Page 46 of Darkness Births the Stars #1
“I would not dare.” Oh, but I did dare, my body flush against his as I moved closer, invading his space.
My powers followed, pinpricks of light slicing through the darkness with the precision of a blade.
My smile was ice coated in honey. “I am just providing an incentive. A reminder that it is in both of our interests to keep certain things—”
“A secret?” He cut me off with a laugh. The rich warmth of it filled the space between us, his eyes sparkling with genuine amusement, his anger evaporated.
“Oh, you devious little thing. I love having secrets with you.” Sharp teeth flashed in a grin, hovering between menacing and enticing, full of unspoken threats and dark promises.
“In fact, I would not be opposed to creating a few more. ”
With a flash of power, he twirled me around in a macabre imitation of a dance, pinning me against the wooden wall, shadowy tendrils binding my wrists above me.
I could have called in my magic to free myself.
Nothing was further from my mind. Instead, I waited in divine eagerness for his next move, the thrill of being at his mercy sending an overwhelming wave of desire through me.
“I could be your dark little secret, Baradaz.”
It would have been easier to resist if Belekoroz had stayed aloof.
But he looked as overcome as I felt, a soft sigh escaping him as he pressed his body against mine, burying his face in the crook of my neck.
The world shrank to the narrow space between us.
The caress of his lips against the sensitive spot below my ear nearly undid me, my head falling back as shivers wracked my body.
His scent, icy darkness with a hint of spice, filled my nose as I instinctually rose to feel him.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” He had switched to mind-speech, whether by design or accident, I didn’t know.
The paths between our thoughts opened too easily, his need for me flooding my senses.
Not that I could deny my own hunger for more.
“How you tasted, how you looked, how you sounded when you came around my—”
A subtle shift in the world’s fabric warned me a moment before the door to the armory wrenched open. The sudden intrusion pulled me back to reality.
“You once said you could show me a thing or two, Belekoroz.” My voice was pleasant as I reached for my powers, freeing myself and shifting a few inconspicuous feet away.
“In training,” I clarified, seeing his confusion.
He hadn’t realized yet who had joined us.
I didn’t need to fake the mischievous smile that lifted my lips.
“This would be an excellent opportunity.” I waved dismissively at the dagger he held.
“You’ll need a bigger weapon than this, though. ”
Belekoroz didn’t answer immediately. He watched Aramaz and the rest of our brethren step through the door, a satisfying flush on his defined cheekbones, his breath still quickened.
“You’re certain you want that?” he sent to me. “I assure you, I won’t hold back.”
“I’m not afraid of you.” I reached for the staff M’tar had crafted for me, its dual blades glinting in the sunlight streaming through the windows. Tanez, in leather armor like mine, greeted me with a nod, her green eyes curious as she glanced at Belekoroz. I kept my expression innocent.
“I know.” Belekoroz’s mind-voice was rough, but he kept his shields impenetrable now, not allowing me to decipher his emotions. “It is one of the things I like most about you.”
“One of the things?” I threw back, watching as he set down the dagger and tested the weight of a broadsword I wouldn’t have attempted to lift.
“Baradaz, you’re already here.”
Distracted by his brother, I gave Aramaz an absentminded smile at his greeting. The king wore armor M’tar had made, silvery metal scales highlighting his broad shoulders, his long, golden hair tied at his nape.
“Brother!” My betrothed’s bright smile upon seeing Belekoroz was painful to behold.
I didn’t need access to Belekoroz’s thoughts to sense his resigned unease as the king clapped his shoulder in exuberant joy.
“How wonderful that you’re joining us today!
” Aramaz moved to me next, sliding an arm around my waist, his smile as warm as his embrace.
“Should we all choose a weapon and train together?”
He picked up a sword similar to his brother’s.
As the rest of our brethren chose their weapons, the three of us left the crowded armory.
We were nearly complete today, with Enlial and Ashur staying closer to Lyrheim as long as the threat of the Kritak persisted. Only M’tar was occupied in his forge.
“You want to go through a few forms to warm up?” Aramaz asked as we stepped onto the trampled grass next to the armory where we trained. The Hall of Earth was at the edge of Lyrheim, away from any danger of damaging buildings or hurting someone during training.
