Page 96 of Enchanted Shadows
“Ready, wife?” I asked her.
“No,” she admitted.
“Well, you look...” she looked enticing, entirely damn tempting, but I settled for, “stunning. I knew you were all planning to match gown color, just hadn’t realized it was black.”
“Black like my soul,” she joked.
“Black like the shadows which free your soul,” I amended.
She tucked her hand around my bicep as we moved to walk down. “They do not bother you anymore?”
“Your shadows?”
“Yes.”
“They’re a part of you. Just like your gold magic. I cannot resent either as they both are just a part of who you are. How could I hate something that merely lies in your blood? Something you inherited?”
“They do not remind you of the dead king?”
I snorted. “Not anymore. Now that I understand them. He’sdead. And he may have had access to the shadows, but he knew nothing of how to wield them. Nothing like you do.”
Just before the ballroom doors, she asked, “Owen?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for the last three months. They have meant...everything.”
And before I could say a thing back, we were ushered into the ballroom.
The room was packed with Teams One, Two, and Three all present to celebrate the end of training. There were a few parliament members also. I knew Hatcher, one of the original Six, wouldn’t have missed this.
This first celebration was normally full of promise and hope. The second one born out of exhaustion and bragging rights. But the celebration after the third round of training?Thatwas the one that usually got rowdiest.
Kessara snagged a champagne flute as we walked by.
“Only one,” I told her. “I need you sharp.”
“You really think Calix would be fool enough to show up to this?” She moved her champagne glass outward as if to note how many trained guards were in the room.
“Where you are concerned, I think he’s entirely foolish.” I saw Krew and Keir and gestured with my head toward them. “I need to go check in. Do you want to head to the other women or come with me?”
“The team, please,” she told me.
I dropped her off with the other women in their various black gowns and headed to Krew and Keir.
Jorah gave me a quick squeeze of a hug as soon as she saw me. “Thank you, Owen.”
We turned to face the team of women, talking animatedly. “Thank you. For entrusting them to me. They’re pretty great, aren’t they?”
Jorah nodded and sniffled.
“Jorah,” I groaned.
“It’s the hormones,” she explained.
Krew, Jorah, Keir, Esta, and I moved to walk up the stairs to officially kick the night off. Warrick and Arden followed along, the latter of which I scooped up and threw over my back.
“Good evening,” Krew began, using his magic to amplify his voice and carry the sound throughout the room. “We gather tonight in the name of celebrating. Before we do, there is a quick item of business I need your help in attending to.”
