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“You can touch me. If you like.”
Even in the guise of the guard, his gaze was intense and fixed on me. I reached up to the transparent upper wing over his left shoulder where I’d stitched his wound. But before my hand even landed on the fae wing, my fingertips bumped the rough hide of his dragon-like wing. I wrapped my fingers around the edge of bone, which was entirely invisible, like I was clutching onto air.
I laughed as I slid my palm up the invisible line of his wing. “It’s remarkable.”
He remained silent. But when I glanced up at him, I realized I was standing very close. His breathing was accelerated, but he was still as stone.
I was still holding onto his wing when the illusion melted away to reveal Vallon in all of his magnificence. I might’ve been terrified when I first saw him enter the inn, and even after when he chased me down and carried me away, but now I couldn’t see anything but his masculine beauty—the deep cleft in his chin, the sharp angle of his cheekbones, the softness of his mouth, the radiance of his crimson eyes that looked at me now as if he wanted to devour me.
“A novgala,” he said in that low, deep timbre, “uses shadow and light to cast illusion.”
“But your illusion looked real, not like simple shadows.”
“I am a powerful novgala,” he stated with cool confidence. “I can manipulate shadow and light to the most infinitesimal degree.”
“Is this why you are high priest of your shadow fae clan?”
“One reason. Someone in my position needs many weapons in his arsenal.”
“Why does a priest need weapons? What sort of priest are you exactly?”
He didn’t answer, and I still had my hand wrapped around the upper bone of his wing. For some reason, I didn’t want to let go. I wanted to hold onto him for forever. It was the strangest sensation, but it was a shockingly strong compulsion. To stay as near to him as I could.
“Is that how you won the game of kings and bones?” I asked, realizing he wasn’t going to talk any more about being a priest. Not now anyway.
“Yes. Once we left, my illusion faded, and they could see the rodent skull was sitting on the outer edge of the board, and I hadn’t won at all.”
“So you won me with a lie.”
“I won you with my magick. And if I hadn’t, I would’ve still stolen you away, regardless.” His red eyes darkened, his features drawing tight. “I would never have let that ambassador lay a filthy hand on you, Murgha. You aremineto protect.”
For a breathless second, our gazes held. We were standing so close now I could feel his body heat. “Because of your vow to your father,” I clarified softly.
He didn’t agree or disagree. He simply stared at me with a feral intensity that had my heart rate tripping faster.
Finally, his gaze trailed up my arm where I was holding onto him. “I believe you should get some rest.” His fangs seemed longer, sharper than before. “We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
When I finally released him, he closed his eyes and took a step back. “You can sleep there.” He pointed to the pile of hides and furs.
“Where will you sleep?”
“I’ll keep watch.”
While I was aware that my fear of him had vanished into thin air at some point tonight, he was still a large, virile male. Thoughit wouldn’t do me much good if he wanted to harm me, I still wanted protection of some sort.
“I want my dagger,” I told him with my palm outstretched.
Instantly, he reached back to his belt and pulled it out and handed it over, hilt first. The dagger was small in his palm, and I suddenly became fascinated by his long, clawed fingertips.
By the goddess, what was happening to me?
I took the dagger and slid it into my scabbard at my belt beneath the coat.
“I have something else,” he said softly, opening a pouch on his wide belt. Then he pulled out the thin, gold necklace that was my mother’s.
“Mynecklace,” I breathed excitedly.
“Hold up your hair,” he commanded. “I’ll put it on for you.”
