Page 63 of In The Dark

“Howler got your tongue?” Rydian asks, his tone light. “Now are you going to let me in? Because I don’t have all night.”

I glare. “Yes, okay. Just… give me your hand.” I flex my outstretched fingers to encourage him to grab it.

“If I smack into that ward again, I might actually kill you,” he warns.

“Hush and give me your hand.”

He finally places his hand in mine, giving me a gentle but tight squeeze when I tuck my chin, wrapping my other hand around his. I hesitate, unsure how to begin.

“Just state your name and who you’re allowing inside the walls of Castle Alvonia. Orin said to do that first,” he says.

“We don’t even know if it’s going to work.”

“Just do it,” he snaps, though the tension in his voice says even he’s uncertain. He adds more softly, “Please.”

I sigh and give it a shot, but our hope is fleeting as we spend the next thirty minutes voicing different ways to access thecastle, leaving us both frustrated. He strides forward again—for the fifteenth time—only for the invisible wall to glow a bright blue, denying access. When he finally steps out of the Veil, his jaw is clenched tight.

I rub my hands together for warmth, the frigid chill seeping into my bones. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow and we can try again? It’s too cold to stand out here all night.”

“You’re doing it wrong,” he says, releasing a frustrated exhale as my eyes narrow. “Focus. State your name and who you’re letting in.”

“We already did that,” I clip. Yet there’s one way we haven’t tried yet. We haven’t stated where we’re letting access—perhaps that’s what we’re missing. Just as he steps back to leave, I snap my hand out to grip his. “Wait. Let me try one more time.”

His brows draw close together before he cranes his neck, checking Silas’s location one last time, then facing me with a nod.

I focus my eyes on the invisible wall, hoping that it works because if it doesn’t, we’re going to have to do this on another day. Or I’m going to end up doing this whole thing myself without help.

I quickly mutter the words, and with a gentle tug, pull him to me and hold my breath. He finally steps through as the ward of Castle Alvonia shimmers gold, rippling around his frame.

A grin lights up my face as I look up at him.

He’s in.

21

Shutting the door behind me,I shiver, shaking off the snow that accumulated on my shoulders. I stride to my wardrobe, then hang my cloak and turn to find him inspecting my room. And I’ve suddenly become self-conscious of the area.

It’s obviously not as grand as his loft, but I love it regardless because it’s mine. The wardrobe clicks shut, and I lean against it, grinning when he catches me staring.

“What?” he asks.

The mantel is not yet lit, giving the room a brisk chill. Although I can’t see him in the dark, I can tell he’s raising a brow just by how the moon lights up the side of his face.

“How’s your groin?” I grin.

He grunts as I walk to the mantel, flicking out a hand to spark the wood, but it’s not catching because my hands are practically frozen.I literally did this yesterday.I huff, becoming increasingly more frustrated.

Rydian walks behind my right shoulder and throws out a hand, lighting the fire instantly. A blast of heat greets me as it lights the chamber in a soft, orange glow.

“Show off,” I mutter under my breath.

“It’s not showing off when it’s basic magic.”

But I stand, dusting off my hands, and startle, realizing just how close he is as I’m met with a hard chest in front of my face. My breath hitches, and I try to recover by backing my way to the whiskey table, looking over my shoulder. I pull the glass cork from my favorite bottle and fill two glasses.

“You need to be practicing,” he states.

I turn to find him sitting in one of the settees with his hood down, leaving me to arch a brow. He normally has his hood up, always placing it back on when we’re together. I just assumed he was trying to conceal his identity without having to muster the energy to shift his appearance.