Page 19 of Taken By Shadows

Tugging on the reins of her mount as it shuffled, the female levelled her gaze on me, her wide eyes boring into me. Searching.

After what felt like long minutes, she tore her eyes from me with one final penetrating look. “Kaedian, what are we doing here?”

The dark stranger looked up to the female on horseback.

She lifted a brow and waited.

Gold Teeth had scrambled to his feet, but he couldn’t dislodge his hands from where they were riveted down by the dagger and now the arrow.

The dark stranger smiled.

The female just rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” The stranger’s ringed hand flew to his chest. “I left my blade here. How careless of me.” He pulled the dagger from Gold Teeth’s hand with a disgusting wet noise as the blood poured from the hole it left.

He crouched next to the cowering man with deliberate slowness.

Gold Teeth was doing his best to pull his arrow-pinned hand free now with his ruined one, but it was a mess of blood, slick and sticky.

Without warning, the stranger landed his sword blade right down on Gold Teeth’s wrist.

The severed hand, still impaled by the bolt, lay limp in front of a screaming man.

At least both hands were free. I couldn’t pity him. Unease threatened, but I actually felt a sense of satisfaction at his dismemberment.

“Finish this,” he said to the female who was already knocking another arrow.

The stranger’s chest came to block any sight of what was happening.

I tried to shut out the sound of the gore around me as I looked into depthless eyes.

“What’s your name?” His face searched mine like there was more to the question.

I was a mix of horrified and relieved. Should I also have felt fear? Maybe I did. Maybe he did frighten me a little. But he’d also just saved me. However brutally he’d done it.

Would he hurt me next?

But I felt captivated by those oceanic eyes. Too captivated to run.

It was a difficult knot of emotions to untangle. A brutal and beautiful stranger had just saved me from a fate I didn’t want to think about.

But now I was standing face-to-face with a killer. He’d taken down Locke like he was nothing more than a lamb to slaughter. And he’d seemed to enjoy maiming Gold Teeth. It felt like it was some sort of twisted gesture proffered to me.

I hadn’t yet looked to see what had happened, but there was silence from behind the stranger now. I tried to peer past him, but a slender, ringed finger guided my chin back.

“What’s your name, peach?” he tried again.

“Imogen.” I exhaled like I’d never said my name out loud. It felt new on my tongue as I said it to him.

“Are these really yours?” The adamyte crystals looked small in his open palm. I went to take them, but he pulled his hand back and closed his fingers around the shards.

“Those are mine. Yes. Now give them back.” Was he trying to rob me too? Great. A demonically handsome thief.

“Where did you get them? Did you find or buy them?” He was examining a shaft against the growing twilight sky. Tilting his chin up only highlighted the staggering planes of his cheekbones and jawline. “Or steal them for yourself?” He levelled a penetrating gaze at me.

I couldn’t tell him—or anyone—where I found the adamyte. To get to that part of the Banes would take anyone right through Shadowfall. And I’d just seen this male cut down a beast and a monster like it was child’s play. He would tear through my home with a single swing of his sword.

I could lie, I suppose.