Page 8 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

Caiden moved closer to me. The smell of leather and horses still clung to his skin. “You’re drunk, Aelia. Sober up, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

“Do not get me killed, Lord Stormweaver,” I said through gritted teeth.

Caiden paused by the door. “It’s a good thing you’re hard to kill, Springborn.” Lightning flashed in his eyes.

I couldn’t help but remember the young man I had fallen for all those years ago. The one who waited for me in darkened alleyways. The one who held me close when the world fell apart. I snapped my fingers nervously, trying to distract myself from the ache in my heart.

“We leave at dawn, Aelia. Don’t be late,” Caiden said as he headed out, his entourage in tow.

“I didn’t say I was coming,” I yelled after them.

“Dawn!” Caiden’s voice echoed through the old halls.

I huffed, blowing a stray strand of dark hair out of my face. Exhausted, I didn’t want to feel anymore. I didn’t want to think. I wanted to sink into a warm bath and hold my breath until my lungs begged for air. Scream until I had no voice left.

I lingered in the empty room, pouring pink dust in small lines onto the table. Once used for battlefield pain, pixie dust, or “dust,” the product of the elusive pixie faerie. Their magic dust had no effect on the magus, fully magical creatures like the elves and sylph, but for humans and half-breeds, the cravings were insatiable.

An expert at dosing, my usage became scientific. A pinch to take the edge off, one line to numb me. The color affected the potency. I examined the dust—a solid shade of fuchsia—incredibly potent. Just a pinch would do. I looked at my use medicinally, only using what I needed to get through the long nights.

I didn’t want to think anymore. Snorting the drug, I let it fizzle in my brain. My eyelids drooped, and my head felt heavy on a wobbly neck. In a matter of moments, my life had been turned upside down. A chill ran down my spine at the thought of Gideon doing to Baylis what he had done to me all those years ago.

I made my way back downstairs, gripping the handrail for balance, and signaled to the bartender for another drink. He obliged when I put a gold coin down on the counter.

Lazily sipping a glass of whiskey, I tried not to think about what lay ahead of me when the sun rose. The young captain sidled beside me at the bar.

He gave me a wide smile. “I thought you left.”

My chest tingled at the nearness of his body to mine. I moved closer. The scent of sweat from a day of training lingered on his skin. Twining my arms around his neck, I took in his appearance.A muscular build with brown bedroom eyes and a thick mop of wavy brown hair—not bad for a human.

“How could I leave someone as handsome as you behind?” I whispered into his ear. His pulse quickened as he ran his hands over my body.

Gideon took everything from me—my home, my family, my lover, my looks, but he couldn’t take my body. I learned sex could be a way to both bury my feelings and feel good about myself.

I ran my tongue up his neck. The salty taste of sweat filled my mouth. “Let me take you home,” I whispered.

He didn’t resist when I pulled him toward the door.

I needed to forget Caiden, to forget the ring on his finger, to forget the anxiety welling in my chest.

Tonight, I would pour all my feelings into this young man as if he could fill the emptiness in my soul.

3CAIDEN

“Well, that went well,”Lucius said as the group trudged to the inn. Wet snow seeped into their boots, freezing their toes.

Caiden pulled his cloak tightly around his face—partly to fend off the cold, partly to diminish the tingling in his chest. Seeing Aelia tonight, he couldn’t help but think of the girl he had fallen in love with all those years ago. Hazel eyes, more yellow than green, still gave glances of the woman she used to be.

“Aelia has been through a lot. Give her a break,” Amolie chimed in.

Caiden sighed. His breath turned to vapor in the cold night air. He pushed the memories away.

They settled into the parlor of the quaint inn. Bookshelves lined the walls, and plush couches dotted the room. An aroma of cloves and cedar filled the air.

“What are you thinking?” Lucius took a seat next to the fire. “It must be hard to see her after all of this time.”

Rocks piled in Caiden’s stomach. “I wish I had never made that oath to her mother.” He brushed his hair behind his ears.

“You and me both.” Lucius stoked the fire, gazing into the flames.

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