Page 100 of In The Dark

My hand quickly shoots out, gripping the item to inspect later and shoving it in my pocket. With a smooth motion of my hand, the drawer quietly slides shut as I rush for the double doors and hide behind one as they creak open. My breath catches, too afraid to breathe.

The guards are deep in conversation, clearly unaware of my presence as their conversation doesn’t falter. Just as they step through, I quietly slip into the hall and into the Veil, all within a span of a few seconds. The two guards outside don’t even turn, leaving this adventure a success.

A grin tugs at my mouth right before it falters as awareness prickles my skin at the feeling of being watched. My eyes flickacross the corridor—across the courtyard—as I remain in the Veil, too afraid to suck in a breath for fear of being overheard by the two unaware guards in front of me.

Nothing catches my eye, though, leaving me to quickly travel back to the loft and crawl into bed with Rydian.

36

Rydian stands beside me,concealed beneath the shadows of his hood with Ivy and Ren hovering nearby. Four weeks have passed since we stole the map. Still, we haven’t found a single passageway that could lead us to my mother.

“You’re sure there won’t be any guards tonight?” Rydian asks.

Ren stalks forward with a glare, shoving his dark hair away from his face only to stop a few feet away. The throne room is bathed in complete darkness except for the dim orbs floating above our heads, only bright enough to view our expressions.

King Elion left the castle today, leaving us four days to walk the passages. It makes me wonder where he could be going that requires his presence so often.

And tonight, we’ll be breaking into his private chambers after Ren confirmed that the only wards there are the ones similar to his archives. A chilling unease crawls up my spine, but we should be in and out within ten minutes.

Orin waits outside—concealed in the Veil—watching for anyone coming in through the front, while Ivy and Ren are to guard the doors in the throne room.

Ren’s deep voice quietly echoes in the chamber. “Yes, I’m sure. I just did a perimeter check. They’re mostly focused on his archives right now, but there will be two posted in his private garden near the path you’ll walk down. If you stay in the Veil, they won’t be a problem.”

Ren pivots, holding his palms out in front of him, and the stone on either side of the entryway creates a solid wall over the throne room doors, sealing us inside.

“What are you doing?” I ask quietly.

“I must admit,” Ivy mumbles, stepping to my right, “the Stone Shapers are incredible. I’ve never seen anyone actually use it before though.”

“Don’t feed his ego,” I mumble, leaving her to chuckle quietly.

“I’m just making sure that no one comes in and discovers us. I’ll reverse it once we’re done,” Ren explains, a hint of amusement lacing his tone before he faces us with a controlled expression, eyeing Ivy. “If that impresses you, you should see what I can do against a wall.” He smirks, gray eyes briefly darting to mine. My brows shoot up and I glance at Ivy, who has her arms crossed.

“Not interested,” she clips, turning sharply.

Ren chuckles, moving his gaze away from me, and strides to the back of the room. The door sits to the left, the one Elion uses to get to his chambers, only now it’s sealed shut. I flick my wrist, the orbs dying, leaving us to adjust to the darkened space once again.

My heart lurches to my throat when I’m gently tugged back by my wrist. Rydian gazes down at me, a soft smirk playing on the corner of his mouth before leaning down, brushing his lips against the shell of my ear.

“Is there a reason you’re avoiding me? I’ve missed you…” he says quietly, pulling back just enough to read my expression.

“I haven’t… been avoiding you,” I say, the words tumbling out.

Then my face warms with embarrassment because I have been mildly avoiding him. Even though I’ve comfortably shared his bed almost every night since we arrived from Nymara—drawn to him like static in a storm.

But my emotions remain locked up, away from him, regardless of us frequently tangled in his sheets as the days go on.

I’m afraid I’m only setting myself up for failure, though, after realizing just how much he makes my chest ache. It leaves me no choice but to put distance between us… emotionally.

Something he’s seemed to notice.

Only because whatever’s building in my chest—the way I feel about him—is different. Different than what I typically feel for males of any race, which is pretty close to nothing. I don’t know exactly when I began to feel this way but I did, and I can’t seem to stop it from growing.

King Elion would use it against me, slicing through me in every way possible to get me to yield to him. I’m not entirely sure I could live with myself if something were to happen to Rydian, and it makes me want to flee from Elderheim. And that terrifies me.

But Rydian’s warmth toward me hasn’t wavered—steady and calm in a way that’s both admirable and incredibly frustrating.

“No? Then what is it?” he asks, amusement flashing in his eyes before they turn heated, certainly distracting me from whatever I’m about to say.