Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Her knuckles pounded on the door in quick succession.
It opened nearly seconds after she started.
Theodon wore absolutely nothing above the waist of his simple pants.
Her lips fell open. His physique looked like the statues in Oakmire’s courtyard, finely shaped and chiseled to perfection.
Even in the darkness of the cave, the small flickers of firelight showed off his bare chest.
She caught herself staring and deflected her eyes to the side, snapping her mouth shut with an audible click.
“Yes?” He watched her awkwardly shuffle.
“I’m . . . I’m not . . .” His appearance was making it hard to speak. She took a breath and tried again. “I’m not saying I’ll use the dagger, but I will try, I want to try here.” She had let some time pass, staying in her room, making sure this was truly the direction she wanted to take.
He closed the door behind him, pushing his own body forward until they damn near collided. “It’s a lot easier, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Not being a stubborn ass.”
Helaina was about to walk away, forgetting this whole venture just to spite him.
He must have read her body language because he grabbed her wrist. “No more running.” He started pulling her down the hall. “No more hiding.”
The tunnels of the underground fortress were alive with motion and conversation as he dragged her along. Soldiers came from every direction—she was finally getting a good look at the army Theodon had created.
Many who passed were wearing variations of midnight-black armor atop their leathers.
The majority possessed human features, while some she could tell were once fae folk—those pointed ears a dead giveaway.
She saw other forms too, ones that were more akin to animals than humans.
Her mouth gaped open, taking in the tails, teeth, claws, and yes, even wings sprouting from the various bodies.
Although these wings looked to be more permanent, stemming from the skin on their shoulder blades, not like Theodon’s, which he could hide and summon on a whim.
Some noticed her gawking. She cringed, pressing her lips together, attempting to make her shock less obvious.
As they walked, the crowded halls parted for them.
No, not them—him.
No matter how many bodies clustered shoulder to shoulder, they all gave Theodon a wide berth.
“This place was so empty that first night,” she commented.
“Half were stationed throughout the mountain range, the other half were on the training field. We may live underground, but much of our time is spent above. The only reason we were even down here when you woke up was to keep an eye on you.”
She frowned. She was an adult, and everyone around her treated her like a troublesome child that needed constant observation.
The doors of the countless rooms were wide open. Firelight lined the halls, emanating from each individual space. There were so many faces, so many voices this morning—was it even morning? She had no clue. This whole underground concept was messing with her internal clock.
The chatter of soldiers dimmed as they took a pass down a dark alley that ended in a large cave with a drop-off, which appeared bottomless. She leaned downward, peering closely into the void. There was nothing there but endless black.
“Don’t get too close, that’s why we stopped using this area to train. There was a sinkhole hidden beneath the ground.”
She took multiple hurried steps backward, unnerved that the ground beneath her could just collapse into nothing.
“Then why are we here?”
He stretched his neck back and forth. “Because I’m not taking you aboveground until I know what you can do. Now get in the center.”
She ignored him, staring into that endless abyss. She had asked for this, but his whole attitude made her teeth grate.
“Do you enjoy hearing me talk to myself?” he growled.
“Hm?” She didn’t even glance in his direction.
“When I give an order, I expect you to follow.”
She turned to see him in the center of the cave, tapping his boot on the ground with impatience.
“I am a princess, not a pet.”
“I am well aware. A pet would listen when its trainer gives a command.”
She charged right up until she was staring him in the face. Their height difference made it difficult to be intimidating, but she wouldn’t let him speak to her that way.
“You are no captain of mine, Theodon Wrenn. You say you need me? Fine, I’m here. But don’t think for a second I have to answer to you or come when you call.”
He let her see his teeth. “Everyone under this mountain answers to me if they want to stay alive.”
“I’m not like everyone under this mountain, you said it yourself. I’d rather have someone hurl me into that sinkhole than have to obey a single one of your commands.”
She watched his throat bob like he was swallowing his rage. “Should I hurl you down there now? Save us both the trouble?”
She drew back to strike him.
With smooth precision, he captured her wrist before her slap could land.
“I’ve seen this move already. Want to attempt another?”
She shot him an icy glare. His hand felt so large wrapped around her wrist, engulfing almost half her forearm, his skin warm and rough.
With an aggravated grunt, she hurled her knee upward into his groin. He caught her leg between his thighs, squeezing so she couldn’t connect with her intended target.
She breathed heavily, staring up at him, their bodies separated by mere fabric.
“Are you done?” He leaned into her neck, an action she didn’t expect from him. “Or would you like to keep going?” he asked softly. His eyes were intently fixed on hers, his long hair feathering around her shoulder.
She inhaled that smell of fallen rain as his words danced past her ear. Her legs straddled one of his thighs in this position. Warmth flooded her body, gravitating toward her center.
