Page 50 of Prisoner of Steel and Shadow

“Wondering how I divined your secret?” she asked with a knowing smirk.

Figuring it couldn’t hurt to give into his curiosity since his token was still safely concealed, Ronan nodded.

“You know how everyone turns to watch the bride as she makes her way to the groom at a wedding?”

Ronan had absolutely no idea where she was going with the analogy, but he nodded anyway.

“Well, the smartest of us know that’s the perfect time to steal a glance at the groom. So while everyone was busy gawking at the High Lord and Shadow as they made their grand entrance the other night, I was looking atyou. I saw how you couldn’t take your eyes off her. As soon as she appeared, it was as if no one else existed.” Camille let out a wistful sigh. “What I wouldn't give to have a man look at me that way.”

Her words made him feel oddly exposed, especially since it was the second time in as many days someone had commented on the way he looked at Shadow. He needed to do a better job hiding his reaction to her. If Erebos caught on—assuming he hadn’t already—things would get that much more difficult. Ronan wiped a hand along the back of his neck, trying to laugh it off. “I'm sure plenty of men have looked at you like that.”

“No,” she softly disagreed. “Not the way you did. Not for keeps. Trust me, I wouldn’t be in this line of work if there had been.”

“Why look at me in the first place? You and I had barely spoken a word to each other. You had no reason to seek me out.”

“You turned me down,” she said simply. “That never happens, so I was intrigued.” She lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “Then I saw the way you looked at her, and well... I had my answer.”

“But why help me?”

“Because a man so clearly in love deserves to live long enough to act on it. I can’t give you forever, but I can try to help you have tonight.” She turned playful once more, winking at him. “Let me know if you need any tips on how to make the best of it, handsome.”

Instinct told Ronan there was more to it than that, but now was not the time to press her further. Instead he placed a warm palm on her shoulder and feathered a kiss over her cheek. “Thank you, Camille. I owe you one.”

She waved him away, appearing almost shy as she dipped her head and ran her fingertips along her cheek. “Just promise me you will tell her how you feel the next time you see her.”

Reflecting on Shadow’s lack of memory and nearly glacial reaction to him throughout the day, he didn’t see that happening, but there was no point in mentioning it to Camille. Instead, he gave her a smile and turned toward a stack of crates. Using them as stairs, he sprinted up the teetering pile until he was balanced at the peak. From there, he jumped, grasping onto the edge of the nearest roof. His muscles burned from overexertion after the swim and climb, but he gritted through it and pulled himself up.

He knew the exhaustion he’d feel later was worth it as soon as he spotted Shadow’s hair billowing out behind her like a flag as she darted across the rooftops.

Gotcha.

There were perhaps a dozen buildings between them, with only a couple more ahead of her in the row before she’d need to drop back down to the streets.

Calling on his gift of Air, he all but flew, closing the gap between them as he sprinted and leapt across the rooftops behind her. He only faltered once, landing not on a flat surface as he expected, but a pile of discarded supplies. Thankfully he recovered in time to see Shadow reach the end of the row. She glanced down, her gaze sweeping along the street before she jumped. She hadn’t looked back once, so she had no idea he was hot on her trail once more.

Grinning, Ronan didn’t let up his pace. If he was lucky, he’d catch up to her before she reached the palace. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when he pulled up beside her and she realized she hadn’t ditched him after all.

Reaching the end of the row, he copied her move, checking to make sure it was safe to drop down before jumping over the edge. Though the street directly beneath him was mostly clear, he hesitated. Shadow was nowhere to be found.

He glanced up and down the cobbled path. The palace was situated on a slight hill to his right. As he’d suspected, that crowd he’d been missing filled the streets, nearly blocking the route he’d need to take. Or they would have been if not for the sectioned-off trail down the middle. With his unobstructed view, he should be able to spot Shadow making her way to the finish. Even without it, her hair would stand out like a damn beacon. She wasn't there.

But why would she backtrack with the end in sight?

What game are you playing now, killer?

Dropping down, he caught a distinctly male voice just up ahead. He couldn’t quite make out the words over the not-so-distant shouts of the crowd, but instinct had him walking in that direction anyway. Ronan knew better than to question it, especially once he caught the telltale clank of a buckle being unfastened.

He had no logical reason to assume the worst, but anxiety danced in his veins like a storm drifting in from the horizon. He was coiled, tense, a man on the verge of unleashing something catastrophic.

Finally he was close enough to make out the man’s words.

“So what about it, Shadow? You ready to let a real man fuck that pretty little cunt?”

“B-Ban-nock, I-I—”

The stuttered response had Ronan seeing red. He was no longer a storm on the brink, but a raging inferno. Fury rippled through him, his Fire responding to the instinctive need to destroy. Usually his control over his gifts was absolute, but her soft sob and unmistakable fear shredded it entirely. He couldn’t recall a time in his life he’d ever felt his anger quite this potent and all-consuming.

There was no time to do more than react as he moved into the darkened alley. Spotting the figures, he grasped the larger of the two by the neck and yanked him back. There was a second of recognition as his mind registered Bannock’s stunned expression. Without hesitation, he cocked his arm back, slamming it into the other man’s cheek. He would have shattered bone even without the aid of his Earth-enhanced strength, but raging out of control as it was, his gift turned the already punishing blow into something life-threatening. It was like smashing a piece of fruit with a boulder. The fucker didn’t stand a chance. As soon as Ronan’s fist connected, Bannock went limp, tumbling to the ground and straight into a pile of rubbish where he belonged.

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