Page 65 of Knox
"Lyrian and I will go after Caelen," Zev decided. "He doesn’t seem to care much about hiding his presence, so we’ll find him. You and Knox go and fight the trolls."
"I’ll have to rent a car," Adrian said, more to himself.
"One of those metal vehicles?" Knox asked. "Where will we get a driver?"
"I’ll drive," Adrian said, as if it was nothing.
"You know how to command the metal beasts?"
"It’s easy," Adrian claimed.
"I shall trust your expertise."
Secretly, Knox was more than a little impressed.
Daniel woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom, blinking as he tried to focus his thoughts. The room was small and cluttered, with walls painted a soft lavender.
He pushed himself up on the bed, the soft blankets rustling under his weight. His thoughts scrambled to piece together the last moments he remembered—Caelen grabbing him, the chaos, and then… nothing.
"Of all places," he muttered, running a hand through his tousled hair. He’d always imagined that if he were ever captured by a villain, he’d be in some dank dungeon, shackles and all, like he was living out his darkest, dirtiest fantasies. Instead, he wassurrounded by stuffed animals. The absurdity almost made him laugh, but a sense of unease settled in his stomach.
Just as he was trying to piece it all together, the door creaked open. Daniel’s heart leaped into his throat as Caelen stepped inside.
"I thought you were waking up," Caelen said, his voice smooth and almost casual, as if they were old friends meeting for coffee.
Daniel looked at him, words failing him for once. He wasn’t often speechless, but this was one of those rare moments. His mind raced, trying to process the bizarre contrast between the hot villain before him and the innocent setting around him.
He should probably stop thinking of Caelen as hot. That was for fantasy bad guys, not real bad guys.
It seemed Caelen hadn’t gotten that memo, though. He was just as stunning in real life as Daniel had always thought he would be when he made up all those fantasy scenarios in his head that usually involved him, Caelen, and a lot of rope.
Oblivious to his thoughts, Caelen moved closer, like a predator approaching his prey. "Comfortable?" he asked, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
Daniel swallowed, finding his voice at last. "This room seems very cozy."
Caelen’s smirk widened. "This isn’t exactly my usual décor, but I’m a guest in this house."
Daniel’s eyes flicked around the room again, noting the little details—flower-print curtains, a bookshelf crammed with well-worn paperbacks. "Whose room is this?"
Caelen shrugged. "You don’t have to concern yourself with that. Why don’t we talk about you and Knox? What’s your connection?"
Daniel opened his mouth to say there wasn’t any connection, when just in time, he remembered that Caelen had only grabbed him because he’d mistaken him for Adrian. He must think Daniel was a valuable hostage.
What if he stopped thinking that?
Daniel swallowed hard.
"You don’t have anything to say?" The Shadow King asked.
Daniel had seldom been accused of that.
He forced a grin on his face, masking his nerves. He usually had such a big mouth, time to let it run away with him. "Well, if you must know, Knox is totally my favorite character ever," he said. "I mean, who wouldn’t be obsessed with a brooding hero with a tragic backstory who’s resigned himself to saving the world to make up for his sins?"
Caelen’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "People love Knox?"
"Oh, absolutely," Daniel continued, feeling the nervous energy bubble up inside him, pushing him to keep talking. "When we met in the real world, it was like… bam! Instant connection. We just clicked, you know? It was wild."
Caelen took a step closer, the smirk fading as he studied Daniel’s face. "Instant connection?"
