Page 20 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

Callan

E motion roiled through him with every step he took as he followed Arianna through her home. He had never been this far south in the continent. The beach by the Black Halls was warm, but not the arid heat of Siofra.

Callan had kept quiet when Arianna had shown up.

The female was …peculiar. He didn’t want her attention, but he had been anxious for any bit of news regarding Tava.

Then to learn she was indeed here, and he’d had to stand there and listen to them all discuss Tula and Razik.

But now that he was finally being led to her, his emotions were all over the place.

Anger that she’d come to him that night knowing she would slip out and leave him in the morning hours.

Relief that they’d made it before the trade.

Anxiety at not knowing what he was going to say to her.

Dread that this might be the last time he saw her.

And now this new urgency. People of his kingdom were being used in ways only the gods knew.

He already knew he wouldn’t be going back to Avonleya with the others.

He wasn’t sure how he’d tell Eliza yet, but he couldn’t do it.

His place was here. With his people. He’d left twice. It was time to stay.

Arianna turned the golden knobs on a set of double doors and threw them open unceremoniously, several sets of eyes swiveling to them.

A male stood at the head of the table. He had to be Arianna’s brother.

He was tall and dark-skinned, the same olive eyes staring at all of them.

A male and female flanked him. Prince Briar and Sawyer were also standing at one side of the table, while Drake and Tava were on the other.

They were all crowded around a map that was spread out before them.

“New arrivals,” Arianna announced, sweeping into the room ahead of them.

There was a flash of golden light, and Jamahl strode beside her in his human form.

His hand fell to his Beta’s lower back as he guided her to a seat near the head of the table before he took up a spot behind her, hands resting on the back of her chair.

“Azrael,” Briar said, relief heavy in his tone. “We had no way to get word to you. We received word of a trap—”

The Earth Prince held up a hand. “We heard. We were met by Death’s Shadow and some seraphs. I cannot decide whose side she is on.”

“Nor can I,” Briar replied grimly. “She seems to be playing both.”

Callan scarcely heard the conversation happening around him. His entire being was fixed on Tava, who was staring back at him with wide eyes. Her fingers went to her throat, searching for an amulet that was long gone, and perched on the back of her chair was a golden owl.

“What is Paja doing here?” Rayner asked quietly. “I saw him last with Scarlett in Aimonway.”

“He appeared this morning,” Briar answered. “Hasn’t left the Tyndells since.”

I have taken measures to keep them protected until we can come for them.

She had sent a spirit animal to keep them protected until she could come for them.

She had already taken measures to protect those she viewed as hers while he had been …

panicking and reacting based on emotion.

It never ceased to amaze him that a girl raised to take life was more equipped than he was to be on a throne.

“I will be back in a moment.”

Her voice tore him from his thoughts, and Callan found Tava moving toward him.

“We leave soon,” Drake argued.

“We were almost done here,” Tava countered. “You can fill me in at another time.”

Her fingers interlaced with his as she passed, pulling him along behind her. The owl gave a disapproving hoot, but stayed put on the chair next to Drake. Razik and Eliza were coming through the door at the same time, Eliza’s eyes narrowing on him.

“Do not do anything stupid,” the general muttered to him. “I have enough to deal with right now.”

Callan sent her a dry look over his shoulder, but she had already turned back to the others, going to the opposite side of the table of Razik.

“Tava,” he said.

She was pulling him down the hall, but she didn’t say anything. She wasn’t in a dress as usual, but instead wore pants and a sleeveless tunic, her boots echoing off the marble floor.

“Tava, stop,” he tried again.

She pushed a door open to what appeared to be a small study, and he followed her in.

He started to say her name again, but she was shutting the door before pushing him back against it.

Then she was on her toes, her mouth on his.

He pulled her to him, one hand on her cheek, his other arm winding around her waist.

“I am sorry,” she murmured onto his lips. “I am sorry, Callan.” Her arms were looped around his neck, fingers in the hair at his nape. Frantic. Frenzied.

He spun them, and then he turned her away from him.

She gasped as he pressed her front against the door.

