Page 35 of The Bones of the Cursed

“I think so,” Sarya answers with a slight tremble in her voice, as if she’s nervous. I grab her hand to offer comfort and she gives me a soft smile.

When we get as far down as we can, we are faced with two archways. I choose to go to the left. Everyone seems to decide sticking together would be best, especially since our group is already small.

This archway leads to a tiny room, no wider than three Fae, but long enough that the back wall is hard to spot. The room is empty save for a pond, the water black, the surface so still that it resembles a mirror. The air is cold and stagnant, every breath clouding in front of my face.

The echo of footsteps makes all of us whip towards the archway, Kailu stepping in front of me, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. I pull the daggers from their sheaths on my thighs and hand one to Hannah. The knives Novus and Sarya withdraw are hooked and frightening.

We all brace, ready for whatever is about to walk through that archway.

What I’m not expecting is a tall, shirtless Fae to waltz through the door. Every stretch of visible skin is covered in tattoos. They rope up his muscular chest to his neck and curl down both arms to his fingers. He towers over all of us, even Kailu. Upon spying all of us his eyebrows lift, his lips pulling up into a smirk.

“Malakai,” Kailu snaps. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

“Just exploring,” Malakai says, tilting his head at me. His scrutinizing gaze makes me fidget. His voice is gravelly and my toes curl. Gods, what is wrong with me? “You know how I like to.” He has yet to move his gaze from me. “What are you doing here? And with such a delectable human?”

Every muscle in my body tenses and Kailu lets out a low growl.

Malakai looks to Kailu and clicks his tongue. “Interesting…Not quite the hello I was expecting from an old friend.”

- KAILU -

Shock is an understatement.

I watch his gaze rake up and down Alanis, his cocky smirk firmly in place. He’s lucky I don’t punch it from his smug face.

We used to be inseparable, always getting into trouble together—and usually that was his fault. I follow a strict regime, but he was always the one to break me out of it. For months, he made sure to take me to his favorite gambling den in all the realm to teach me to play dice, and was then pissed when I was good enough to beat him.

Things change, and people go with them, and no amount of wishing for life to return to how it used to be has ever made a difference.

His gaze flits around the room, always observing and soaking everything in. Alanis’s breathing changes, and anger surges through me. Her attraction to him is palpable in the air around us.

Fuck.

What is he doing here, anyway? He shouldn’t be traveling alone. Rules exist for a reason. Irritation bubbles up inside me. Why can’t he ever follow the damn protocol?

He flashes me his smug smile, and I swear if there weren’t witnesses, I might push him right into the pond.

I force myself to speak. “Saw you took care of a little ghoul problem before I could get to the Lower Shrol.”

He shrugs. “I was already there, figured I might as well help out.”

Gritting my teeth, I hold back the vile words that want to slip out. “I’m assuming you were smart and brought back up?”

His smile is sharp. “You know me better than that, Kailu. Iprefer to work alone. But I can be persuaded to keep company at night, if you know what I mean.” He winks at Alanis.

This motherfucker.

16

- MALAKAI -

WORKING TOGETHER

Well, well, well.

Here I am, minding my business in the Celestial Caves, when none other than Kailu walks into my domain. I could smell the two humans the second they started down the steep slope. I waited in the room to the right, trying to figure out just who was utilizing these caves.

Only fools use the magic in these caves.

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