Page 32 of Song of the Shadow Prince
“Because I can’t!” he growled and stepped toward me, forcing me to take a step backward.
I didn’t think I’d ever heard someone growl before. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit afraid. I took a deep and controlled breath, then put two steps between us and looked up at him. “David, please explain to me in a way I can understand why you can’t take me home.”
He growled again and shouted, “It’sDamien!”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, whatever, same diff. Just tell me.”
He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Because I’m not supposed to be here,” he whispered. “I need to return home before I get caught. That means you have two options.” His gaze pierced me. “You can either find your way back with the directions I give you and hope and pray to the immortals that you make it back safely, or you come home with me.”
My brows shot up to my hairline. “Toyourplace?”
He nodded. “I’ll give you ten seconds to answer before I make the decision for you.”
“What?” I gasped as my mind started to short circuit.
“Ten,” he started the countdown.
Could I make it home using only his directions? It wasn’t like this place had street signs. What if I got lost on the way and there was no one around to ask? What if the vampires found me again?
“Five.”
My hands were clammy. Shit… shit shit shit! Directions or some scary guy’s crib? The answer was obvious when I put it like that.
“Time’s up; you’re coming with me.” Grabbing the scruff of my neck, he started dragging me down the street.
“Hey!” I tried to keep up with his long-legged pace. “You can’t just kidnap me! There must be laws in this place! You might be a prince, but I swear I’ll sue your ass!”
He frowned and looked down at me, convinced I was spouting gibberish.
The empty streets were eerily silent and murky, lit by guttering lanterns that stretched long, shadowy fingers across the street. Other than our footsteps echoing off the cobblestones, I became aware of the distant, muffled roar of the ocean as we strode further from the city’s center. We walked in tense silence until we reached the shore. Pale moonlight glinted off the dark,restless waves, lending an ethereal glow over the scene. The salty tang of the sea mingled with the faint scent of damp earth and seaweed.
Damien stopped abruptly and turned to face me. “I need to trust you, Arya. Can I?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Trustme? How can I trustyouafter you dragged me here against my will!”
He ignored my sarcasm, his expression deadly serious. “I’m serious, Arya. What you’re about to see is something I’ve kept secret for over fifty years—”
“Dude, you’re older than fifty?” I gasped with wide eyes. “Damn. You look good for your age, Pops.”
Damien growled. “Be serious for a second, Arya!”
“Okay, okay.” I waved off his rebuke. “You have a secret. Out with it.”
He furrowed his brows and glared at me, unsure about his next move. “Are you afraid of heights?” he asked hesitantly.
I smirked. If only he knew. I was 82ndAirborne, baby. The skies were my domain. “Not at all.”
Instead of answering, he stepped back and began to morph. His body shimmered, but not in an Edward Cullen sort of way, but more like I was looking between a veil of sorts. The air around him crackled with energy. His form grew and elongated, and then dark scales emerged and spread over his skin. He grew big. And I meanbig-big. Wings sprouted from his back, large and leathery, unfolding with a powerful snap that nearly tumbled me over. I held up my good arm to cover my face from the wind. His face transformed, becoming more angular and fiercer, with sharp, glinting eyes and a row of deadly teeth.
Where Damien had stood seconds earlier now stood an enormous black dragon with scales that absorbed the moonlight and gave an almost spectral appearance. His wings stretched wide, creating a shadow that engulfed the beach all around me.
I stared wide-eyed at the magnificent creature before me. He was massive, at least thirty feet long from snout to tail, with muscles rippling beneath sleek, obsidian scales. His eyes, now a vivid shade of silver, locked onto mine, filled with intelligence that was unmistakably Damien’s.
“Damn.” I gaped up at him in awe. “I knew I should have auditioned forHouse of the Dragon.”
Damien lowered his head and motioned for me to climb onto his back, which featured a row of ridges sticking out, almost as if intended for a rider to sit between and hold onto. Hesitantly, I approached, feeling the heat radiating off his scales. I clambered onto his back and sat between two close ridges, nestling in and gripping one of the ridges along his spine for support with my good arm.
With a powerful beat of his wings, Damien launched into the sky. The ground rapidly fell away and the wind whipped past my face, carrying the briny scent of the ocean. I clung to him tightly and my heart pounded as we soared above the waves.