“I took my anger out on Scarlett, you know,” he said harshly into her ear, pinning her hands above her head with one hand while the other stayed looped around her waist. He was probably being too rough with her, but a part of him didn’t care.

He was angry with her. He was angry with all of them.

He was so godsdamned sick of everyone making decisions for him.

He’d thought she, of all people, wouldn’t do that to him.

Tava shook her head as much as she could. “It was not her fault, Callan. She let Drake and me make the choice.”

“So she said. She tried to defend you. To keep my anger focused on her, to protect my feelings for you. She did a good job of it too,” he continued. The arm at her waist tugged her tighter against him. “You should have told me.”

“I knew you would have tried to stop me,” Tava replied, twisting as he let her break his hold. He saw her own rage filling those ocean-blue eyes. “Are you saying those innocent babes are not worth it?”

“Of course that’s not what I am saying,” he retorted. His hands went to her shoulders, holding her back against the wood of the door. “You are noble and brave and so godsdamn selfless. Sometimes too selfless.”

“They deserve a chance to live, Callan!” Tava cried. “I cannot let them be used because I refused to return to Balam.”

“I know , Tava, but we could have found another way.”

“I was not willing to risk it. You were not supposed to come here,” she said. Tears were welling in her eyes. Hot, angry tears.

“So godsdamn selfless,” he muttered.

“You are not angry with me,” she hissed. “You are hurt by my actions, and rightfully so.”

“Can it not be both?” he countered. They stared at each other, a stand-off of wills.

He spit a soft curse before he said, “You once told me you could not handle only having me when I allowed it. That goes both ways, Tava. I cannot … There cannot be secrets. We cannot go behind each other’s backs. I cannot do that again.”

“I had to do this, Callan. I could not let you deny me,” Tava whispered, the anger flaring in her eyes once more. Gods, she was beautiful like this. When she argued with him, challenged him. He could still see her flinging a teacup across her room in a fit of fury.

“I will never deny you a godsdamn thing,” he said in a low snarl. Then he was kissing her again, hands running down her sides, clutching at her waist, slipping under her tunic. Her head dropped back as he worked his way down her neck. He pulled a hand from her tunic to tug at the ties on the front.

“Callan,” she gasped. “I must go soon.”

“Then we make this fast,” he replied against her skin as his teeth scraped along her collarbone.

He thought she might argue, but she reached for his tunic instead, frowning at the buckles securing his various weapons. “Nothing about this will be fast.”

Callan had never removed weapons from his body so quickly. Tava watched him unfasten buckles and toss daggers aside. Her brow pinched when she spotted dried blood on his arms. “Were you fighting?”

“Some seraphs,” he answered breathlessly.

“Were you hurt?”

“Not by them.” Her eyes flashed back to his. “Nuri showed up. She implied Alaric is using the people in the slums of Baylorin.”

Horror crossed her features. “What?” He moved back to her, all weapons now discarded, and smoothed stray hair back from her face as she blinked up at him. “What are we going to do?”

His hands fell to her thighs, and he hoisted her up against him, walking them over to the settee along the back wall.

“You are going to appease the man that raised you until Scarlett can come for you,” he answered, lowering her to the settee.

“I am going to figure out what is going on in the slums of Baylorin.”

He reached for her feet, quickly unlacing her boots.

“How?” she pressed.

“Still working on that,” he answered, removing her other boot. She lifted her hips when he reached for the band of her pants, letting him slide them down her legs.

“But you will do something, right? You won’t leave them to suffer?”

He stilled, staring down at her. “They will not be forgotten, Tava. They will not be left in the background.”

She surged up then, her arms coming around his neck once more and pulling his lips to hers.

He’d never seen her like this. Urgency with every plunge of her tongue into his mouth.

Hands roaming as though they could not touch him enough.

He reached down, peeling the tunic from her body while she frantically tugged at his.

Somewhere along the way, he lost his own pants, and she was straddling him on the settee.

“I did not wish to leave you,” she murmured, fingers skating along his ribs and down his bare torso, his stomach caving under her touch. “You have to know that. I did not wish to hurt you, Callan, but I could not—”