38. Katrin

Chapter 38

Katrin

W hen I woke, Evander was gone. I hadn't expected him to stay, but after an all-too-real dream where he'd held me in his arms, his absence hurt more than it should. I'd confessed so much to him last night ensconced in his shadows. I'd felt safe in a way I never had before. The cold light of morning had me reconsidering where we stood. Despite his actions yesterday, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was still a means to an end—a literal ticket to his freedom.

Sitting up in bed, I jolted as my two shadows detached from the wall, one flying through the beaded curtain to the other room. The second—Inky, I thought—turned down the linens so I might swing my legs over the side. I froze as a bolt of pain shot up my leg and reconsidered going back to sleep.

The beads parted and Evander slipped through, no doubt alerted by my shadow guard. I glared at Storm who followed in behind him. At least he had the good sense to appear chagrined. When the shadow sidled up to my side, I gave it a sidelong glance before nodding subtly. It was my fault for forgetting that they answered to Evander first. I couldn't fault their loyalty.

Evander watched our exchange with mirth sparkling in his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. He knelt to inspect my leg, and I flinched away with a wince, suddenly self-conscious.

"Fine," I answered quickly.

"Does it hurt?"

Faster than I could avoid, he caught my foot in his sure hands. I hissed as he probed it with gentle fingers.

"A bit," I admitted.

Releasing my foot with a nod of understanding, he rose to his full height, towering over my position on the bed. For once, his intimidating presence was tempered by an easy smile.

Perhaps I hadn't dreamed our late night entanglement.

"Sam has made a salve for your wound and procured fresh bandages. When you're ready, we can clean and redress it."

I nodded, at a loss for words. When he reached out his hands, I took them without hesitation. Lightning sparked through my body at the contact. The pain in my ankle became a distant memory as he helped me to my feet.

Chest to chest, my breath caught. I lifted my face to his and found it a mere handbreadth away. This close, I could make out the color of his eyes, not black as I'd originally thought, but darkest brown, warm and deep. He hadn't shaved, and I itched to run my fingers over the stubble. I probably would have had my hands not still been clasped in his.

My attention snagged on his full lips. I marveled at the way they turned up at the corners.

What a strange time to be happy.

But even as I thought it, I felt my own mouth curving. It occurred to me that I would very much like to kiss him.

That thought was like a bucket of cold water. I jumped away and was instantly reminded of my injury as my leg buckled with the sudden movement. Evander's arms were around me before I had the chance to fall.

"I've got you," he whispered, sweeping me off my feet like a hero in one of my books.

With those words, I melted, unable to resist pressing a kiss to his cheek. He looked at me sharply, surprised but not angry. Heat crept up my neck, and I turned my face away, embarrassment following swiftly on the heels of my brazenness.

I caught my reflection in the window and gasped. Evander's arms tightened around me, and I shook my head to ease his mind.

He'd mentioned my mark spreading last night, but I'd thought little of it at the time. It had been slowly taking over my body for almost a decade, so some growth was not unexpected. I did not expect to see more than half my face lost to darkness.

"It's not that bad," he muttered into my hair, guessing the direction of my thoughts.

"It doesn't matter." It didn't. It never had. Secretly, I had a fondness for the way the shadows transformed my skin. The way they sharpened the planes of my face and acted like camouflage in the night. They made me feel dangerous, beautiful, powerful. But how I felt was irrelevant when society refused to accept, or even acknowledge, a woman marked by Death.

"You're still beautiful."

His declaration startled me, as out of character as the now-constant smile upon his face. I whipped my head back to his, expecting to find some hint of mockery in his features, but his eyes shone with sincerity and something else I wasn't ready to acknowledge.

"I know." I'd meant to say I was surprised someone had noticed, but my mouth had another idea. Of course, if anyone was capable of seeing beyond the shadow of death, it would be the Master of Shadows himself.

Evander's attention dipped to my lips, and I knew no one had ever looked at me with such heat in their eyes. For a moment, I considered how it would feel to close the short distance between us and press my lips to his.

My kissing experience was limited to the quick, stolen peck with James Haywynn in my father's garden before I'd been marked. The giddiness of an adolescent infatuation was nothing compared to the heat now pulsing through my veins.

His gaze found mine, an unspoken question in the angle of his brows. I parted my lips, prepared to answer, when the beaded curtain clattered behind us.

"She lives."

Sam's timely entrance shattered the spell that had woven between Evander and me.

I shot him a wry look over my shoulder. "Your concern is noted."

He smirked, taking in our cozy position. When his mouth opened to comment, I silenced him with a glare.

"Ooh! Kitty has claws!" Sam mimed a cat scratch and hissed.

"And a sharp tongue," Evander added.

