Page 63 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

Dead silence falls over the room.

Draven stares at me, and I swear that I can almost see darkness gathering around him.

He takes a step forward.

And I suddenly come to the horrible realization that I might have gone too far. That I have pushed him too far. Because of those few times when I made him laugh at my snarky comments, and because he showed me kindness when Alistair stole my clothes, I’ve started to drop my guard around him. I haven’t been holding back or choosing my words carefully. But maybe I should have. Because he is still the Shadow of Death. One of the most powerful and dangerous people on this entire continent.

Draven lets out a dark laugh as he moves closer, forcing me to press myself against the door. He braces both palms against the smooth wood, caging me in. I draw in a deep breath as I look up to meet his eyes.

None of the fiery rage remains. Instead, his eyes are now only filled with cold calculation.

“That’s right. I sold out my own people, my own friends, for power.” A cruel smile spreads across his lips. “So do you really think that being snarky and disrespectful to me is your best move here, little rebel?”

I know that I should probably say ‘no, sir’ or something equally submissive.

But when it all comes down to it, I just can’t bring myself to do it. Draven is the first person that I have been myself around. Most of my life, I have only ever said the things that I know people want to hear. Draven is the first person that I have spoken to exactly the way I wanted to. The one person who I haven’t carefully chosen my words around. It has been a breath of freedom in an otherwise suffocating life. And I don’t want to give that up.

So instead of saying ‘no, sir’, which is what he wants to hear, I find myself saying, “You’re warning me not to be snarky and disrespectful?Now? Today? I regret to inform you, oh Shadow of Death, but I think that ship has already sailed.”

He opens his mouth, but no sound makes it out. Blinking, he stares at me in stunned silence while his hands drop away from the door.

“Right,” I say, and clear my throat. Raising my hand, I give his cheek a couple of brisk pats. “Good talk.”

Draven stares at me, his mouth still slightly open, as if he can’t believe what I just did.

Two more seconds pass.

Then he jerks back, and deep shock floods his features as he stares at me wide-eyed.

And while he is busy dealing with the shock that is apparently pulsing through his entire body, I yank open the door and slip away.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Ipractically skip through the rest of the hallways after that. Goddess above, if I had known that saying what I actually think was this much fun, I would have started doing it years ago. A laugh bubbles in my chest. Mabona’s tits, that look on his face was priceless.

But as I make my way back to my room, I still cast glances over my shoulder every once in a while to make sure that he isn’t coming to take revenge for my insolence.

Thankfully, I manage to reach my corridor without the Shadow of Death claiming my soul.

The sound of voices fills the pale stone hallway as I round the final corner. I draw up short as I find the corridor before me packed with people. Some of them look to just be chatting with each other before they go back to their rooms. But some look like they’re saying goodbye to the others who lost this last trial.

I watch them curiously as I start walking towards my room again.

My heart clenches painfully as I watch some of them hug and pat each other on the shoulder.

When we first got here, there were only a few people who were already friends. Alistair and his posse, mainly. But, as far asI know, the people hugging each other and saying goodbye now didn’t know each other from before.

That tight iron fist around my heart squeezes harder.

Other people have… made friends.

Even here, in a competition that pits us all against one another, other people have managed to make friends. And I can’t even make friends during a normal day back in the city.

Am I really that untrustworthy?

“You,” a harsh voice suddenly bellows. “You cheated!”

I sigh and admit in my mind that, yes, maybe I really am that untrustworthy.

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