Page 44 of Shadow Kissed
“What are you doing?” he asks me, looking intrigued.
“Ripping the damn thing. Maybe if I rip all her fine dresses, she’ll give me some leather trousers to wear.”
“You rip that dress, Miss Lockwood, and I’ll ensure you have nothing but a wardrobe of plain, itchy woollen dresses!”
My gaze snaps up to find Moryen standing in the doorway to the dining room. “We have guests dining with us tonight. Please behave like a civilised lady and put the dress down.”
Begrudgingly, I release the hem of the dress letting it fall back around my ankles, as I glower at her. Just as I’m about to retort that I have no desire to be a civilised lady, Raegal surprises me by taking a hold of my hand and placing it on his arm. Leaning into my ear, he says, “Does it help any if I tell you the colour of the dress suits you, Eretreya?”
I’m struck speechless at first, and I furrow my brow. “No, not at all,” I respond flatly, causing him to burst into laughter, captivating my attention. “You were gone all day.”
He winks at me. “Did you miss me?”
“Not at all,” I repeat, and he smiles again at my answer.
“How was your first day at the mansion?” he asks, as he guides us towards the open double doors into the dining room.
I frown. “I had a tour of the mansion and found out that I’m not allowed anywhere near the training grounds. How am I supposed to train?”
“And what is it you are training for, exactly?” he asks quietly into my ear as we enter the dining room, and I notice three males have joined us for our meal this evening.
“Why, to stab my future shadow husband in his cold black heart, of course,” I say with a sickly-sweet smile.
He smirks in amusement as he pulls out my seat and waits for me to sit. “So violent,” he replies into my ear as he pushes my chair under the table.
“Lord Commander, it is good to see you back on Asen at last,” barks the large man opposite. He looks to be around middle-aged and has a groomed dark moustache and a head full of tightly curled dark hair.
What does he mean, at last? Raegal side-eyes me, feeling my attention on him.
“King’s orders,” he replies dryly, as he takes his seat beside me and waits for the serving girl to pour him his drink.
“I hear you have a new batch of Asen recruits heading here? This is good news. We need them trained up and out on the battlefield as soon as possible,” the man says as he swishes his amber coloured drink around in the glass in his hand.
“Gentleman, are we going to talk war at the dining table?” Moryen asks them, a polite smile on her face.
The moustached man clears his throat and smiles apologetically her way. “My humble apologies. We are, of course, honoured to be in the company of you and two of our cherished chosen ones.” His eyes fall on Saveya and then on me.
“Let me introduce you to Saveya and Eretreya. This is Captain Loring, Captain Farran and Colonel Graybane.”
I nod my head in greeting at the three men. The two captains are Asen, and the colonel is Shadow Borne, his grey eyes giving him away.
“Are you ladies excited to be here?” Captain Loring asks us.
“Oh yes,” Saveya gushes, smiling. “The mansion is so beautiful, and the onyx mountains here are beyond comprehension.”
Captain Loring nods his head, smiling in agreement. “I couldn’t agree more. If you think this is beautiful, just wait until you see the Shadow Realm.”
“I assumed it would be a dark and foreboding place,” I say, airing my own thoughts aloud. I swallow when I find Moryen’s critical gaze upon me. “It is, after all, the Shadow Realm.”
Colonel Graybane laughs at my comment. “It is understandable you would think that, but our realm is quite beautiful. If ever there was a realm that was dark and foreboding, that would be the void.”
My attention spikes at his mention of the void. “You’ve been there?”
He nods his head as he leans back and waits for the server to serve his food. “I have indeed, before their king abandoned us and closed off his realm and the vital resources it held that were helping us to beat the Flame King.”
“What was it like?” I ask him, leaning forward in my seat, eager to hear more about this mysterious realm that people only whisper about.
He grumbles as he considers my question. “Dark, there’s no sunlight there, just eternal night.”