Page 84 of Cursed Shadows 2

“But I’m here now.” He runs the pad of his thumb along a scratch on his eyebrow. “In time for the first passage, so get your dagger out your ass.”

Samick’s cold voice creeps through the room, “Some might be disappointed you made it back in one piece.”

He’s still bristled by the comments about Kalice. Because if anyone could get her into bed, it’s Dare. And if anyone could break her heart, throw her away, and laugh at her tears, then forget she ever existed, it’s Dare.

Dare only smiles at the icy blond.

But no one gets the chance to retort before Aleana hisses, “Can you males put away your egos for a single Warmth? I’m not energised enough for this.”

Turning a frown on her, Daxeel studies the pinch of her lips, the furrow of her brow, the way she stirs her coffee with too much force and some spills over the edge.

Whatever has his sister in a mood, he doesn’t know. But if she felt like sharing, then she would. And he’s not too keen on prying, since it might be about Rune, and that is not a conversation he wants to open a door to.

So he keeps it closed and instead says, “I need the room, Aleana. Go find mother.”

She throws an ugly glare at him. But she doesn’t argue the order. She just snatches her coffee and a phial of tonic before she’s stalking out of the lounge.

And he waits until she’s out the room, far up a level of stairs, and out of earshot before he turns to Dare.

“There is something I need you to do.”

Dare throws back the entire mug’s fill of coffee. After a hard swallow, he sighs a breath of instant release, and flicks his gaze to Dax. Without Aleana around, the look he gives Dax is levelled and grim. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with the all too familiar scent wafting from you, would it?”

Daxeel stiffens in the chair. He hasn’t washed Nari’s scent from his body yet—just woke up, saw she was gone, and came down here… maybe hoping to find her sharing tea with his mother, or even sitting alone at the panelled windows.

But she was gone.

His jaw tightens. “It has everything to do with Nari.”

Dare arches a dark brow in question, but he asks a different question entirely, “How is your vicious halfling faring these days? Breaking any hearts of late, or is she too busy bedding litalf princes?”

Daxeel clenches his jaw, tight.

It’s Samick who says, “You were gone too long, brother. Things have changed—and there is much to fill you in on.”

18

the night on the tower

††† TEN YEARS EARLIER †††

Father is down in the court, and with his watchful and ever racist eyes, I can only sneak my moments with Daxeel out of sight.

No one ever follows me up onto the tower, other than Eamon. And since Eamon wanders the edge of the roof with his favourite casual lover, Fern, some distance away, and he couldn’t care less about me right now, I give Daxeel all my attention.

Carrying honeywine bottles—one in each hand—I wander onto the tower of the High Court. Maybe my pace is a little hesitant, a tad reluctant.

It took an hour to sneak off, since father paraded me around the nobles for stiff welcomes. And since we arrived an hour later than I planned, I’ve kept Daxeel waiting too long.

Last time I saw him, he hunted me down in the woods and went into the human lands with me. His mood wasn’t warm, and now with my tardiness, I doubt he’ll be all over me this night.

Still, he waits for me.

Against the short wall, he’s sat in the shade, hidden from the moonlight. One leg hiked up, his forearm rests on his knee, and he lazily fingers a pinkie-sized knife.

He doesn’t look at me, but his senses are too sharp for him not to know I’m here, I’m approaching, that I’ve come to him.

“I brought an apology,” I say and lift the honeywines. I keep my wandering pace over to him.

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