Page 35 of A Sword of Ice
Clay peered again. “Two.”
“Perfect.”
Julius stepped out into the night. His sword gleamed against ice and silver moonlight, illuminating the white of his feral, canine smile.
The soldiers froze at the sight of him.
He couldn’t make out their features beneath the helms they wore, but he caught a flash of recognition in their eyes, because he’d tied his hair up to reveal his pointed ears. So they could know exactly who was killing them.
The acrid scent of their fear reached his nostrils and his canines snapped together, anticipation building with every passing second.
The humans stumbled, pulling their swords from their sheaths, and Julius laughed as he brought his own blade up to his face. They watched him like he was a reaper of their own legends. But he was much worse.
At least their reapers took souls and let them move on.
Julius was here to destroy them.
His tongue slid against the flat part of steel. “Come and get me,” he urged, his eyes dancing dangerously. “My blade wants to taste human blood tonight.”
And so it did.
* * *
Julius and Claycame back hours later, well into the night. Piled into their hands, they carried folded, bloody leather and steel, which they dropped to the ground with matching smirks.
Shula tried to meet Clay’s eyes, but he looked away and she felt a pang of hurt in her chest. She knew she deserved his ire and indifference after what she’d done. She’d betrayed her friend, had hurt him and escaped.
She needed to grovel to earn his forgiveness, because she knew she’d fucked up.
He was the only one who treated her with respect and kindness, had been since the beginning, and she might have ruined a genuine friendship because of her stubborn need to prove that she could be just as good as any of them or as any Elemental that they were out to find.
She’d created an image of this Fae in her head and it wouldn’t leave. She was trying to show up a phantom personality.
Shula had never been this competitive before. Determined? Yes. Stubborn? Yes. Competitive? There were strange lines drawn in the ground with this situation. She didn’t quite know where she would fit once they found this new Fae. She was going to help them, but she wasn’t sure if she could handle being known as the coward of the group.
She pulled her hair over her ears, paused, then pushed them away so they were showing.
“They put up a fight,” Julius said, his eyes dancing with laughter. Blood was flecked on the corner of his mouth and he made no move to wipe it off. “Two uniforms, Your Highness.”
Valerio stepped forward, toeing the humans’ garments. A tight smile pulled at his lips. “Excellent. The two of you will wear them and find the Fae.”
Shula’s hands curled in her lap. She was growing all too familiar with anger, but she was frustrated, too. She still felt like it was herrightto find the Fae. Destiny came to mind when she thought about it.
It wasn’t just about impressing them, showing this group of Fae males what she was capable of, but also something deeper than that.
Shula pushed herself to her feet. “Let me go,” she pleaded, hating the desperate note in her own voice.
Valerio cut her a glare and just as easily dismissed her. “No.”
She stepped towards him, only to be blocked by Uric. She frowned at the overprotective Fae and looked over his shoulder at the prince.
“Please.”
“No.”
“I will be able to convince this Fae to join our side,” she tried again.
“So can we.”
