Page 75 of A Vow of Shadows

The door swung wide. I released the handle in time to avoid stumbling after it, but my knees buckled anyway at the sight of Katrin wrapped in only a dressing gown, her hair tied back in a hasty chignon.

My eyes dipped to the swell of her breasts beneath the thin, dark fabric. Her nipples were peaked despite the heat billowing out from the bathing chamber.

“Say something,” she breathed.

My mouth opened and closed as I willed my tongue to form words. I pulled my gaze back to her face, to her eyes, so wide and vulnerable in that moment.

“You never wear your hair up.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Her face fell. It was a blink of pain, of hurt, so quick I might have missed it if my focus hadn’t been wholly intent on her. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I don’t have to hide here.” She glanced down, fingers playing with the lace that edged her robe. “It’s nice. Refreshing, actually. I don’t have to care what anyone thinks of me.”

I dared a step closer, close enough to mark her trembling hands as she feigned composure. “And what about what I think?”

Her head snapped up, teeth capturing her bottom lip.

I licked my own lips, remembering their pillowy softness.

“What do you think, Evander?” She looked up at me through half-lidded eyes.

“I think that you have driven me mad since the moment you halted me at that crossroads.” I closed the distance between us, snaking a hand around her waist as I pulled her body flush against mine. “You are the most captivating creature I’ve ever met, and I would like nothing more than to—”

Shadows danced around us, a frenzied rush of darkness that demanded attention. I cursed. Katrin’s brow furrowed with confusion, and I pulled away with a growl.

“It’s Behryn,” I tried to explain. “He’s—”

“Here.”

Chapter 46

Katrin

The shadows scattered, and Behryn came into view, pale skin glowing in the candlelight. The dark marks across his head and neck stood out in stark contrast to his white and gold suit. He almost looked the part of the white knight, aside from the dark eyes that marked him as a demon.

“Hello, Katrin,” Death growled. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Evander shifted, placing himself between Behryn and me.

“The pleasure is yours alone.” My voice shook despite the steel I’d intended.

Death had come. Death was here. He’d found me.

He smiled, revealing elongated canines. “I’d heard you had spirit. It would be a shame if someone broke it.”

“Is that a threat?” I bit out, finding strength in my anger.

“Not at all.” Behryn stalked closer, hands in his pockets, his gait deceptively casual.

Shadows swarmed to my side, Evander and I islands in a sea of darkness. Why didn’t he reach for me? With his shadows, we could be swept away in the blink of an eye.

“I don’t know what lies Evander has been telling you, but I am not your enemy,” Death crooned.

“Bullshit,” Evander spat.

Behryn’s head whipped to him as though noticing him for the first time. He tsked, bringing one hand to his chest as though pained. “You wound me, Evander. After all I’ve done for you. I think you’ve interfered enough.”

With a downward slash of Death’s hand, Evander fell to his knees.