Page 105 of Anathema

He snorted and kept on down the corridor. “Yet, you follow after me to your cell. Wearing my tunic.”

“I chose this cell, did I not? And as for your tunic, I’d have sooner slept in a potato sack, had I been given the choice.”

“You’re welcome to remove it, if you’d like.”

His comment slapped me silly, sending a twitch to my cold thighs, and I cleared my throat. “My point is, I will never fall to my knees for you, or any man, in case that was your expectation.”

“Never said it was.” He gave a quick glance over his shoulder. “I simply said I’d like to see it.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint.” Movement flickered out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to see a shadowy figure disappear into the stone, as if it’d been sucked inside. Halting my steps seemed to catch Zevander’s attention, as he turned around.

“I saw something just now. A shadow slipping into the wall.”

“Deimosi,” he said, unconcerned, and kept on.

I stared a moment longer, and at no further movement, I shuffled after him to catch up. “What are they?”

“Fears left behind from those who’ve died. There’s no place for them in Nethyria.”

“Nethyria?”

“Death. When someone passes, their fears have nowhere to go. They embed themselves.”

Swallowing hard, I glanced back to see the shadows zipping in and out of the stones after us. “Do they … embed themselves in other beings?”

“Only if invited. I suggest you don’t invite them. Some fears are paralyzing.”

The way they moved so fluidly reminded me of snakes, the sight of them setting my nerves on edge. “How do you invite them?”

“By staring too long.”

I snapped my attention forward, refusing to entertain the niggling urge to look again. “They just stay around forever?”

“Not as a general rule, no. They seem content to stay in this castle, though.”

Once we reached the dungeons, Zevander swiped up the key and opened the door to my cage. “You’re certain you’d prefer to sleep down here?”

“As opposed to what? Pacing an empty room with only shadows to keep me company? Yes. If I’m going to be a prisoner, might as well sleep in the dungeons.”

He groaned, stepping aside so I could enter the small cell. “Enjoy, then.” The moment I entered, he closed the door behind me.

“Don’t you feel just a small bit of guilt locking me in?”

“No.” The obnoxious turn of the key emphasized his point.

“Your heart must be the smallest organ you possess.”

“And your mouth must be the largest.”

Oooh, what I wouldn’t have given to smack him across the face!

He hung the key onto the hook across from me. The way he lingered for a moment, staring back at me, left me feeling the need to climb beneath the blankets. I’d never met a man whose stare was more unreadable. In fairness, I’d also never met a man who wore a mask more hours of the day than not.

Without another word, he strode off, back up the staircase.

With a huff, I placed my hands on my hips, looking around the cramped place that I’d chosen to return to. “You’re a fool.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE