Page 12 of Veil of Shadows

“Who designed this chamber?” I asked.

“I did.”

My brow furrowed. “But why? It seems like pretty intricate magic to be left abandoned.”

“Did Saramel tell you that detail too?”

My spine stiffened, and I said cautiously, “She did.”

“Did she tell you the original reason I created it?”

“No, she didn’t reveal that.”

He sat back, leaving the kitten for me to pet, and rubbed at his own jaw. Jax cocked his head, and that intensity I was coming to associate with him made an appearance. “What else did Saramel tell you?”

My heart thumped again even though the kitten was rubbing into my palm.

“Not much,” I said too quickly, getting a frown out of him. Rushing on, I added, “Just that she’s Phillen’s wife, they have a child, and that she was sent by you to keep me company. Oh, and she summoned food so I would eat.”

“Is that all she revealed?”

“Why do you ask?” I arched an eyebrow. “Was she supposed to tell me more?”

He raked a hand through his hair. “No, I’m just surprised. Saramel loves to talk.”

“Does she? I never would have guessed that.” I brought the kitten to my mouth to give him a few kisses on the nose. “So, why are you here this time, Jax?”

A groove appeared between his eyes. “Like I said, I’m going back to Faewood tomorrow.”

My hands began to shake. Before I dropped the kitten, I set him down, and the little guy ambled along the carpet until he found a loose string near the fireplace and began to bat it with his paw.

I cleared my throat and entwined my fingers together. “And I’m guessing that you want to leave me here, locked in this cage while you search for your—” I stopped myself even though Saramel had given me permission to tell Jax.

He arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure Saramel didn’t tell you anything else?”

I smiled innocently, and perhaps it made me a horrible fairy, but it was nice to see him agitated for once about not knowing something. “Whatever do you mean?”

He huffed out a breath, but then his expression smoothed. “Anyway, since I’m leaving tomorrow, I was hoping to try something before I left. If you’re willing.” He pointed at my collar, his eyes locking on it. “I would like to command yourguardian to release you from that to the best of his ability. It’s long overdue, and the least I owe you. And if I can do that before I leave, I’ll...” He frowned, the gesture so severe that it was practically a scowl. “Maybe I’ll feel less guilty for everything that I’ve done to you, and maybe you’ll have a more peaceful existence.”

A peaceful existence.It felt as though an arrow pierced my heart, but perhaps that was the best I could hope for now. “You want to command my guardian when? Now? Tomorrow morning before you go?”

“Now, if you’ll allow it.” A sad smile tugged at his lips. “It’s the middle of the night. Everyone’s retired, no one’s about, and it’s private here. None of the servants know either of you are in these chambers. It seems like the perfect time and place to demand this of your guardian.”

My breaths sped up, and I told myself it was from the thought of my collar’s debilitating magic being lifted, not from the intense way Jax was looking at me, and not from my fear of what a loosened collar could mean for my magic.

“But...” I sputtered. “I haven’t prepared. What if I become unstable? I could destroy the palace. I could doom us all.”

“You won’t.”

“How do you know? I could blow this place up.”

He smirked slightly, a hint of amusement rolling into his expression. “Are you always this dramatic?”

“Dramatic?” I swatted him on the chest, then curled my fingers into my palm, horrified at what I’d just done, but Jax laughed.

“Such violence.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I was... I mean, you were teasing me and—” I hastily ran a hand through my hair, smoothing the chestnut strands. “I’m sorry, my prince.”

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