Page 68 of A Court So Dark
My hands itched at the thought of draining Mythorne dry—not to mention Cardian. The feelings were strong, but they came from that dark side of me, the one that was a perfect match for Wölfe. I wanted those two to pay for what they’d done to Kalyll. Whatever torture they’d put him through, I could tell it had affected him. He didn’t want to talk about it and tried to hide it, but at times, he went still and quiet, his gaze lost in a faraway place.
On a previous occasion, Kalyll had asked me if I would kill someone if the situation demanded it. I saidyes. Dark Dani had helped me come to terms with the awful and dire need to sometimes end a life. But there was something else I needed to come to terms with: the possibility of having to kill Cardian.
I didn’t want to kill him. I didn’t want to kill anyone. But if it came down to it, I would do what I had to do to protect Kalyll. In the end, I knew he would understand. He would know that I had done it for him. But still, it was a hard thing to contemplate. I hoped it would never come to that. But if it did, I would be ready.
Kalyll tapped my nose, pulling me back from my gloomy thoughts.
“What are you thinking about?”
My words came tumbling down without my permission. “Would you forgive me if I killed your brother? I wouldn’t just—“
He cut me off, this time placing his finger across my lips. “We talked about this. Please, don’t worry. It may sound terrible to say this, but my love for you is greater than any love I have left for Cardian or anything else. If Wölfe destroyed the universe to save you, I would not only forgive him, I would applaud him.”
Wow. Once more, he left me speechless. It took me a few seconds to recover.
I wanted to say something equally romantic but what came out was, “But if the universe was destroyed, where would we live?”
He leaned closer and whispered in my ear. “In the void, where we could fuck in any position without the need to worry about gravity or much else.”
“With you, everything comes down to fucking?”
“Oh, most certainly.”
Smirking, he leaned down to kiss me, except Kryn came back into the room and the moment was broken.
“No changes,” he announced. “Everything shall continue as planned.”
CHAPTER 25
DANIELLA
Sometimebeforedinnertime,Krynguided Kalyll and me out of his chamber, while the others stayed. We avoided areas with high traffic and made it toward his sister’s room, which was on the opposite end of the castle. Apparently, it was an area reserved for the chambers of the single women in the earl’s family.
A few times, we ran into people, but Kalyll’s shadowdrifter powers wrapped us protectively, while Kryn kept walking as if he owned the place, which he did or would soon, at least.
When we arrived at Mylendra’s door, he knocked three times, loudly and firmly. A young chambermaid answered, peeking out with one eye as if she expected trouble.
“I need to see my sister,” Kryn said, while we faded into Kalyll’s shadows, unseen by the young girl.
“Lady Goren is—“ the chambermaid began, but Kryn pushed his way in without waiting for her to finish, sending the girl stumbling backward as she issued a little cry of alarm.
“In Erilena’s name, what is the meaning of this intrusion?” Mylendra exclaimed, her eyes flashing with anger.
“I need to talk to you,” Kryn said, as Kalyll and I slipped through the door, unseen by the chambermaid, who was distracted by the rude intruder.
Mylendra stood in front of a large mirror trimmed in silver, half-dressed, her corset unlaced, which didn’t seem to bother her in Kryn’s presence. Her hair was a mass of red curls that tumbled down her back in an unruly cascade, held in place by a few scattered pins. Her cheeks were flushed from the exertion of dressing and from half-applied rouge.
Despite her undone appearance, there was something undeniably alluring about her. Her skin was smooth and creamy, the perfect canvas for the delicate lace of her corset that pushed up her bosom.
“What do you want?” she asked, facing the mirror and pinning a few locks.
Kryn glanced sideways at the maid.
Mylendra rolled her eyes in a tired way, reminding me of my younger sister, Lucia. “Leave. I’ll finish getting ready myself.”
The girl curtsied and left, never noticing the deeper shadows that had scurried to a corner that the light from the sconces didn’t touch.
Mylendra picked up a brush and used it to gather her hair together. She applied a few more pins, accomplishing a look that appeared almost careless but was anything but.
