Page 40 of Taken By Shadows

“Miss Stairlor? Are you listening?” Audrie nodded at him despite the shaking rattling through her still. “Good. You are being entrusted with this because you are one of the very few people I can rely on from home. I can trust you with this, can’t I?”

Somewhere along the way, his voice had softened. He had gone from demanding and dictatorial to charming and coaxing.

He had her.

She relaxed into his voice. “Yes, my Lord. Of course.”

“Good.”

Kaed flung his gaze to Gavrin behind us, and the door opened, ready for us to leave.

“Wait.” I said, refusing to leave. “That tells me nothing about how long I’ll be here?”

I had said by the next moon cycle. But I wasn’t sure we’d actually bargained on that part. In some sense, it didn’t bother me once I could get what I needed out of this place. Or maybe I’d just grow bored with this city and keep moving if I found nothing. I wasn’t used to decadence and marble halls.

Kaed paused as he regarded me. “It doesn’t, no. That depends wholly on you and your mouth and …” He paused to close the space between us again, Audrie already gone to the waiting door. “How loose your tongue gets.”

I smacked him.

I’m not sure who was more shocked at what I did, but none of us moved for a heartbeat.

Kaed tended to his jaw where I’d struck him as though I’d dislocated it. I’d likely hurt my hand more than his fae bone structure.

“You’re a pig.”

“Your mind is just elsewhere. I said nothing.”

“You implied. And I’m not like that. I wouldn’t do that.”

The angle of his brow pointed upwards.

Was he really implying he’d let me go if I—No. I wouldn’t. He couldn’t be? Could he? Maybe it was a stupid line, but I wouldn’t cross it. I wouldn’t sell myself to him.

Realising I wasn’t going to play this particular game, he disengaged and adjusted the perfect cuffs of his shirt. My hand still smarted, but he’d moved on.

“When you give me what I want, you can leave this city. If you fail to before I’m done here, you’ll come with me, tied to Vega’s saddle if need be. We can travel the Four Corners in its entirety looking for it.”

“We already have a bargain,” I interjected.

“A bargain that relies on you providing me with a location for what I want from you.”

I might need to speed up my city exploration if he was trying to imply other ways I could gain my freedom from him. He was a rake. And I wouldn’t beg him for anything. I’m sure there had to be a records hall, a library, somewhere where I could start my search for my parents.

My eyes ticked back and forth, focusing on nothing as I tried to organise my thoughts. And then it struck me.

“There has to be more.” It was a question, but as I said it, I knew it had to be true. It had to be for, my sake. I steadied my gaze at him. “More faebane in the Four Corners? Maybe I can research something in the libraries with Audrie.” My body had already awoken at the chance to research in such a city, to pour over the books and pages of countless volumes and texts I could never have dreamt of.

Audrie nodded behind me emphatically.

But Kaed was pinching his nose bridge again. “Anyone else you’d like to tell about the faebane? Seems you’re just keen to tell anyone and everyone, even someone you just met, about it.” He looked to Audrie. “Everyone, that is, except for me.”

“What else am I going to do while you’re keeping me here? I can hardly pretend to be your intended. No one is going to believe that for a second.”

Gavrin chuffed a laugh behind me. At least someone was on the same page as me.

“People don’t have to be happy to be betrothed. You’ve enough passion in your hands to convince people we feel something for each other. Even if that is loathing.”

I raised my hand to strike him again. But he snared my wrist before I could.