Page 13 of Hopeless Magic
A haunting look of aggression storms through Darrio’s gray eyes. It’s like hellfire is burning deep within him. His gaze isn’t beautiful for once.
It’s terrifying.
That look sinks realization into me. I now realize that I should not taunt this dangerous fae as much as I do.
A flickering image to my right startles me so much I gasp. Ryder stands staring down at Darrio and the solider, and Daxdyn holds Ryder’s shoulder as if he needs the other fae to keep him in place.
An eerie feeling tingles through me as I look at them. Their bodies flicker in and out of focus as if they’re not entirely there. As if they’re not a solid form at all.
Ryder’s fingers curl into a tight fist and then the two of them appear … whole again. Daxdyn releases his shoulder and they both continue to look upon the man with disgust curling their lips.
“Tell your lady, the queen, that Darrio Riles is returning home.” He brings his palm closer to the man’s face, highlighting the apparent fear that clings to his features. His other hand sparks with magic, and he holds them both on either side of the soldier’s jaw. “Tell her, I’ll be greeting her with open arms.”
Then Darrio slowly grips the man’s face in his palms. A sizzling sound accompanies the screams of the most honored and loyal soldier of our lady, Queen Alexia of Juvar.
Chapter Five
Shuddering
For the last several miles nothing but open fields are all we’ve seen. The long strips of grass are rough against my palm as I pull at them. They tickle my skin with every step I take, flicking lightly against my abdomen and arms.
A comfortable silence has fallen over our little group. Since last night, I can’t find it in me to pester the hell out of Darrio as I once did. He really can kill me without even trying if he wanted.
And I fucking stabbed him like he was nothing when we first met.
As we walk, my attention continues to dart over to his broad stature. Darrio Riles has the hard body of a warrior and the endless scars to match. He’d probably be handsome if he ever stops referring to me asthe fucking human.
I shrug as I consider him.
My delightful attitude is seriously undervalued with this one.
There’s a town up ahead. The tiny houses are just shadowed forms against the starry night sky. The image of it alone makes me home sick.
The smell of smoke is harsher now, the closer to the coast we get. It’ll be overwhelming when we get to the sea.
“What was that thing you did? When you and Daxdyn flashed in just in time to see that guy lose his face.” I look to Ryder and he glances at me out of the corner of his pale blue eyes.
They decided to let Mr. No Face live. They said they wanted to make sure their message gets back to the queen.
A chill skims down my spine, but I straighten my shoulders and ignore it.
“It’s called shuddering.”
Fuck, that sounds perfectly named.
“It’s like … teleporting for fae,” he adds.
“Teleporting?” My brow arches and my feet stop walking all together. “You could have just flickered us right to the coast already without all this walking? I’ve had to look at Darrio’s brooding face for days now.”
Darrio scoffs at me but doesn’t encourage my teasing.
“I can’t shudder you.”
A smile almost pulls at my lips at the phrasing of that sentence alone. The adult in me bites back my smirk even though I have no doubt in my mind that Ryder could shudder me real good.
“Why?” I study him closely.
He looks to the stars as if he’s pleading with them to find reason within his little foolish human friend.
