Page 79 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

Helen’s back straightens, and a buzz of unexpected power zips through the air over our heads. “You dare threaten us? In our own home?”

My fingertips dig into Darius’s arm. His hand presses on mine.

“It is not a threat,” Rian says.

My shoulders sag, only for them to snap tight at his next words.

“It is a promise.”

Velmira, save me. Can this male not antagonize people?

Jason scowls and steps forward, but his mother grabs his hand to hold him back.

Augustus tsks, still lounging in his chair. Though, the muscles in his jaw tic.

“Careful, Prince. Some might consider hiding your location from the king a treasonous act.”

“Some people can kiss my ass.”

I gasp at the disrespect and choke as a shadow tears free from the roiling cloud overhead.

It streaks across the chamber like a bolt of lightning and strikes a man I didn’t know was there.

Not until his body tumbles from the alcove where he’d been hiding and crashes onto the floor with a sickening thud.

I stand frozen, staring at the unmoving form, my limbs numb, my blood gone cold.

Where in the hells did he come from?

16

Silence swallows the room. No one shouts. No one barks orders.

We are all just a circle of onlookers staring down at the fallen man with varying expressions.

Mine is the only one horrified.

I swallow down bile, and healer instincts overtake my fear.

The man lies on his side, facing me with unseeing eyes. No blood spills from the gaping wound in his chest. The flesh is charred, edges blackened, as if the shadow burned straight through skin and bone.

A broken bow sits beneath his body. My lungs constrict.

The dark cloud above shifts, drifting closer to me. The shadows writhe and swirl, and the marks along my arms mimic their movement.

Augustus sighs. “That’s the second guard of mine you’ve killed today.”

My gaze flies from the corpse to the mayor, my scowl deepening at the mask of indifference he wears.

Is he serious?

What kind of leader watches his men die and reacts like he’s discussing the weather?

Rian doesn’t miss a beat. “He aimed a weapon at one of my own.”

“I see.” Augustus’s eyes flick to me, lingering on the dark cloud coiled overhead, before sliding back to Rian. His mouth curves. “You’ll need to temper those displays if you intend to keep your identity a secret.”

“That will not be an issue. We will not be in Virendrell for long.”