Page 12 of War of Her Heart

“Adar, you ass, leave her alone,” Bronwen said, elbowing him in his side.

For a second Adar slightly smiled before he was back to his annoyed look.

“Oh look, our lovely couple has arrived,” Bronwen said as she raised her glass towards the large ballroom doors.

I turned around quickly to get my eyes on Calum. I couldn’t wait to see him and see how his plan was coming along.

It was delusion, I guess.

The months without him were so lonely and miserable that I actually started to believe he was finding a way out of the marriage. That hope shattered into a million pieces when I saw him walk into the room with his hand on her waist. He whispered something in her ear, and she started to giggle. He looked forward, and his face went pale when his eyes met mine. He clearly had no idea that I came with his mother.

I wanted to scream and run up to him and yell at him for every promise he had broken. But I couldn’t. In this moment, I knew how worthless and powerless I was. Everything Celine had always said was true.

I couldn’t bear it. And I couldn’t break down in front of everyone.

No one could know about us.

“E-excuse me.” I looked for the closest exit so I could get away from everyone. There were two large glass doors to my left that led out to the garden so that’s where I went. Pushing through the crowd of fae and slinging the doors open, I made my escape. The cold night air hit me, but it wasn’t enough. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I couldn’t get the image of Calum and Nathara out of my mind.

I ran into the garden. The hedges were high and cut into a maze with different paths, which were lined at the bottom with rows of violets.

A left, then a right, and another right.

I didn’t really know where I was going. I just knew I needed to be far away from everyone.

I rounded the next corner and ran straight into the back of someone.

As I accepted the fact that I was going to fall on my bottom, something caught me. No—more like consumed me. It was cool, almost like a morning mist. I looked down, and my bottom half was covered in total darkness. Like shadows—oh gods, theshadow king. I couldn’t look up. I was too scared to move. Were the shadows going to consume me? Honestly that would be a better fate than walking back into the party and having to watch Calum withher.

Maybe it would be painless, quick and easy. Maybe I—

He cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Are you going to let me help you up or are you too comfortable to move?”

I shifted my eyes slightly up to see he had his hand extended waiting for me to accept it.

I reluctantly placed my hand in his, which was just as cool as the shadows that were holding me. As he pulled me back to my feet, I slowly looked up a sleek, black suit to see the shadow king’s face.

As soon as our eyes met, he let out a sigh of relief and mumbled, “Finally.”

Something the rumors and horror stories failed to include was that the shadow king was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

He had short, black hair that was perfectly placed. It looked like he ran his hand through his hair and every strand was too scared of him to shift out of place. His skin was pale, and he had a strong jawline. His eyes were dusty blue, a shade of blue that was all too familiar. It was the same blue of today’s sky. Something odd—not only for that coincidence, but also because Night Realm fae should have black eyes.

I regained my balance and watched as the shadows seemed to slither like snakes back into the shadow king. Although the majority of the black mist disappeared, some lingered around his body. I watched as a trail of shadows went up to his neck and reached his ear.

It was almost like the shadows were telling him something. Whispering, even.

He towered over me, like Calum did, but he was not as wide as Calum, and while he looked as if he was tight and toned under his suit, his muscles were not as pronounced as Calum’s. But he didn’t need Calum’s strength, because he could put down his enemies without lifting a finger.

“Are you alright? You came around the corner like you were running from something,” he asked with almost a look of concern on his face.

“I-I’m sorry. I was just trying to find somewhere to be alone and get some fresh air. I was . . . getting a little hot.”

He cocked his eyebrow at my response. “Hot? It’s freezing . . . Are you sure you’re alright?”

He was right; it was cold. When I first ran outside, the cold air hit me, yet somehow, I was now sweating. Something was wrong.

“Wait, what time is it?”

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