Page 39 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

I was met with a wall of darkness. These shadows were unrelenting. Cold and biting. I knew immediately it wasn’t Kessara’s shadows. They didn’t feel right. And if there was another shadow wielder in this castle, that could only mean one thing.

I tried to walk into the shadows to wherever Kessara was, but the shadows were unyielding. Like a wall of bricks with teeth. “Kess,” I called, keeping my voice calm even if I didn’t feel it in that moment.

As if hearing me, more shadows surrounded me.

These I did recognize. They were still cool, but softer somehow.

They moved me, bursting me through the other wall of shadows, and placing me beside Kessara within the others.

I didn’t hesitate to use my power to flood the shadows and area around me, bringing a little light to the situation.

There was Kessara and her seething ex-lover standing across from her, after having shoved her into a nearby wall with his shadows by the looks of it.

Nah. We didn’t like that. Not even a little .

Owen? Jorah asked immediately. What’s wrong?

The ex has arrived, was all I had time to get out. I also pressed a small button on my watch, one which signaled to the teams that another team member was in need of back up. Something I could do which would alert Miles along with everyone else.

I looked at the man before me, standing in his shadows but lit up with my green magic bouncing around like lightning.

He was slender, blond hair styled up perfectly.

Pristine suit and tie. A large emerald ring on his pointer finger.

Where he was all sharp angles, I was bulk.

As I suspected, we looked nothing alike.

I was fairly certain Kessara’s thighs were now bigger than this man’s.

The man looked me over. If looks could kill, I’d already be dead.

“Raikes?!” Miles called out, worry all over his tone.

“Just a moment,” I told him, trying to sound utterly unbothered.

It was the way Kessara reached down with her hand toward me, gripping onto what she could reach, which was my pants at my thigh, and squeezing hard that had me sliding in between them, covering her with my body.

I reached behind me and took her hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze.

My magic flared when I noticed her hands were shaking.

Whether she was shaking from anger or fear, neither option was acceptable.

I put all my attention on the man before me, taking care to choose my first words. “I believe you’ve already met my wife .”

The shadows pulsed against my magic. I didn’t buckle. It was like the way I had encased the shadows before in sparring with Kessara, but this time we were all standing inside them.

I cocked my head. “I’m Commander Owen Raikes. And you have exactly three seconds to get your power away from my wife or I’ll consider it an act against Wylan itself.”

Royal politics were not new to this man. I knew it to be one of the only languages he fully understood. So I wasn’t all that surprised when his power dropped, Kessara’s along with it .

“If you wanted to drop in, there was no need for dramatics,” I told him.

Calix ignored me. “Kessara?”

“Yes?” Her voice sounded strong. Sure.

“Tell me this is a sick joke,” he blurted out. “I show up here to see what Damek did this time, what had you running scared. And this man says he’s married to you.”

“It’s true,” she snapped. “I’m married.”

Calix took two heaving breaths. He was angry all right, but also at least attempting to not start a war. “You can’t be.”

She held up her hand from around me, where I still stood between them. “But I am.” She showed him her ring.

“You bonded to this ? This man?” His nostrils flared.

“I—” she shook her head. “Not yet. We will. There just hasn’t been time. We did the wedding ceremony and will do the bonding soon since training is on break.”

He somewhat calmed at that, even as he took in the huge ring on her hand. “ Zara . Three months. You disappear for three months, head off to Wylan, and wind up married? Are you kidding me?”

“Watch your tone,” I warned.

“Undo this,” he snapped to me as he swatted the air. “Whatever this is. She was betrothed to me first. She will bond with me.”

Miles unsheathed his sword. “Talk to the commander or his wife like that again, and you can find yourself in a cell. Or worse.”

Calix inhaled deeply as he again swatted the air, multiple fancy rings across his dainty fingers. “Unbelievable.”

“She never consented to a betrothal with you,” I added.

He didn’t hesitate. “You sure about that?”

I looked at him right in the eyes, around his obnoxiously high nose.

“This can go one of two ways, Calix. Miles here can deliver you to a room. You can get some sleep and we can all speak like adults before the king and queen of Wylan. Or you can keep insulting my wife and wind up in a cell for an indeterminate amount of time. So, which is it?”

The shadows seemed to want to rush to him, so I knew he was good and mad. But I wasn’t in a hurry, so I waited him out.

“This isn’t over,” he spit. And to Kessara he added, “Do you really think it’s this easy? To get over what we had? To what? To marry this jackass? This nobody from Wylan? We both know you haven’t bonded with him yet for a reason.”

I had to hold Kessara back now.

“He is twice the man you will ever be.” Kessara’s veins were lit up, likely with her rage.

Jorah and Krew must have called in some help also because all of Team Four running guard duty arrived in the hallway. In force.

“Commander,” the lieutenant called.

I knew he was wanting me to make the call on what to do with this absolute piece of trash. I looked to Calix. “What will it be?”

The silence settled in, and with every ticking second, I felt Team Four readying for blood.

“I will wait for the meeting before the king and queen of Wylan,” Calix finally stated. “Only so I can figure out how to undo this.”

“Afraid there’s no undoing it,” I told him. “It really would be too bad if an Agrian delegate such as yourself committed an act of war on Wylan soil and found yourself unable to return home.”

