Page 121 of Where Darkness Falls

Virgil steps up beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Maeva, perhaps you should just?—”

“Stay out of this,” she snaps, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. She levels me with a gaze as her pendant glows, her hair flowing behind. “If he desires to fight, then so be it.”

Her hands illuminate with her starlight, and I have to admit it’s mesmerizing, but it doesn’t change the fact that I should walk away.

But I won’t walk away until I see that she’s safely in her chambers.

“Get. In. The. Room. Now,” I seethe, overly enunciating each word. “Unless you want me to force you.”

She throws her own gesture at the doorway, “After you,Prince,” she snaps.

I growl, as my nostrils flare.

Siorai, save me!

“Emyr,” Laisren says cautiously, the beast rippling underneath his skin.

Unable to hold my shadows back, they release from my body at an alarming rate, creating a giant hand that pushes Maeva into her chamber. “How dare you!” she yelps in protest.

Movement catches my eye as Laisren inches toward me. My free hand releases shadows that wind around his wrists, pinning him in place. The last thing we need right now is the beast to come out and play.

“Keep your beast contained, Laisy. That’s an order,” I bark out, storming into the chambers, sealing the room in a dome.

Before I turn around, a jolt of intense heat connects with the shoulder of my armor, burning me within. I hiss in pain, my shadows erupting from me on instinct like broken glass. I turn rapidly, praying I didn’t harm Maeva, but instead, I’m left speechless. She stands before me, ethereal and glowing, shining like the sun. A devilish smile is plastered across her lips, as she creates a sphere of pure starlight. The heat in her features is such a stark contrast to the beauty of her ability. “You want to release your anger, General?” she taunts. “Here’s your chance.”

I shake my head, removing my helmet. “Maeva, I don’t want to?—”

I was going to finish that sentence with “hurt you,” but unfortunately, I’m too busy ducking for my life as Maeva launches the sphere at my face. My shadows are licking against my skin, begging to retaliate. “Are you mental?” I growl.

She shrugs, forming another sphere in her hand. “Perhaps,” she whispers, launching the orb at my body once more.

“Maeva,” I warn. “Enough.”

“You’re tense, furious even,” she replies coolly. “So, let’s deal with it.”

She swirls her hands, creating the most stunning sword I’ve ever seen from her starlight.

Holy Celestae, she’s beautiful when she’s lethal.

That is, until she’s thrusting the weapon at me, forcing me to move.

Okay, she’s slightly terrifying as well.

I mold my shadows into a dark onyx blade of my own. I roll my shoulders, circling around her. “You made a foolish choice by agreeing to thisquest, Maeva,” I growl, lunging at her with my blade.

“What offends you the most, Emeryus?” she asks, parrying every thrust of my weapon. “The fact that I desire to find the Crógemma, or the fact that you must train me for the perils ahead?”

She launches herself at me, but I deflect with ease, pointing my blade at her chest.

This womanis baffling.

In my hesitation, her fist connects with my jaw. Though the punch is weak, it still shocked me enough to force me to stumble a step. “Does it intimidate you that I could become as skilled as you?” she sneers.

I growl, lunging for her once more in our little dance. “No,” I reply. “But you haven’t the slightest inkling of the dangerous position you’ve put us in by agreeing to this madness.”

“I know exactly what I bargained for, Emyr,” she says breathlessly. “It’s you who doubts I can do this.”

---