Page 16 of Shadow Kissed
Weylynn takes a swig of his beer and rubs his hands together, grinning at me. “What do you say, Reya? Ready to show these folks what real dancing looks like?” I laugh as I accept his open hand, and he leads us onto the dance area.
“My brothers a fool,” Weylynn says as he places his hands on my waist, and we join the line of dancers. “She’ll suck every ounce of life out of him until he’s a miserable old bastard drowning in krim and regret.”
I shrug my shoulders. “You never know. She might make him happy.”
Weylynn tips his head back and laughs. “You and I both know that’s unlikely. He doesn’t deserve you, anyway. He took you for granted.”
I sigh as Weylynn spins me away from him and then back into his arms. “We could never have been, anyhow. He’s destined for war and me, well, who knows what my eventual fate will be?”
Weylynn’s jaw tightens, and he grips me tighter than before. “I wish I could save you from your fate. I do.” He pauses, looking out at the crowd behind me. “Why is the Shadow Lord Commander glaring at me like he wants to hurt me?”
I turn my head, following his gaze, and my eyes fix on Raegal. I drink him in. He’s wearing navy blue trousers and a blue tunic with the shadow borne crest on the chest. His raven black hair hangs in his eyes, begging to be touched. His jaw is shaven, and his mouth lifts in a smirk as our eyes meet.
“I think that’s the Lord Commander’s resting bitch face,” I tell Weylynn. “He’s quite an obnoxious person to be around.”
Weylynn chuckles. “Well, he’s certainly getting a lot of interest from the females in here tonight.” He gestures with his head to the room around us and I see what he means. Women throughout the room sneak glances at him, devouring him with their eyes. I watch with avid interest as a girl called Oyla, whowas in the year above me at school, approaches him. I watch their brief interaction, seeing him lean down to hear her before he shakes his head and looks away, dismissing her. Poor Oyla flushes red and hurries away, looking disheartened. I’ve been that busy watching Oyla’s hasty retreat that when my eyes seek him out again, he’s no longer there. I jump when a hand touches my shoulder, and I turn to stare right into the eyes of the very person I was looking for.
“Commander,” I say, pausing our dancing. “Weylynn, this is Raegal. Weylynn is my boss and a family friend.”
Raegal holds out a hand and they shake hands. “May I take over?” he asks Weylynn, who nods his head and gestures with his hand for him to step in, before he exits the dancefloor.
“You dance, Commander?” I say in a teasing tone.
“I do many things, Eretreya Lockwood, and I do them well,” he replies as he places his hand on my waist, and we fall in line with the other dancers. I blush on hearing him use my full name.
“When do you leave?” I ask him. I’m not sure why I do; it’s not like I care.
He smirks. “Eager to see the back of me? We’ll stay another evening and then we’ll head to the next town on our journey before travelling to another two towns and then on to Shadow Valley.” He spins me out and when he pulls me back in, I gasp as he pulls me flush against his body. “Tell me who left you out there.”
I shake my head, looking up at him. “I can’t do that.”
“Why?” he asks, perplexed. “Why are you protecting someone who tried to hurt you?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I’m a great believer that karma will find them and enact the punishment they deserve.” He spins me then comes up behind me, his arms circling my waist as we step backwards, my back to his chest. “You’re causing quite a stir heretonight. I think there’s many a lady here who would like to take a turn on the dancefloor with you.”
He snickers in my ear as we move, and it causes a shiver to run down my body. “They can look all they want, but this will be the only dance I have tonight.” He spins me, so I’m facing him again. I feel so small in his arms, like he could easily crush me if he wanted to. “Why is that boy looking at me like he wants to gouge my eyes out with a hot poker?”
I follow his line of sight and sigh when I realise he is talking about Arkynn. He sits with his chair facing the dancefloor with a krim in his hand, watching me. Compared to Commander Raegal, he looks like a boy. Mayla is nowhere to be seen. I shrug my shoulders, feigning ignorance, and place my hands back on his biceps.
“Is he your lover?”
I chuckle. “No, he most definitely is not my lover.” His comment couldn’t be further from the truth. “Don’t you know Shadow Kissed aren’t allowed lovers. We must remain pure.”
His eyes flare with surprise. “I did not know that. Who made that a stipulation? I don’t recall our king ever mentioning any such requirement.”
I shake my head, chewing on my lip. This is a strange discussion to be having with the Lord Commander of the Shadow Borne’s most elite army platoon. “Maybe he didn’t. Maybe it’s our people that decided it is best we remain pure. Perhaps a virginal sacrifice is more pleasing to your gods.”
Raegal laughs and I watch in fascination as his face lights up. He is a devilishly handsome man, but when he laughs, he is truly breathtaking. “I shall enjoy sharing this news with the king. He will find it amusing.”
The music ends and Raegal bows his head to me. “Thank you for the dance, Eretreya.” He leaves me standing there staringafter him. Why does the sound of my name on his lips send me into a spin?
Raegal.
I stalk back to our table at the back of the room and watch as she weaves her way through the crowd. I see a little boy bound over to her and when she leans down to talk to him, her eyes light up with affection. She looks beautiful tonight. She outshines every other Asen female in the room, but she doesn’t see it. My eyes trail the room until I find the boy who was watching her as we danced.
“Who is the boy over there?” I ask Chief Veles, who sits beside me smoking his tobacco pipe.
“Ah, that young lad is Arkynn, one of our best watchmen. He’ll make an outstanding soldier. He marries his betrothed tomorrow, so there’ll be another night of celebration tomorrow. Have you ever witnessed an Asen wedding ceremony, Lord Commander?”