"I'd like to see what else she can do with that tongue."

Several things happened in the span of a breath, but I watched the scene unfold as if in slow motion.

Evander turned, placing his body between Sam and me. With efficient gentleness, he placed my feet on the floor then whirled to face Sam. At the same time, two shadows flew at Sam, pinning him to the wall and holding him spread-eagle.

"The next time you want to disrespect her, I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to Behryn's hounds," Evander said, his voice lethally calm.

I shivered at that tone, the reminder of just who I'd been flirting with so casually.

Silence stretched, and I held my breath as I waited for Sam to kick us out, or worse, fight back. I didn't know the extent of his power, but I had no doubt a battle between two reapers would be catastrophic.

But Sam didn't fight back. He laughed.

"There you are, Van," Sam chuckled.

I blinked at his good humor, stepping around Evander to get a better view.

"My apologies, Miss Kitty." Sam winked at me, and the shadows around him tightened. "I was just testing a theory. You can call off your dogs, Van. I'll leave her alone."

"Don't make me regret this," Evander growled. The shadows shrank, releasing Sam. He held his hands up in surrender, his smile a slash of white against his dark skin.

Evander, seemingly satisfied by this reaction, turned and lifted me back into his arms. He carried me to the main room where he and Sam cleaned and redressed my wound. True to his word, Sam remained a silent participant until the angry, red flesh was completely covered.

"You're off then?" Sam asked.

My head whipped to Evander, shock warring with relief. "We're leaving?"

" I'm leaving," he clarified.

"What?" My voice came out as a squeak.

"You need food." The way he said it reminded me that I was the only human among us. They were both other with none of the same needs as me. Though Sam clearly enjoyed both smoking and drinking.

"And you're just going to, what? Leave me here?" He wouldn't, surely. There's no way he planned to leave me here with a veritable stranger who didn't even like me half the time.

"You're safer here," he insisted.

I dropped my voice and leaned in close, giving Sam a sidelong glance. "I'm safer with you."

"I'll be back before you know it." Evander retrieved his cloak from where it hung near the door. As he draped it over his broad shoulders, he instantly transformed to the Ferrier.

Easing to my feet, I hobbled after him. I'd jump in the carriage if I needed to. He wouldn't leave me here.

"You'll only slow him down." The voice of reason had never been more annoying. I glared at Sam, the gesture becoming something of a habit between us.

Sam grabbed his chest, face contorted in mock pain. "If looks could kill, Kitty Kat."

Evander opened the door. Beyond him there was no carriage, not even a solitary horse.

"Where is the coach?" I asked, alarm pitching my voice higher.

Evander turned, hands tucked casually into his pockets. Only the muscle feathering along his jaw revealed any hint of the same distress I felt in being separated. "It was too conspicuous. I sent it back to the manor shortly after we arrived. No reason to alert Behryn to our location. I can travel faster without it."

As if proving his point, the shadows deepened around him.

"My deal is with you, not Sam."

"Your shadows will remain to protect you in my stead."

Inky and Storm floated to my sides, flanking me like the guards Evander claimed them to be.

"It is day," I said, stating the obvious. "Where will you go?"

"There is food still at the manor." He had an answer for everything.

"It can wait. I'm not even hungry." I wasn't. In fact, I became nauseated at the thought of food.

"You've just been through a major ordeal. Your body is running on stress. You must eat. Starving will not keep you from Death."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Sam spoke first.

"You may want to remember, Kitty, neither Van nor myself are strangers to starving bodies. I think I can speak for both of us when I say we have no interest in seeing you suffer in that way."

"So you'd prefer I suffer in other ways?" I was being dramatic, but I didn't care. The thought of being separated from Evander made my skin feel too tight.

"In this instance," said Sam, "I do believe I'm the one who is suffering."

Evander stared at us both incredulously then focused his gaze on me. "Your shadows will remain in communication with those traveling with me. Should anything go wrong—for you or me—they will alert the other."

The knot in my stomach eased at that knowledge. Evander's eyes met mine, unflinching. He had weighed both options and decided leaving was worth the risk. Somehow I knew, if I asked him to stay, he would, but I had placed my life in his hands. I needed to trust him.

My stomach rumbled an untimely growl, and I relented. "Fine, but I don't like this."

"Your opinion has been noted," said Sam, stepping close and draping an arm over my shoulders. "We'll be just fine."

Though he addressed the latter part to Evander, his attention slithered along the marked side of my face.

Evander flicked a wary glance from my face to where Sam touched me. I kept my expression neutral, biting back the urge to jam my elbow into Sam's ribs. With a curt nod, Evander turned, the sweep of his billowing cloak like a wave goodbye. The shadows engulfed him, and he was gone.