Page 6 of Starchaser
Flynn’s crossbow landed at my feet, but I’m not fast enough to retrieve it, so I remain perfectly still. Take a deep breath. Attempt to calm my frenzied heart.
The blood pounding in my ears drowns out the sound of Flynn’s agony.
“Has my brother sent you to collect me?” I whisper, too low for the Bloodknight to hear.
The assailant rises in one fluid motion, shedding the veil of shadows, which dissipate as if he merely removed a cloak. Before me stands a slender, masculine frame, his clothing made of whatappears to be black bandages, and the same black gauze obscures his face, covering everything but his now golden eyes.
He grips the glowing dagger in his gloved fist, the green energy appearing to lap at his hand, his wrist, his forearm.
“Leave the Eerie,” comes a deep, raw voice, “or meet your death.”
My palms itch for the feel of metal in my grasp.Blast Will and Titus for insisting I remain unarmed!
“You can’t harm me,” I say slowly, glancing at his cursed dagger.
His eyes narrow. “Dangerous to assume,” he says, his voice like gravel.
“I’m protected.” I swallow hard, careful not to touch my bracelet and draw attention to the trinket—the band of braided leather that each of my family wears and Owen revealed was imbued with magic strong enough to dispel an Underling’s attack. “By an enchantment. No harm can come to me by an Underling’s hand.”
His golden eyes flash with what looks like amusement. “Who said anything about Underlings?”
The door to the train groans, as if someone was trying to unlock it from the inside.
“Open the damned thing!” I hear Titus’s muffled voice through the metal door.
“It’s jammed!” comes another voice from within.
The assailant takes another step toward me, closing the gap between us.
“Leave,” he rasps, “or die.”
The door to the train compartment sounds as if it’s been torn from its hinges. The assailant whirls, consumed by shadows once more, and before I can even register the movement, he vanishes.
Titus stands in the doorwayto the train compartment, his eyes wide as he surveys the platform. His gaze first lands on Flynn’s writhing form and Gabriel, who reappeared moments after the assailant vanished, now calling for aid as he kneels over his fallen comrade. Then Titus spots me, his expression wild.
“Get inside,” he says quickly, his voice hoarse. He grabs me by the arm and hauls me into the compartment, past the group of officers clustered there, half-dragging me down the narrow corridor. I scarcely gather my bearings enough to notice the doors lining one side, but I realize we must be in a sleeping car.
Titus doesn’t stop until we enter another compartment—another sleeping car by the looks of it. He peers over his shoulder, glancing all around, before opening the door to a small, private cabin, pulling me inside.
He grabs my other arm, turning to look in my direction. His eyes inspect every inch of me. “Are you hurt?”
I shake my head, unable to meet his probing stare. “I’m fine,” I say, hating the rush of heat that warms my cheeks. I shake his hands off me. “Where’s Will?”
He swallows, his throat bobbing with the effort. “He’s still relocating the passengers from this car to the front of the train.”
“Why?”
“For privacy.” Titus steps away from me, tucking his hands into his pockets, but his eyes continue to search my face, my hair. “Word has gotten out about your presence on this train. You’re rather… popular.” He frowns. “We shouldn’t have left you alone.”
“I wasn’t alone,” I say, quirking a brow. “You left me with two Bloodknights. You couldn’t have—”
“We should have known better.” He hisses a breath through his teeth as he runs his hands through his hair. Loose blond strands fall free from his grasp, framing his face. “Ishould have known better.”
My stomach sours. “I can take care of myself. Besides, if something happens to me, I’m sure it’s not too late for you to find another cursed pirate capable of sensing Sylks.”
He glances at me, his face twisted with disgust. “What?”
“You can drop the act, Titus—Shade—whatever your name is.”
