Page 78 of Shadow Kissed
I snort. She’s living on cloud cuckoo land. “Have you heard of the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” I point out of the room. “That is what they are doing right now. They don’t want to be your friend, Saveya. They want to figure out your weaknesses and find the right time to exploit them.”
Saveya places her fork down and wipes her mouth with her serviette. “I really am sorry for whatever happened to you growing up that made you so suspicious and untrusting of others, but if you want to survive here, Reya, at some point you will need to trust in others and let people in.” She squeezes my shoulder as she passes me, and I’m left alone with a table full of uneaten food.
Stuff them! I am being honest and if they can’t take the truth, then that’s on them. I pick at my food for another few minutes before I realise I’ve lost my appetite and head to the sanctuary of my room.
Closing the door, I lean against it and sigh. What a day!
I sense him before I see or hear him. Gasping when he grabs a hold of my hands and slams them against the door above my head. When I open my eyes, they meet two black orbs. The silver gone, replaced with nothing but darkness.
“Raegal.”
“Shush,” he whispers, placing his finger over my lips. “What have you done to me? You’re an Asen, and yet I yearn to touch you. To hear you moan my name as you come on my fingers.”
My heart gallops in my chest, thumping loudly in the deafening silence and tension.
His shadows flow from him and grasp my chin, forcing my head back. “I want to mark you everywhere with my shadows.”
I gulp. I should send him away. I should tell him I could never want someone like him. That I hate his kind. I should tell him that his touch disgusts me and that I disdain his very presence.
“Then why don’t you,” I reply.
His mouth is on mine the moment the words are out of my mouth, and I groan at the contact. We crash together, our mouths in a frantic dance. I attempt to pull my arms down to touch him and he slams them back against the door, his black eyes warning me.
“I make the rules, Terror. Are you sure you want to play in the shadows?” he asks me as he kisses down my neck, sending waves of pleasure down my spine and to my core.
“I want to drown in them,” I whisper. My eyes opening briefly to find his.
His lips curl into a wicked smile. “Oh, Terror, you really shouldn’t have said that. I’m going to ruin you.”
31
REYA
He’s gone the next morning when I wake up. I sit up in bed and run my fingers through my unruly hair. Last night was a stupid lapse of judgement. I must remember whose side I am on and remember who the enemy is. I can’t stray from my path just because he is insanely handsome. And every time I indulge in him, hoping it will fan those flames, it doesn’t. My desire for him only grows. Still annoyed with myself, I’m quiet when Orna comes in to help me get ready for the day. I head to the dining room to join the girls, but hesitate at the door. Saveya and the others are already here, chatting together as if they have been friends for years. My old insecurities raise their ugly head.
They’ll never accept you.
Not pretty enough.
Not worthy.
I shake my head, trying to rid myself of this crippling fear. I’m debating whether to retreat to my room and ask for my breakfast to be brought there, when Saveya looks up and smiles at me.
“Reya! Come join us.” She beckons me over with her hand and a genuine smile on her face. “Did you hear where we’re going today?”
I breathe out a steadying breath and holding my head high; I stride into the room with a confidence I don’t feel inside. “Where are we going? Are we leaving the valley?” I ask, intrigued. I long to see more of Asen.
Tyria pats the empty seat next to her. She looks pretty in a sapphire blue gown that compliments her dark skin tone “We’re visiting the orphanage over in Florvisia. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard it’s a beautiful town. There’s supposed to be this breathtaking lake there that has healing properties. Perhaps we can persuade Moryen to take us there after we’ve seen the orphanage.”
I wrinkle my brow in confusion. “I don’t remember seeing this in the curriculum guide.”
“Who cares.” Alora grins. “It’s better than Shadow History and Culture class.”
Everyone laughs in agreement. My mind flits back to an earlier conversation with Raegal. When I voiced my disgust that the Shadow Borne make many Asen children orphans and then expect them to serve them for the rest of their lives. Was this his doing?
We’re all gathered outside the mansion an hour later. Moryen and a few of our other tutors are accompanying us.
The girls from my dorm feel a mix of excitement and dread at the idea of travelling by shadow weave again. I’m getting used to being whisked away by shadows now, given it has been happening so often.