Page 12 of Hopeless Magic
It happens so quickly it’s as if the fish was drawn to him.
He tosses the flopping fish to the grassy shore before resuming his stance and repeating the simple process.
I gape at them for so long I barely realize Darrio’s somehow structured a blazing fire out of thin air. The crackle of logs burning pulls at my attention and I turn toward the warmth.
The last thing I want right now is to sit buddy-buddy at the campfire with Mr. Stick Up His Ass. I exhale slowly before taking a seat on the grass. Darrio doesn’t even glance my way. He appears as if he’s entranced with the flickering flames.
He doesn’t seem to be the best at avoiding confrontation.
And neither am I.
The blazing hue makes his skin appear more bronze. The coloring washes away his scars but emphasizes the slight skew of his nose. It’s as if it’s been broken one too many times.
With movement so fast I barely see it, Darrio is at my side.
“Someone’s coming. Get up. I can’t let anything happen to you.” He says it like I’m both a priority to him as well as an inconvenience.
He hauls me from the ground, gripping the underside of my arm with force as he drags me from our cozy spot.
I don’t fight him. I don’t argue or demand he let me go. I follow him without question.
It might even seem like I trust him.
For a second at least.
I jerk away from him once the thick woods seclude us. My eyes flicker to the river but it’s empty. Daxdyn and Ryder are nowhere to be seen.
I’m still assessing our surroundings when he flings me against a tree. My teeth jar together. The bark bites into my spine and I glare up at him as he puts his finger to his lips. Lightly, his rigid body skims against mine as we both ignore one another to listen intently to …
Absolutely nothing.
“Is this your way of avoiding the awkward campfire silence?” I whisper in an accusing tone.
His head tilts slowly down as he glares at me like I’m the most ridiculous thing he’s ever had the misfortune of protecting.
With one swift turn, he pushes away from me. At first, I think he’s just sulking until he grips his hands around the large man’s neck. The man’s worn boots graze across the ground, frantic to be out of Darrio’s strong grip. He lifts him a little higher, bringing the strangers face up to his own so he can closely appraise him.
“Who are you?” Darrio asks and his eyes hold an eerie, glinting look within them.
A choking sound gargles through the stranger’s throat.
That seems to be Darrio’s problem, though; he never puts his fists down long enough to let words pass.
“Release him and maybe you’ll get a few answers.”
Darrio’s hard eyes land on me and he drops the man in an instant.
A warm feeling of triumph sinks into me. I’m actually stunned he listened to me at all.
A gasping sound leaves the man as he heaves air into his lungs. Defiance shines in his dark eyes as he stares up at Darrio with a new, fearless look in his gaze.
“Who are you?” Darrio asks again. I, too, study the man as if I’m not completely distracted by the tone of Darrio’s deep and demanding voice.
“I am the honored and loyal soldier of our lady, Queen Alexia of Juvar. I am one of many sent to retrieve you and your kind.”
His endless title has me rolling my eyes on the spot.
Darrio kneels until he’s right in the man’s face again. A rapid tic has the fae’s fingers arching toward his palm and a vicious light blazes through his fingertips.