“Really, my love. You are capable of miracles. I don’t recall Belekoroz ever willingly joining us before.
” The king’s mind-touch, the sharp glint of sunshine on water, contrasted starkly with his brother’s dark, seductive presence.
His genuine happiness ignited a flicker of guilt inside me.
I buried it, careful not to project my own feelings.
I refused to be ashamed. Aramaz’s uncomplicated delight only deepened my resolve not to darken it with unnecessary truths.
I was confident I could handle Belekoroz on my own.
“No need,” I said aloud, raising my voice and giving the Lord of Darkness, who hovered at the end of the field as if contemplating an escape, a challenging look. “Belekoroz is training with me today.”
He threw an incredulous glance my way as I advanced, but summoned his armor. Tendrils of Darkness and Air swirled around him, glossy black scales creeping up to envelop his chest and arms.
“You are the most reckless, devious being I have ever encountered.” His voice in my mind carried a mix of irritation and amusement.
“No need to hold back, then, is there?” I moved into a battle stance, twirling my staff, the blades whizzing through the air, my thoughts an open provocation.
To be honest, I was eager to tangle with him, to tumble us both into the magnificent turmoil of clashing steel and pumping hearts.
I suspected there was no area under the Allfather’s sun where I wouldn’t enjoy pitting myself against him.
Even if doing so in front of an audience might not be the best idea.
Not everyone was as oblivious as Aramaz to the tension between us.
Zamani, her scimitars in hand, frowned and whispered to Sha’am as they joined us on the training field, her violet eyes too sharp for my comfort.
None of the others had begun to train yet, every gaze on me and the most rebellious member of the Council.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, my queen.” Belekoroz’s voice warned me he was reveling in this, though his movements stayed relaxed, the point of his sword still aimed downward.
He was sure he would win this fight. All glittering obsidian gaze and smug smile. Arrogant bastard.
I attacked without the courtesy of a warning I would have given every other member of my brethren, so swiftly he barely got his blade up to meet my weapon.
Steel clashed as our gazes did, a wild grin on my lips at his floundering.
It wavered quickly when his eyes narrowed, his counterattack so forceful I staggered back.
Only a surge of power kept my staff from flying out of my hands.
He flashed an icy smile at me. “Told you I wouldn’t be holding back.”
I retaliated with a lightning-quick strike at his head. Our weapons met again and again, our bodies shifting against each other in an all-encompassing dance of violence and grace. It was as glorious as I had imagined. I needed every bit of my skills and powers to keep up with him.
When my brethren and I had begun training, I’d thought I had a natural aptitude for battle, my speed and agility making up for any physical strength I lacked compared to the more muscular Aurea like Sha’am or M’tar.
Now I wasn’t so sure. Belekoroz’s skills were on a different level.
He had spoken the truth: Aramaz had been too soft on me.
The revelation made me snarl and reach for more power to compensate for my lack of ability.
A wave of Darkness answered, glimmering sparks raining down around us as our magic clashed.
Khiraz cried out in shock. Both the Goddess of Mercy and Namtaz, the Goddess of Healing, had joined our training at Aramaz’s direct order, despite their aversion to violence.
Belekoroz smiled, unimpressed by my show of temper.
He drew his shadows closer, hiding behind them.
I gasped as they parted, revealing three identical forms, all wearing the same smug expression.
He had crafted a flawless illusion of himself to confuse me.
With an angry cry, I thrust my staff at the middle opponent’s throat, only to freeze in horror as the sharp blade passed through him without resistance.
The body flickered and vanished, leaving me open for a counterattack.
“You are dead.” The steel of his sword was a cold kiss to my skin as the Belekoroz on the left let it whisper down the side of my neck with a derisive laugh. “I fear you were wrong, little queen. I am the most powerful among us, no doubt about it. And the most cunning.”
The thought that he might be right, that he was not only more skilled in battle but also cleverer, sent violent anger through me. I did nothing to suppress the swell of my powers, a flash of Light destroying his remaining illusion as I shoved his blade away.