Page 29 of Taken By Shadows

“Don’t.”

My eyes flared at the challenge. And I knew he read it.

Or what? I thought. Kill me, and he’d never get the faebane he seemed to want so desperately.

That muscle ticked in his jaw, but his grip didn’t deepen. I knew he could bruise me, possibly break me, if he wanted. But there was restraint in his hold.

His blue eyes glimmered in the fae lights as they searched mine.

And then a voice behind us broke the simmering tension. “My Lord? My Lord Kaedian?”

Lord?

His grip on my wrist loosened, and he pivoted with a stiffness I’d not yet seen in him. His face turned from impatient with me to full disdain when he beheld the man standing behind us.

His hand shifted effortlessly from my wrist to lace into my fingers. My hand burned in his.

“Apologies, my Lord. I wasn’t sure it was you. We weren’t expecting you for another few days. And so late at night. And with, eh, company.”

The man who’d spotted us was human, round in the middle and no taller than me. He wore a chain of gold that stretched from shoulder to shoulder and fine leather boots. Nobility.

And he thought my kidnapper was a lord?

I knew privileged lifestyles might dull the body but not the mind. Was he simply enthralled to believe it? And then it occurred to me that I had no idea where the line for a fae with such powers would be.

“Councillor Carron. How pleasant to see you.” He sounded like he was trying his hardest not to knock the man to his arse and just leave.

“Likewise, my Lord. Eh …” He had a flustered air about him, and Lord Kaedian’s presence seemed to be the source of it.

“Your early arrival, my Lord, I trust, is a welcome one?”

He wasn’t leaving.

A tight smile flashed across Kaedian’s lips. “Indeed.”

Tugging on my hand, he motioned us to leave. His eyes flashed to me in a warning to come without hesitation.

I hadn’t spoken, but as if this Councillor Carron had just noticed me, he stopped us, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of me beside the tall male he so feared. “And your lady friend? I trust her trip here was pleasant. Apologies, my dear. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

My abductor rolled his eyes skywards and muttered under his breath. “Prying fool. I’ll string him up by his damned jewellery.”

Neither one of us answered right away.

I wasn’t sure if telling this man anything about me would see him meet the same fate as Locke or Gold Teeth had. The threat to the city guards hung over me like a noose.

Was he going to tell this man that I was his prisoner? I didn’t know what laws this city had, but I would imagine kidnapping someone was against them, as he’d been reluctant to have me bound as we walked. And this man looked somewhat official as he fiddled with the red bauble hanging from his chain.

He wouldn’t kill a councillor. Would he?

There was a beat of silence as I waited. The rain fell around us, and I held my breath. I didn’t anticipate this going well, but indecision froze me to the spot.

But I didn’t expect the words that came from Kaedian’s mouth.

“My betrothed, the Lady Imogen.” A false smile flashed on his face and was instantly wiped away.

My eyes went wide, and my heart skipped a beat. “We are not—”

“Able to stay, unfortunately,” he interjected. “My sentinel, Gavrin, will be waiting for us. Can’t keep a lady out in a storm. It wouldn’t be proper.” Everything he said made sense, in a sort of mocking way. And he was definitely mocking Councillor Carron with his tone. He’d just flown me across the Four Corners and was now worried for me in a storm.