Page 95 of Tales of a Deadly Devotion
‘That they should fear you and the chaos you create?’ He smiled, so softly as his knuckles traced the edge of my jaw. Then his fingertips finding that sharp point of my ear. ‘They should. They deserve every ember of your wrath.’
Then he lent closer, until there was nothing but the faint alluring beasam bark and him. Until his arms were around me and my cheek was pressed against the safety of his chest. ‘You burn, I burn, Kat.’
A promise. That no matter where I led us, he’d come with me. Even to that ruin.
‘Gideon has a right to be annoyed with me,’ I offered, wondering how I’d fix that.
‘We’ll agree to disagree on that.’ Emrys kissed my forehead before he gently untangled us and coaxed me back down the path and into the waiting portal.
Despite my relief to be out of the cold, commotion awaited as we returned to the warmth of the house.
‘Don’t say another word,’ Alma snapped, wearing a robe that was far too big for her. Her clawed nails out and pointed right at Gideon’s throat. ‘I’m coming with you. If it’s there and it’s as dark as those creatures, I should be able to sniff it out.’
Because Alma had been one and she never forgot a scent.
Gideon just cast his frustrated gaze to the ceiling. Clearly resigned to his fate of nothing going how he wished before he dropped his focus to where Thean had draped themselves in the closest chair.
‘William,’ Gideon warned, ‘watch Thean.’
The voyav bristled, eyes sharp as they finally paid attention to their surroundings. ‘You can’t seriously think I’m staying here?’
‘I don’t want William alone. Not while Montagor has a relic,’ Gideon challenged; however, he didn’t hide his enjoyment at the voyav’s annoyance.
A relic not even the house could defend against.
‘Also, the south lands are currently in turmoil with rebel attacks. I’m certain you’re not too keen on running into yourfriendsright now?’
The voyav showed no reaction. Simply leant further back into the cushions and crossed their legs with a dancer’s grace. ‘Hurry back then, little witch, I could get up to an awful lot of troubleunsupervised.’
‘You’ll be staying right where I can bloody see you,’ William warned like a stern housekeeper.
The voyav grinned wickedly at the boy’s attempt at firmness, swirling one of the cushion tassels around their finger. ‘We’ll see, darling, you might get distracted by the delivery boy again.’
‘Thean,’ William half whined. His face going beetroot.
‘Since it appears we’re off to war again – I’ll get the gear,’ Gideon sighed, resigning himself to the madness of what was about to unfold.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kat
There was a world before the first star fell, of Old Gods and magic from beneath. There was a realm of princes with darkness in their veins, and truth in their hearts. A world of harmony. Of a deep devotion sung into the dark of night. There was peace before the world burnt and monsters called themselves kings.
The Compendium of Souls – Unknown
I straightened the jacket of my new fighting leathers. The style worn in the wars, from the depictions I’d found in the library. Cut close to the body, the trousers clung to my legs like a second skin – a freedom I’d missed since my days of ransacking the restricted library beneath the Institute in my breeches. Only these leathers were enchanted to resist magic attack, runes pressed into the inside. With the numerous sheaths and pockets it wasn’t hard to find somewhere to put my father’s hilt.
I was unable to hide it now. What would be the point? The Council were dead and keeping my secrets had done nothing but burden me with guilt. As if sensing my apprehension, the wishing stone thrummed comfortingly against my breastbone as I made my way back to the study, leaving William to get Alma fitted in her own leathers. Despite her reluctance toconform to Gideon’s commands. Especially since she tended to end up naked anyway after a change.
Her irritable quips about where Gideon could shove his orders made me smile, distracting me only to stumble to a stop as I entered the study.
Emrys was a formidable dark presence most days. Now he wore his own fighting leathers, all competent thoughts left my head. His jacket was open, showing the thin loose training shirt beneath. The lacings at the collar undone to show the strong line of his throat. How the trousers clung to his muscular thighs. Shadow blades strapped to his belt. An ease to his stature as he braced his palms on the desk, reading something on the papers scattered there.
Maybe it was something in my Kysillian blood. Something about the warrior build of him that made a strange insatiable hunger rise in me so desperately. The thought of him in that fighting pit threatened to consume my thoughts once again, the sheen of sweat on his abdomen. How deadly each movement had been.
Heat flared through me that had nothing to do with magic and was completely inappropriate for such public spaces.
‘Watch out, darling, you’re drooling,’ came wickedly from behind me, making me lurch around to see amber eyes gleaming in delight from where the voyav sat petulantly in the chair by the fire.
