pressed a hand to my lower back. “Let’s get you upstairs. No one else will hurt you tonight. You have my word.”
My head snapped up, my attention fixating on him.
Bottomless, cobalt irises met mine, barely leashed fury still evident in them, yet instead of fear for the violent tendencies this male continually displayed time and time again, strangely, I felt nothing but safe.