Page 18 of Poison Sun

He moves in a blur, the air around his hand shimmering as he catches the dagger before it can strike.

I curse internally as silence descends between us, ready for anything.

I also can’t help admiring him as he examines the weapon. The first rays of sunlight highlight the precision of his jawline, and they enhance the penetrating gaze of his icy blue eyes, reminding me that he’s more than just a vampire. He’s a warrior king, every bit as lethal as the blade he’s currently holding.

My heart leaps into my throat as I search my mind for an apology—and an explanation.

“Not bad,” he says before I can speak, and he flips the dagger with effortless grace, tossing it back to me. “Your form could use some work though.”

Pride passes through me as I catch the dagger, though it’s quickly overshadowed by embarrassment for reacting so impulsively.

After all, that’s the word of the week when it comes to describing me.

Impulsive.

“You scared me,” I admit as he moves closer, my heart racing. “I thought you were... someone else.”

The Shadow Lord’s dark eyes reappear in my mind. But I push them away, holding the hilts of my daggers tighter to ground myself.

It helps, but not completely.

“The Shadow Lord?” he asks, although there’s no judgement in his tone. No suspicion that the Shadow Lord is haunting my dreams, and that I can’t get those dark, liquid eyes out of my mind, no matter how hard I try.

“Yes.” I think back to when the Shadow Lord wrapped his hand around my neck to drain my soul, and my anger flares up, as fresh as ever. “I’m going to destroy him.”

“And I look forward to the day I watch you do it.”

The air between us ripples with tension, the sharpness of Damien’s eyes taking my breath away.

“You believe in me now?” I ask, since it’s a far cry from the attitude he had in the gym the other day.

“I wouldn’t have put you up against Cassandra if I didn’t believe in you,” he says, and for the first time in a while, it feels like there might be understanding between us.

I should tell him that the potion is weakening my magic.

But if I do… what if this connection between us breaks? What if it reminds him that I did something stupid and reckless? What if he loses faith in me all over again?

As I’m figuring out what to say, Damien’s expression shifts, becoming serious and somber.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, because clearly, something’s wrong.

“As… inspiring as it is to watch you fight invisible monsters on the roof, I wasn’t looking for you to admire your skills with your daggers,” he says. “I was looking for you because I need to tell you something.”

“Okay…” I say, more on edge by the second.

“Last night, Lucas and some of his clan members killed two of our warriors who were patrolling uptown,” he says, and all thoughts of the Shadow Lord vanish as I process his words.

“Who?” I ask, bracing for the worst.

Abigail’s been out there these past few nights. She’s the one other person I’ve grown to trust and care about around here. If she’s gone…

“Eddie and Raquel,” he says, and just like that, I can breathe again.

It’s not that I’m not upset two of ours were killed. I am.

I’m just glad Abigail wasn’t one of them.

“Lucas is getting more powerful,” Damien continues. “My theory is that he’s using the Astral Compass to unite the downtown clans.”

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