Page 240 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

Shouts erupt overhead.

Heavy bootsteps thunder against the deck above.

I tear my eyes off the disconcerting male and look up, shielding my face when dust falls from the beams.

“Ah,” he murmurs as the swirling in his eyes stops. “Right on time.”

“What is it?” I drop my gaze. “Who’s coming?”

“Your savior.” His lips curl into a mischievous smirk, and he holds up a hand, lifting three of his unadorned, long fingers.

“By my estimate, your grand rescue will occur in three…two…” He lowers a finger with each count. “One.”

The cabin door explodes inward with a vortex of shadow.

Wood splinters fly.

In a blur, the white-haired Fae grabs my shoulders and pivots, throwing himself between me and the blast.

I clutch his tunic on instinct and brace for impact.

But the vortex never touches me.

Streams of shadows spin around me and the stranger, pressing close without making contact.

My wide eyes slide up to the Fae’s face.

Any words I might have said die on my lips.

A storm surges in the depths of the male’s sea-green eyes. Waves crash violently, and the undertow threatens to pull me under.

My depleted magic is nestled in my chest, weakened, but that doesn’t stop it from nudging me forward—urging me toward the Fae protecting me with his own body.

I search his stare. “Who are you?”

The stranger’s lips twitch, but the amusement rings hollow. “A male with terrible timing.”

His thumb brushes my arm.

The darkness in my chest flickers, displeased.

“What does that mean?”

He grimaces. “I⁠—”

“That’s enough,” a familiar voice snarls, and my heart skips a beat. “Step away from her, Erik.”

The male’s stormy stare clears.

My head snaps to the doorway.

The shadow remnants zip through my veins while my thoughts muddle when I identify the male sneering over the threshold.

“Rian?” I stare at the Shadow Prince, ignoring how my heart flips, and zero in on the cut along his neck. “You’re hurt!”

I shove against the white-haired Fae’s chest. His hands flex for a split second before falling away.

I rush to Rian’s side.