“I never cease to annoy you, huh?” I watch her face while pulling her impossibly closer. “What about know. Is this the exception?”
She swallows and dips her head, not offering me an answer. I smile slightly as I try to get her to speak, a problem I’ve never had to deal with before. “Pae?”
Still no answer.
My fingers catch her chin, gently guiding her gaze to meet mine. There is confusion etched all over her face as she lets out a shaky laugh. “I’m annoyed that I’m not finding this annoying.”
My hand tightens around her waist like it might catch fire from the feel of her. I’m embarrassed by how much this one girl engrosses me, afraid of how affected I am. It makes me feel equally weak and wonderful. Alarmed yet alive.
“Why didn’t you shoot me, Paedyn?”
The question tumbles out of my mouth, curious and quiet. She tilts her head, studying me. “You’re going to have to be more specific than that, Azer.”
Deflecting.
I crack a smile, knowing that she is aware of what I’m referring to. “You could have shot me a few days ago but you fired at the ground. I want to know why.”
She pauses, pondering her answer. Then her eyes are pinned on mine. “Just because I was doomed for death doesn’t mean I wanted to damn you as well.” Her eyes roam over me, and I relish the feel of her gaze.
And then she pulls away.
Her hands are back on my shoulders, stiff and stubbornly unmoving. Then her eyes are on the sky, choosing to stare at the stars rather than me. She sighs through her nose, silently collecting herself.
And I’m doing the same, trying to pull myself together after she pulled away.
Yes, we are opponents. Yes, I am the future Enforcer. Yes, I’m a killer that has no right to want to keep her. But there is something else, something that has her refusing to admit this confusing connection we share.
Plagues, I’m pissed that I admitted it to myself.
My masks are still at the ready, my walls still in place, but she is slowly breaking down both my facades and fortresses. And I’m suddenly angry at myself for allowing it. For allowing myself to care. For allowing myself to think of her in any way other than my competition.
Because she’s made it clear that that is all I am to her.
“Kai,” she says quietly, the sound of my name on her lips ripping me from my thoughts. “I—”
A soft, female voice cuts through her words. “Sorry to interrupt, but you both have something I need.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Paedyn
The voice echoes from all around us. Kai and I jump apart, instinctively swiveling around to press our backs against each other. I squint in the dim light where the outlines of tall, dark figures begin to take shape. A reluctant sigh rings out into the darkness, amplified by the numerous bodies surrounding us.
We’re trapped.
They all take a measured step forward, enclosing us in a human cage of bodies. Dozens of hazel eyes shimmer in the firelight, dark hair and skin gleaming.
Sadie.
“All I want is your bands, and I’ll be on my way.” And then she almost smiles as she looks around at her copies. “Well, we’ll be on our way.”
Kai sighs, seemingly annoyed by all of this. “You knew we wouldn’t give you our bands and yet you interrupted us anyways.”
“Fine,” Sadie says curtly. “Then give me one band and no one has to get hurt.”
My eyes dart to my bow lying a few feet away from me—a few feet away and behind the wall of Sadies. I don’t have a single weapon to use to defend myself and I’ve never felt so exposed. It’s like I’ve been stripped bare. I can almost feel the ghost of my father’s dagger against my thigh, making me wish more than anything that I had it here with me.
Several sets of hazel eyes flick between the two of us, still back-to-back, before locking with mine. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if it comes to that.” She pauses, and her voice is even, unfeeling as she says, “I will if it means I’ll win.”
I’m about to open my mouth and respond when callouses brush my own, gripping my hand behind my back. I nearly jerk at the contact, but Kai pries my fist open, pressing something cool and hard into my palm before curling my fingers around it. Then, just as quickly, his hand is gone.
The thing bites into my skin, pointed edges piercing. I fight to keep the smile from my face when I realize what he’s given me.
A weapon. He’s given me a fighting chance.
It’s a small one, but a weapon, nonetheless. I clutch the throwing star in my fist, not caring if the sharp edges pierce my skin. This tiny object could be the difference between life and death.
The only weapon Kai has is the sword belted at his side, but then again, he is a weapon himself. I’m shocked he didn’t feel Sadie’s power creeping up on us, but I suppose I can’t blame him, considering how distracted I was with his hands on me, his words with underlying meanings, my hammering heartbeat when he gets too close.
I take a deep breath.
Let’s deal with one problem at a time.
“Then I guess you’re going to have to hurt me if you have any hope of getting my band,” I breathe, eyeing the Sadies as they take a slow step forward.
She shakes her head at me, as though disappointed in my decision. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
And then she’s suddenly in front of me, holding the tip of a short dagger to my throat. Before the next thud of my heart, she’s yanked my arm and pulled my back against her chest. The blade she still holds against my throat sinks deeper into my flesh with every shallow breath.
“I’ll only ask once more.” Sadie’s voice is sharp, so unlike the soft tone I’m used to from her. “Give me your leather, Kai, or I’ll slit her throat.”
The prince blinks at the scene before him, looking completely unfazed.
He knows I can take care of myself, and though I’m flattered by that fact, I could use his help at the current moment. Hot blood begins to trickle down my neck, and I will myself to remain calm.
Kai simply shrugs at the threat. “Go ahead then.” He nods towards the blade pressed to my throat. “See if I care. We are only opponents, after all. Less competition.”
I can practically hear Sadie blink behind me. She’s clearly stunned by his lack of concern, especially after seeing the two of us dancing together only minutes ago. I would be stunned myself if I wasn’t so used to seeing his masks—if I didn’t recognize the cold one he’s just slipped on.
She stiffens behind me. “I’m calling your bluff, prince.”
I feel her hand begin to jerk, begin to slice deeper into my skin.
And then I strike.
I slam the razor-sharp throwing star into the soft tissue of her stomach, pushing it deep as I push her hand still clutching the knife away from my neck. She screams and jerks away, sending me stumbling into Kai. Well, one of them. There are now several muscled forms, all mirroring his messy black waves and stormy eyes. He’s taken on her ability.
I ram into his chest before strong hands grip the sides of my arms. When I look up into his face, he has the nerve to wink before saying, “Good work, Gray. I can always count on you and your violent tendencies.” With that, he spins around and drives his sword through one of Sadie’s duplicates.