Page 56 of Veil of Shadows

Bowan, Lander, and another male I didn’t know stood in the room. And all of them were dressed in black with head bandanas in place. The only thing missing were their masks.

Since it was the first time I’d ever seen Lander and Bowan without their masks on, it took me a minute to recognize them. But Lander had always had darker-brown skin than Bowan, and his hair was longer too. And when Bowan’s earring flashed in the light, it was easier for me to tell who was who. It helped that themales had different eye colors as well. Where Bowan’s eyes were green, Lander’s were brown.

But the new male was someone I could have sworn I’d never seen before. He had light-blue eyes, and a hint of silver-streaked dark hair peeked out from under his bandana. But he didn’t appear old. He looked young, with high cheekbones and firm lips. I studied his unusual hair and wondered if he had distant Solis ancestry.

I had a feeling this was Quinn, the remaining member of their band I hadn’t met yet. But I didn’t have time to contemplate that further because Bowan jumped forward to greet us.

“Finally, they’ve arrived.” An amused smile slid across Bowan’s face, and I blinked. I’d never seen his grin before, but it was just as wide as I always assumed it would be.

The newcomer’s attention drifted to me, and his piercing light-blue eyes looked me over. “Are you going to properly introduce us?”

Bowan laughed. “Oh, right. That’s Elowen, the lorafin we were telling you about.”

The male inclined his head. “I’m Quinn.”

“I kind of figured. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I nearly dipped into a curtsy, my age-old response when meeting new fae, but I stopped myself at the last moment.

Lander, not surprisingly, remained entirely impassive despite Bowan’s enthusiasm. His dark-brown skin shone in the fairy lights, and he didn’t smile. He merely crossed his arms and leveled Jax with a pointed stare, then said in his monotone voice, “About time. We’ve been waiting.”

Jax scowled and firmly closed the door behind us, then cast a solid wall of air around everyone to ensure our conversation remained private. “Why are you all dressed for a raid?”

Bowan rubbed his hands together, his eyes glittering. “We just got word before we left Stonewild that the shipment we’ve been tracking in Ampum is on the move again. It’s passing through just north of here in Possyrose Forest. If we go tonight, we can intercept it.”

“Seriously?” Excitement filled Trivan’s tone, and a sly grin spread across his face. “We’ve been trying to get that shipment for months.” He waggled his eyebrows. “When do we go?”

“You’re going to conduct a raidtonight?” I hissed, then drew up short just as fast.Ampum? Shipment? Why does that ring a bell?I could have sworn I’d heard something about it before, and then it hit me. My eyes widened even more. Ihadheard of it. The day I’d done three callings for King Paevin, I overheard lordlings from Faewood’s ten Houses discussing it as I walked by a room they’d been visiting in. They’d been saying they were worried the Dark Raider was pursuing it. “Wait, you’re going after that shipment with gold bars?”

Lander’s brow furrowed. “How do you know about that?”

I waved a hand dismissively. “I overheard some lordlings talking about it several weeks ago in Faewood’s palace. But is that safe? To go now when we’re supposed to be finding Bastian?”

Jax’s nostrils flared, and his hand pressed to my lower back. My body immediately responded, but I tried to suppress the rush of awareness that slid through me. “I agree with Elowen. That’s not why we’re here, even if I do covet that gold. What about Bastian? Any news on your end?”

“Still no sign of him in Stonewild,” Bowan replied. “None up north either.”

Lander’s fingers drummed against his thighs. “Tonight is the most advantageous time for this raid, Jax. It’s the only opportunity we’ve had in months.”

A muscle began to tick in the prince’s jaw. “If we go now, that would require leaving Elowen here. Alone. Not to mention, you both know how I feel about attempting a raid last minute.”

“She’s a big girl. She’ll be fine. Just don’t get captured and interrogated by anyone.” Bowan winked at me, then turned to Jax. “And I know you don’t like last-minute changes considering the risk, but if we can pull this off, the payoff will be worth it.”

Jax’s scowl grew, but since he didn’t shoot them down immediately, he seemed to be considering it.

My heart raced, thinking of what they were contemplating doing tonight. Just as fast, I chastised myself. They’d been doing raids for full seasons. Who was I to worry if an impromptu raid was a good idea or not?

Jax finally sighed, and his aura practically pulsed with power, but from his concerned look my way, I knew he was worried about leaving me by myself.

I offered him a reassuring smile. Well, as reassuring as I could muster considering I was suddenly worried about all of them. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Like Bowan said, I’m a big girl.”

He arched an eyebrow. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

“All right.” He nodded curtly, and it struck me that hetrustedme.

A tingling sense of warmth bloomed through me. Jax trusted me not to run, never once questioning if I would, and strangely...I liked that. Oddly, it was a pleasant feeling, gratifying actually. Even though I’d been doing my best to keep him at arm’s length all week, when we weren’t pretending to be lovers in public, I couldn’t deny that his trust pleased me.

Is this why he’s always asking me to trust him? Does he feel similar in the times I’ve extended my trust?Those thoughts made me pause.

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