Page 23 of Lies Within the Darkest Tower

“You’re that eager to become a novice? That’s unusual for a human.” He sat up, showing more of his chiseled chest, and my mind jumped to the fact that he was in a pool and had to be naked.

My essence stuttered again and I fought to think straight.

“Why do you call us that?” I blurted out, saying the first thing I could think of. “Grefin called me that, too. I’m a sacrifice.” In a literal sense. Edred had purposefully ensured Sawyer’s namewould be called and I’d given up my freedom, possibly even my life, to save him.

“Because sacrifices have nothing to live for and that makes a man reckless. Reckless men get their fellow guards killed.” His eyes narrowed. “But maybe that’s why you stepped through the ring after dark. You’re probably one of the youngest novices the humans have ever sent us. Maybe you’d rather the shadows deal with you than face the rest of your life in the Guard.”

“It wasn’t dark when I stepped through,” I insisted.

Oh, shit.

I snapped my mouth shut. I shouldn’t have talked back. Even if I was supposed to be a boy and could look him in the eyes — which were seriously distracting — I should have just bowed and agreed. He was still a fae which meant he was more powerful than me in every way.

“I didn’t realize the sun set sooner in the Gray, my lord,” I said, heaving my gaze to my feet.

“It seems your education has been lacking.”

“Yes, my lord,” I replied.

The sound of sloshing water taunted me to look up, telling me he was swimming closer, but I kept my gaze locked on my feet.

“And it seems I need to start right now,” he said with a huff.

My breath picked up and I fought to stay where I was. Edred had been a general in the king’s army and he liked toteachlessons, too. It made sense that the Black Guard followed a similar discipline, especially since the members hadn’t volunteered. The Lord Commander had already assigned me smelly labor, I should have expected a thrashing as well so I wouldn’t forget what I learned.

“The first lesson is don’t look at your feet,” he said.

What?

My attention jerked up in surprise before I could stop it and I fell into his swirling eyes again. He’d shifted in the pool to lean his chest against the edge closest to me, his long hair trailing in the water behind him, undulating in the waves and showing me teasing flashes of his back and butt.

“You’re a member of the Black Guard, you bow to no one. Not to me, the Lord Commander, my peoples’ high priestess, or even your king. We’re the guard against the shadows and we’re always vigilant.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Lesson number two,” he continued. “Only the commander and the captains are called lord. Everyone else is just who they are.”

“Grefin already explained that one,” I murmured.

“And yet you’re still showing me deference,” he said, his lips curling into an enigmatic smile, and I couldn’t tell if he was pleased that I wasn’t following the ‘no lord’ rule or not.

Then he stood and my heart stopped. The water sluiced over muscles honed to perfection and lapped around his hips, the churning water obscuring his cock. But as soon as the water stilled?—

I heaved my attention up before I got an eye-full of something I feared would taunt me for the rest of my life and strained to keep my expression neutral. Except neutral was impossible so I twisted it from shock to hopefully gruff concern.

“For all I know you’re one of the captains,” I forced out, my mind screaming, caught between the urge to look and the need to get out of there before I revealed I was a girl.

He chuckled and climbed out of the pool.

Oh Father, save me!

CHAPTER 15

Sage

“You’ve got me there.I’m Talon, Captain of the Gold Tower, but I’d rather you drop the lord thing. Welcome to the Black Guard, novice.” He held out his hand in the customary human men’s greeting between equals of clasping forearms. Still completely naked!

I will not look. I will not look. I?—

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