Page 41 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

“Another round of ale for us all, and two bottles of your finest whiskey with some glasses, please.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Oh, and Lucille?”

She paused, whipping her hair around.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a set of dice, would you?”

She nodded, and Declan settled into a satisfied smile as she left our table to retrieve our order.

“Ale and two bottles of whiskey? I fear my liver may not survive the night,” I winced, partly joking, but also remembering what happened the last time that I’d had my fair share of whiskey.

Everyone laughed, then they got swept away in conversation. Declan leaned down close and whispered into my ear. “Wildfire, just relax and be yourself tonight.” His tender gaze assessed my doubtful one as he tucked my hair over my ear. “I’ll take care of you.”

Be myself. Sadly, I didn’t even know how. Twenty-three years of life and I was still trying desperately to figure that out.

Lucille dropped off our ales, whiskey, glasses and dice. The men poured whiskey into glasses and slid them in front of us all. Killian rolled the dice between his fingers. “I should probably explain the rules to Elena, eh?”

“Of course, you brute,” Clara said, slapping Killian in the shoulder. Nayla caught my expression at the same time, both of us sharing an amused smile.

“Yes, please explain, you brute,” I said, causing both Killian and Clara to blush.

“Okay, Freckles. The object of the game is to roll even numbers. You roll anything else, and you’ll have to take a sip of your whiskey. If you run out of whiskey, well, you can start sipping your ale. Got it?”

Dear gods, I really might not walk out here alive.

“Got it,” I declared with all the false bravado in the kingdom.

Declan, Killian and Liam all exchanged a mischievous glance.

“I propose that we put a wager on the game,” Declan proclaimed. Both Killian and Liam raised their glasses in approval.

“Why am I not surprised?” An annoyed sigh followed Nayla’s words. “Alright, what is your wager, gentlemen?”

Liam and Killian both looked towards Declan, waiting for him to make the decision for them. “Ladies versus men. The best of five rounds wins.”

“Seems too easy.” She folded her arms as she lifted her brow. “What does the winner receive?”

Declan leaned back, stretching both hands behind his head, taking his time to ponder the request. All our gazes were locked on him, and I lifted my glass of ale to take a long sip.

His malicious gaze shifted to mine, causing me to inhale my drink.

Mirth spread over his face as I cleared my throat a few times to recover.

“If you ladies win, the three of us must get up in front of the entire tavern and do a little song and dance for everyone. If we win, you all dance with us for the rest of the evening.”

Killian’s face went pale. Either he wasn’t the best singer or he’d realized he might have to dance with Clara.

“Deal.” Nayla said.

“Ladies first,” Declan placed the dice in my hand.

The dice shook between my anxious hands for far too long. Tension formed on everyone’s faces. I finally let go and watched the dice as they rolled to a painfully slow stop.

“A six?” Liam grumbled. “Damn beginner’s luck.” Raising their glasses to their lips, they begrudgingly took the first sip.

Killian was up next, rolling a three. Clara rolled a five, Declan a ten, and finally Nayla rolled a two. By the time we made it through our first round, the burn of the whiskey had awakened my body. We also all had to refill our glasses.

It was a thrill, as I hung on the edge of my seat with each roll of the dice.

The night lingered on, and we eventually made it to our second bottle of whiskey.

The stakes were high; we were tied four to four.

Anticipation tingled all around me, and we all went still as Declan prepared to take his turn.

As he shook the dice, my heart began to beat faster. It would be fine if the ladies won, but what if we lost? I could think of only one person I would be forced to dance with.

The breath froze in my lungs as the dice tumbled across the thick wooden table. One stopped as the other continued to spin, then fell to a halt. Twelve. The men had won.

Their glasses clinked together as they took a celebratory sip of whiskey alongside us. As if on cue, the group of musicians in the corner started to play another lively tune, and people flooded to the tiny dance floor.

Declan’s hand slid across my thigh under the table and my heart pounded with anticipation while I waited for him to ask me to dance.

Our intense gaze was broken as Killian pulled my arm and yanked me onto the dance floor. Declan seethed at the back of Killian’s head as everyone else’s mouths dropped wide open.

Killian swung me around the dance floor with ease. I was shocked by my ability to keep up. Alcohol appeared to do wonders for my dancing skills. Liam and Clara joined us on the floor, and a few minutes later Declan and Nayla. As we kept dancing, curiosity and my need to meddle overtook me.

“You can’t avoid her forever,” I whispered to Killian.

He looked longingly towards Clara, her chestnut waves swaying back and forth as Liam twirled her around in circles. “I could say the same about you.”

I scoffed. “My situation is entirely different.”

“Is it?”

“It is,” I said firmly, trying not to show the faltering in my emotions. Our movements slowed to a sway as everyone else danced around us, still lively.

“You’re right, Elena.” Killian sighed. “I can’t avoid love forever.

I’ve spent too long listening to my head instead of my heart.

Every moment in our lives is precious, and it’s about time I learned to find life in each of them.

Instead of waiting for those moments to stumble upon me, I must find the courage to seek them myself. ”

His words hit me so deeply, my feet froze to the floor.

Killian playfully tugged on a strand of my hair to get my attention.

The music changed from the upbeat tune to a slow melancholy ballad.

Before Killian left to chase after Clara, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Go live in your moment, Elena.”

He kissed my palm, leaving me standing in a daze, as he tugged Clara away from Liam and into his arms. Clara’s eyes sparkled up at him as he pulled her closer to his chest, both hands cinched around her waist. Liam grinned so wide that the warmth of happiness cracked through his ward, sweeping across to me as my dynamis pulled it in.

He grabbed Nayla by the arm and pulled her into a dance.

I could feel the intensity of their gaze from here as they stared into each other’s eyes.

The whiskey and ale had begun to have its effect.

The room swayed while my feet remained planted to the floor.

Darkness flooded my vision as I took in the sinfully gorgeous man before me.

Dressed in black from head to toe, he wore his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top two buttons unbuttoned, showing slivers of the tattoos of his shadows inked across his body.

“Dare to dance with me, Wildfire?” The timbre of Declan’s deep voice rumbled through me.

At a loss for words, I simply dipped my head.

His hand slid around to the small of my back as the other slid down my arm until it found my hand and intertwined it with his own.

He pulled me closer into him, and I let my throbbing head rest against his chest as he rocked me back and forth to the music.

His heart thundered against my ear, and I tried my best not to smile. Declan was nervous too.

Leaning back, I searched for his gaze. I was met with a lazy grin as Declan’s thumb brushed back and forth against my back.

He dropped his other hand, which had been squeezing mine as we danced.

The absence of it made my already weakened knees wobble.

Declan’s knuckles skimmed alongside my cheek, and the air hummed with electricity around us.

Time seemed to stand still for us, our eyes and bodies locked by an invisible tether. In the background, the music switched to another upbeat tune. With chaos swirling around us, we swayed slowly back and forth.

“You want to get out of here?” he said softly, lifting my chin to make sure I answered.

My mouth went dry. Nothing good could come from the two of us being alone together, but I couldn’t help the anticipation that was building from the thought. The pull towards this man was growing stronger each day, and I was finding it difficult to keep fighting against it.

I took a deep breath and surprised myself with the words that fled my lips. “Let’s get out of here.”