Page 75 of Taken By Shadows

Focus.

“I let you point that blade at me that day, you know.”

That brought me back to reality. “And that’s what you’re doing now? Letting me?” I purred the challenge at him and pushed a little harder with the key.

He growled low and hungry at my words, and I felt him press into me until the hard shape of his body was crushing into me.

Heat flooded me, and my damn breath hitched, but I pulled back on the pressure of the key to let him speak more easily.

He didn’t shy away from our nearness. The sensation of him etched across my cheeks in burning red.

“I suppose you could leave me here, but …” He let the last word hang between us.

“But?” I tugged on the word.

“You want to negotiate.” He gripped the chains in his hands until they hissed as they burned, and he pulled me impossibly closer to him.

Gods … he felt … excruciatingly divine pressed up to me. In all the right places.

Focus.

I smiled triumphantly up at him.

Kaed dipped his head until the strands of his hair ghosted across my cheek, and said, “I’m at your mercy, Lady Imogen.”

“You want the faebane.” I looked up at him and tried to take a modicum of space from him, but he didn’t budge. “You need it. Your father needs it.” I paused for a beat. “The king.”

Kaed’s eyes flashed.

“It slipped your mind, I assume, to explain that my betrothed is a prince of the Four Corners?” I nearly tripped up on the words. A prince.

The chains that had been pressed to me fell loose around my hips as Kaed released the tension between us. I was still very much trapped though.

“It doesn’t matter what title I have.” His voice was hard, nothing in it but resentment.

“Not eager to wear the Crown of the Corners?”

How had I not noticed Kaed was royalty? It made sense now. The Alabaster Palace not meeting his standards. The way people stared or parted as he entered a crowd. I had thought it was because they feared him. Maybe it was both. Even the way Councillor Carron had been nervous the first night I’d arrived with Kaed.

“Is it your brother then that will—”

“The Crown will never be Hart’s.” Kaed’s words cut a path of ice between us.

“Well, then, as the prince of the Crown, the heir, you would perhaps like to get out of here? And you still want the faebane. And I’m currently the only source of it.” Kaed’s shoulders relaxed a little, and the clink of the manacles rang in the room. He let me continue. “You say I can’t leave, even with our original bargain.”

“You can blame my father for that.” He grinned without humour.

“The council has placed you under city arrest.” Kaed’s jaw tightened at my words. “But …” I started slowly. “They don’t know your father has closed trade yet. Do they?” I assumed it would take a few days for the news to trickle from the North to Viverna. Denora had only been able to warn Kaed as she’d heard firsthand from the king.

Kaed hesitated. “No,” he finally relented.

“So I could leave now, before the city gates close. Without letting you out. With my faebane source. With my freedom.”

Kaed’s wrists shifted against the restraints as he struggled to remain composed. “But?”

“But I owe you my life,” I conceded. His shoulders relaxed an inch. “If I can’t find an alternative source of faebane for you, say, before two moons pass, I’ll tell you where I found it.” His eyes widened. “On the promise of protection for my sister and her family.”

“A strong opener. For me. How is this negotiating?” He raised an angular brow at me as he regarded me, putting a little space between us but not fully releasing me.