She snapped out of . . . whatever this was and answered him by digging a small jagged edge into his neck. She had kept the dagger Manos had supplied her with. She held it firm while his grip tightened on her opposite wrist.
“You little hellion.”
She had no chance. She didn’t even see his other hand move, but she felt the immediate pain that shot up her arm.
She dropped her weapon with a sharp cry.
Their bodies tangled as she struggled against him.
She pulled one hand free, then reached for the other, which remained trapped between their bodies.
A rush of shadow flooded around her, as if her power was answering her own outrage.
Her power separated them, then faded into the background of the cave.
Theodon staggered back, watching the wisps dissolve into the rocks. She mirrored his steps backward, massaging the soreness in her leg.
He assessed her with those unsettling eyes.
“Take it off,” he ordered.
“I beg your pardon?” She could have sworn she saw a slight uptick of his lips at her surprise.
“The bracelet. Take it off.” He walked around her, positioning himself at her back.
“Why?” Her anger and frustration melted into frantic nerves.
“Because I can feel what’s inside you begging to be released. Clearly, you’ve found a way to suffocate it, and I can’t train you if you’re smothering your own potential.”
“I can’t . . . this is the only thing that has kept it controlled this long. What if I can’t call it back? Something terrible could happen.”
Her power answered even with it on, but it was contained, dulled. She didn’t want to be apart from this one security she had for more than a heartbeat. There were too many unknowns to this curse . . . this shadow.
His face softened. “It is frightening to have power like this and have no one to teach you what it is, what it can do. I felt the same, a very long time ago. I’m sorry you spent so long with so many questions.
” His words held such sincerity. “I’m not going to take it from you.
But if you want me to help you, I need to see. Please, take it off.”
It was the first time he’d said please. It was the first time his order sounded more like a request.
“Is your power strong enough to stop me if . . . something goes wrong?” Helaina asked.
“Yes.”
“And you can kill me if it gets out of control? If I can’t make it listen?”
His head turned to the side, his jaw clearly tense from the question.
“Yes,” he finally answered, though his response held no pride; it sounded more like shame.
“Promise?”
He hesitated. “I promise.”
She reluctantly unhooked the bracelet and slipped it off, bracing herself.
Nothing rushed forth, no shadows, no power.
Her fear simmered. It felt odd not to have the warm stones against her skin after so many years, like a piece of her was gone.
Facing away from him, she jammed it in a pocket before she lost her nerve.
“Tell me what it feels like to you? When your shadow comes?”
Helaina brought her chin down. “It burns. It’s like a fire between my ribs.”
She heard him move closer. “Stop letting your emotions bring that burn to the surface. Find it with your mind, your intentions, and tell it where to go.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Years of practice,” he replied.
Her shoulders relaxed as she searched for that odd feeling beneath her skin.
He was right, it was easier to listen to it, to feel for it, when the tempest tears weren’t touching her skin.
He leaned in over her. There was something about his closeness in this moment, like he was awaking a carnal need she never knew she had.
“Find it and let it go.” He was so close, his voice taking on an almost tender tone.
She did as she was told.
One thread of black answered her, spilling from the ceiling like a fountain.
“Nicely done,” he praised. “Now make another.”
Her brows furrowed as she focused deep inside. The second band of shadow stretched from the ceiling and began mingling with its brother.
She finally looked at him. He was staring at the wisps of power, his face an illustration of pure wonder.
Her concentration faltered; the shadow faded.
Theodon turned to meet her gaze. Up close, his lips looked pillow soft, even with his now-stoic expression. She could feel the heat emanating off his bare chest. It was like being near a well-stoked hearth.
He was striking, she would give him that. She had caught her eyes gravitating toward that chiseled torso far too many times already. Wandering down to that thick waist where his belt buckle sat.
Stop it, she chided herself.
Every time she felt her thoughts getting lost in his dreamy appearance, she remembered the inner monster he could produce at the snap of his fingers. Sharp teeth, desolate eyes, claws capable of ripping flesh from bone.
The mental image alone was enough to have her shudder, breaking free from any fantasizing. She shuffled a safe distance away, placing the bracelet back on, craving the security it offered.
“What now?”
He cleared his throat and rose to his full height. “We’ll stop there for today with your magic. Your leg needs to heal, but we can train other parts of your body.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Other parts?”
There was that faint smirk again. “Your arms, your back . . . your chest.” He dipped his eyes a bit lower. She almost felt naked underneath that stare. “I’m open to suggestions, if you have other parts in mind.”
“No, those sound . . . good,” she replied awkwardly.
“How many pull-ups can you do?”
“I don’t know what that means.”
He closed his eyes, breathing out an elongated sigh. “We’ll start with those then.”