“Your threats do not scare me,” he glared.

I shook my head. “Not threats. Facts. Should my wife find herself cornered in your Enchantment again. That would be an act of war.”

“And should I go missing, that would also be an act of war.”

“Oh good, we have an understanding.” Could my voice hold any more sarcasm? “See you in the morning.”

“What wing of the castle should I deliver our Agrian delegate to?” Miles asked me. “Closest to the mountain, I hope. For... ease of transfer.”

I rattled off the old delegate wing location. It was farthest away from both Valanova brothers and easy to watch. There were no escape routes out of that room either.

“You got it,” Miles told me.

The next hour was filled with hurried plans.

We met with Krew and Jorah. Artem and Amos were put on lockdown with a team of four men staying on watch.

Four men who would be in the room with Artem, not outside it, and never leave him.

Amos said Artem didn’t look excited about being babysat, but considering the evening’s events, he didn’t complain.

I was insanely glad we had the foresight to keep him away from the celebration tonight just in case.

Calix had likely waited until dark and made his way into the castle.

Adrenaline was still fueling my veins by the time we made it to my room. Calix was here. My enemy had finally reared his pretty face. No more waiting, the dance of battle had begun. One I had no intention of losing.

I shut the door to my room, knowing damn well I would not be getting to sleep anytime soon as I said, “We’d better get some sleep. We have a busy day tomor?—”

I cut off as Kessara grabbed me, her hand reaching around my neck. Before I could form a thought more, her chest smashed into mine as she kissed me.

I didn’t know what the hell this was, or where it came from, but I was here for it all the same. So I did what any sane man would do: I kissed her back.

I pulled her in even closer and traveled my hand down her bare back.

Something I had wanted to do all night. She shivered beneath my touch.

But that shiver reminded me of the way she was almost shaking before Calix.

Reminded me of the way the night had all gone to hell. Why it had all gone to hell .

Kessara pulled back as if sensing my hesitation.

But before she could walk away, I reached out and grabbed her wrist, gently stopping her. “Kess.”

Her eyes filled with tears before my very eyes. “He’s going to kill you. He’s going to kill you because of me.”

“He can try,” I told her, moving a step forward to that enticing place where we started.

“I came here for help, not to get another person I care about killed!”

“I’m not worried about that,” I said gently, resting my other hand on her waist. “But explain to me what the hell that was?”

“That was... well, that was a bad idea. I’m—I’m not used to people defending me.”

I cocked my head. “You don’t owe me a damn thing, honey. People should’ve been standing up for you your whole life.”

A tear slipped out of her eye. “I meant what I said down there. You are twice the man he will ever be.”

I reached to wipe it away. Her eyes had never been so blue as they were in this moment. Then again, I was rarely this close to them, which was a damn shame.

She finished, “I’m merely proud of the man I married and got a bit swept away.”

Her word choice reminded me of what she said about her family. “But you don’t belong under a rug.”

She smiled at me as another few tears broke free.

“Kessara,” I snapped, pulling her into me, wrapping one arm around her, the other sinking in her hair. “I’ll be your bad idea whenever you’d like. He just can’t be the reason this goes real, yeah? Do that because of you, not because of him .”

“I’m sorry I keep needing saved,” she whispered from where her head was tucked into me, in no hurry to move away. “I feel so indebted to you all. And if Calix is here, that means we will have to go to Agria soon. This is supposed to be your month off. ”

“So take me on an adventure, Princess.”

We stayed that way as the seconds ticked on, blending into minutes. Finally, I told her, “You need to get some sleep. I’ll be here the whole night through.”

She nodded and pulled back, the tears thankfully gone. “Okay.” She turned sideways and lifted up an arm. “Can you help me with this zipper though? Molly was supposed to help me once we got up here, but after the meeting?—”

I held up a hand and cut her off. “Say no more.”

I moved forward, laser focus on the zipper and zipper only. Not on how easy it would be to get lost in one another. To forget all that hung in the balance. To truly be husband and wife, even if only for a night. I slid the zipper down and she held the dress tightly to her body.

I stepped back, only to find her looking at me in the same way I was looking at her.

“Go change,” I demanded. “Before I make you forget how to say his name.”

A phantom smile graced her lips. “Which way exactly is that supposed to sway me, Commander?”

The urge to remove the dress from her was weighing on me. “Not sure,” I admitted. “Could go either way.”

She laughed before heading to change.

I took a turn changing and crawled into bed next to her.

“Goodnight,” she told me simply.

“Kessara?”

“Yeah?”

I let out a sigh. “I understand that you can see just fine in the dark, but if there is a shot in hell I get even a wink of sleep, can I somehow feel that you are still here next to me?” Was I honestly asking to hold her hand right now?

There was being vulnerable and there was being needy.

I was fairly certain I was all the way across that damn line .

But without another word, she scooted closer, turning so her back was pressed against my chest. Then she reached behind her and grabbed my arm, tucking it around her. “Better?”

“Yes.” But also no. This was another bad idea. How was I supposed to shut this off or turn away from her when this was exactly what I had wanted? Her body lined up to mine.

It was that moment I decided Molly was right. I was only a few weeks in, but fake relationships were proving difficult to keep. There was keeping up appearances, and then there was just keeping.