“No.”
Maddox dropped into the chair closest to me. “He’s from the Secret Order. Showing their face when working is against their code.”
Holy crap.A real life spy. How cool was that?
“I guess that explains the mysterious vibe you have going on,” I said, relieved he wasn’t a bad guy. “So. What’s your name?”
The spy cocked his head. Hard to read his expression with nothing but his eyes showing, but I got the feeling I really did amuse him. “Draven.”
“Raven? Your name is Raven? Like the bird?”
“Draven,” he repeated. “Not bird.”
“Oh. The mask muffles your words. An easy fix if you’d just take it off. But I understand. Most of the castle guards won’t even accept a cookie when they’re working. I like the name Draven. It’s different. I’m curious though. If you have to remain anonymous or whatever, why did you tell us your name? Unless it’s a code name? For all we know, your real name could be Bob. Or Tom. You look like a Tom.”
Draven glanced at Maddox. “His mouth never stops.”
Maddox’s lip twitched.
“Just a little peek of your face?” I asked.
“Negative. Mask stays on,” Draven told me. “My brothers and I are one unit, unified in obscurity and existing only in darkness.”
“Sounds like a line a superhero would say.”
Rowan snorted. “Oh, little treasure.”
Draven’s gaze shifted to him. “You’re more powerful than we believed. How did you sense me? I’m undetectable in the shadows.”
“Undetectable? That’s cute.” Rowan smirked. There was a slightly sadistic edge to it. “The shadows are my domain. I see and hear everything. No one can hide from me.”
“You knocked me from the tree with your magic.”
“Well, I don’t take kindly to being spied on.” A hardness touched his topaz eyes. “Especially when it may harm the man I love.”
Heat fanned up my neck.
“You were my only target,” Draven told him. “No one else.”
“Your target?” Briar asked.
Lake growled again.
“For scouting,” Draven clarified before tension could rise any further. “My captain wanted intel on you. Who you are. Your abilities. My mission was to shadow you and report my findings.”
“Why?” Rowan asked.
“Because he’s interested in recruiting you.”
Shock flitted across Rowan’s face. On the trip back from Exalos, he’d mentioned how he wanted to join the Secret Order, but it had been half-heartedly. As if he didn’t believe he had a real shot at it. The change in his expression—the disbelief and spark of hope—caused a tug in my chest.
“Every spy in the Order has a specific set of skills,” Draven continued. “Tracking. Stealth. Some of us can perform basic magic as well. However, your skills are far more advanced than any in our ranks. We suspected an infiltration from Haran prior to your intel, yet we were unable to get close enough to our targets without detection. Your shadow magic allowed you to do what we couldn’t.”
His words affected Rowan, visible in the softening of his gaze. He wasn’t used to people speaking of his magic in high regard.
“Ro would be an amazing spy,” I said, excited for him.
Draven’s eyes narrowed at me.
