Page 31 of The Shadow Prince's Ruin
I place my hand on his back, because knowing he’s so close calms me down. I’ve never had someone stand up for me this way. When I made the impulsive choice to speak my mind, I was prepared for a smack from this uncouth man, but Hawk is there, like a wall of muscle. If I had access to my shadowcraft, I could have surprised Wolf with razor-sharp claws for the insolent way he speaks to me and my promised. I might not have much talent for shadowcraft, but I learned to use what little I do have to its maximum potential.
But with the collar still firmly around my neck, Hawk’s sturdy presence is the only thing between me and Wolf’s brute force.
“Truth hurts,” Fox laughs, not even caring to get up.
I loathe the way they’re trying to humiliate my man in front of me. It reminds me of all the times my own siblings picked me apart for anything from my size, to my lack of love life, and my puny shadow.
“Nothing you say matters,” I say, eyeing Wolf with cold fury. “How dare you insult your brother! Soon enough, we will be gone to enjoy a life of immeasurable respect, cherished for our bond, and wanting for nothing while you rot in a house in a forest, forgotten by all within a century.”
I barely get to finish the sentence when someone grabs the collar of my shirt from the back, so hard he lifts me and the fabric rips. “Listen here you little shit!” Hawk’s father yells. “We have everything we need here, and as far as I understand, you’re homeless and wanted by the cops!” The fabric digs into my flesh, choking me, and I freeze, because I can’t expect Hawk to confront his parents for someone he’s only just met.
But he spins around, grabs his father’s hand where it’s holding me, and stares at him above my shoulder. “Let go. He’s mine.”
A hot shiver trails down my spine, and as it darts farther, it almost feels as if Hawk is teasing my hole with his fingers again.
I shouldn’t be finding this moment arousing, but when his father lets go of me with a huff, I fall into Hawk’s embrace, ready to fulfill his every wish. This submissive side of me is a shame to my family, but I can’t help how I feel next to a man so big and strong.
My brother would have called me an embarrassment to our bloodline, and if he weren’t so afraid of Mother’s wrath, he would have labeled me a bastard to boot.
Hawk’s father huffs like a bull about to charge. “Don’t run your mouth if you can’t handle the consequences,boy. And you?” he says to Hawk. “Let’s go get you a car before I report you to the cops myself!”
Hawk glances at me, sliding his fingers through my hair as his mother steps out of the kitchen carrying a whole tray of various sandwiches. “Go on, boys. There will be plenty of food left when you’re back,” she says and sits on the sofa, right next to the spot I previously occupied. She’s old in ways elves never get to be, unless they’re banished to a short existence in the human realm, but her eyes are kind, so I settle next to her and nod at Hawk.
“All right,” he mumbles, watching me from above. “I’ll be close.”
When he leaves with his father and both brothers, I release a deep sigh to ease some of the tension coiling inside my chest. I cannot believe I was just grabbed like that. I’m aware my position in this world is one of irrelevance, that my title means nothing here, but knowing this and being confronted with the physical reality of that fact are two different things.
I grab a crispy sandwich that smells quite nice, of salty meat and cheese. “Have you heard that the Sunwolf Crown was stolen in New York City?” I ask in an attempt to make some small talk while we wait.
Hawk’s mother stalls, but then shakes her head. “I… don’t believe I’ve heard anything about that. We don’t get that much news here, you see. Only found out about Hawk’s escape from a neighbor on the radio.”
“Ah, a shame,” I say, wracking my brain for more things to say. My mother always chastised me for making conversation partners uncomfortable with awkward pauses, but just thinking about it makes memorenervous and prone to speaking out of turn. “Your son has been most gallant to me.” A bit of a stretch, but a compliment always goes down well.
“Yes, Hawk’s a very good boy. Always was. Even if a bit rough around the edges. I didn’t expect him to turn out gay, to be honest,” she says and pushes the cup of chocolate closer. “Drink it. It’ll make you stronger.”
“Will it?” I ask in amazement and grab the cup. The drink is warm, but if it’s an elixir of strength, I am willing to endure the unpleasant heat on my tongue. The beverage is way too sweet, but I close my eyes and gulp down the whole thing in one go, not caring about manners. If I am to survive another day in the sun, I’ll need the energy this nice woman so lovingly infused into the contents of my cup.
“So… what is really between you and my son?” she asks, pulling the folds of her robe more tightly around her. “Did you…correspond with him while he was in prison? If he brought you here against your will, I can help you. Hawk can get a little… overenthusiastic when his heart guides him.”
I bite into the crispy sandwich to give myself a moment to think, but it doesn’t seem like she’s intending some elaborate trap after trying to soften my attitude with a sweet drink. “Oh, no, if I am a victim, then it’s only of my own impulsivity. Hawk is special to me.” Because I can’t even begin to explain to her that when he becomes my Dark Companion, both our lives will change for the better. “We may have met just last night, but I have never felt so much tenderness for anyone before.”
Saying it out loud fractures me. My heart beats faster, my cheeks flush at the memory of the filthy things we did together, and moths flutter in my stomach when I think of his protective attitude, but…But. Wedidonly meet last night. Can I really trust someone, a human at that, just because my body yearns for him? Because when I see his shadow, I want to step into it and bathe in its thick darkness? Because I crave a bond that’ll ensure I’ll never again be lonely?
Am I like a fish which has lived all its life in a bowl, and now that it’s been set free into the ocean, can’t see the threats, too blinded by delight?
My hostess sighs, peering at me with a gaze that reflects many of my own fears. “You do know he was convicted for double homicide? And that he is on the run? I want all the best for my son, but if the two of you are found together, you will be tried for assisting an escaped convict. I don’t think prison is the place for a boy as delicate as you.”
“Prison…” I wonder out loud to give myself time to think. Surely, it won’t come to that? I don’t even know what human prison looks like. I assume it’s no pleasure palace, just like the dungeon under the Nocturne Court is not a place I’d like to be trapped in.
But do I have any choice? I could always abandon Hawk, but even though I haven’t tied my shadow to his yet, the thought of doing so repulses me. Not just because I’m so greedy for the power he’d offer me as my Dark Companion. He is risking a lot for me, and I have given him hope by offering him a place at my side in the Nightmare Realm.
I am a prince of the Nocturne Court and my word counts for something. If he could challenge his own father for me, then I shall stand by him too.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment as fatigue settles over me, reminding me how long the past day has been. But I can’t doze off when my promised’s mother is talking to me, so I clear my throat and take another bite of the crunchy sandwich. “I am taking this leap of faith, and so far Hawk has proven himself to be a man of strong conviction when it comes to me.”
She licks her lips. “I love my son, but you seem like a gentle soul, so I have to warn you that he has an insatiable appetite when it comes to men. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Jealousy greener than swamplight flares up in me at the very idea of Hawk turning his attention elsewhere. “He willnothave another.”
