Page 69 of Wolf Caged (Bound to the Shadow King #1)

SAPHIRA

S o many books. I was never sure where to begin whenever I stepped into the library each afternoon.

The pile of books accumulating on one of the tables was testament to my indecision, or perhaps I just had so many that I wanted to read, more than was possible really.

Unless I remained here in the Shadow Court for a very long time.

I set the book about the collected history of the unseelie down on my lap and leaned back in the huge plush black velvet covered armchair near the beautifully carved stone fireplace and chimney, sighing as I tilted my head right back to gaze up at the twilight-kissed aurora dancing above the ornate glass dome.

I couldn’t stop thinking about what Kaeleron had said to me last night about my pack.

Or that I was beginning to feel at home here.

And so free.

It was strange. Kaeleron had bought me, I had been sold into a life of service, and he could be a demanding prick at times, but I didn’t feel caged here. Even when I knew I should.

I sank deeper into the comfortable seat, my entire body relaxing as I watched the sky shifting and dancing.

My parents had raised me to serve others, and to place the needs of the pack above my own.

My whole life had been about taking care of others rather than myself.

I had accepted that life as normal, just the way of things, and had tried so hard to set aside my own desires, striving to please my parents and my pack.

But looking back, my life hadn’t been mine.

It had belonged to the pack.

I hadn’t noticed how oppressed I truly was until Kaeleron had come along, giving me a gift I never imagined possible or knew I wanted. He had bought me, taken my freedom from me, and yet I had never felt so free.

I had never had days like I had here, where I was in charge of what I did.

Where I had complete autonomy to decide about things that affected me and was able to do as I pleased.

If I wanted to lie in bed all day, I could.

Or I could explore the town some more, without a guard in sight.

I hadn’t failed to notice that since Kaeleron had branded me, I had lost my shadows.

The guards were gone, and I had gained the freedom to walk where I pleased within the protective walls of Falkyr.

And maybe it wasn’t just because he had branded me.

But because he had come to trust me.

I had proven I had little desire to escape him. I hadn’t once attempted it. And it wasn’t because I didn’t want to see the world beyond the walls, or even see my pack again.

It was because this castle felt like home.

And some part of me didn’t want to leave it.

Didn’t want to leave him.

Another long sigh escaped me as I pondered that dangerous desire.

I had fallen once for a male who had flattered me, who had showered me with gifts and with affection, and it hadn’t turned out well for me.

It would be dangerous to fall for Kaeleron when he concealed so much from me, things that had been beginning to bother me in recent days.

I sat up and looked at the smaller stack of books I had set aside on the ornate oak coffee table in front of me and made a decision.

It was time I learned more about my purpose here.

Because I knew without a doubt now that Kaeleron hadn’t purchased me for my virginity.

I set down the book I had been skimming through, seeking something that might amuse Kaeleron at dinner, and grabbed the four books I had found and already devoured. Books filled with fables and fairy tales.

I tucked them to my chest as I strode from the library, nerves rising a little as I made my way down through the castle to the courtyard and then hurried across it, fearing Kaeleron might see me and might stop me.

The arched entrance to the dungeon was gloomy, little light making it down into the stairwell, and I had to use all of my senses to find my way down without slipping and falling on the damp stone steps.

When I neared the bottom, flickering torches chased back the darkness, revealing the cell where I had spent my first few days in the Shadow Court.

I glanced off to the right, to the place I had discarded the blanket when I had cast it aside upon discovering it had been the one to cover my cage at the auction, my throat tightening and dark moments from that night flickering across my mind to still my steps and seize control of my body.

My breathing grew laboured as my heart thundered, panic rising to the fore as I stared at the spot where it had been and was now gone.

“Saphira.” Neve’s soft voice shattered the spell that blanket had cast on me and I started, whirling towards her.

The pretty dragon shifter stood by the bars of her home, dressed in a stunning green gown today and her braided hair like spun gold. Her bright amber eyes tracked me as I approached her cell and she didn’t move as I reached for the lock on her door and froze.

“It’s not locked.” I looked at her, sure she wasn’t aware of the fact she could have left this place whenever she wanted.

“Of course it isn’t.” She went to the door and slid the bolt back, her tone questioning my intelligence. “I am not a prisoner.”

The door eased open and power lashed at me, buffeting me and making my limbs tremble, as if she had opened the floodgates and a great torrent had burst free.

“Hurry now,” she murmured.

I slipped inside, sensing her urgency, and she quickly closed the door behind me.

“It is better it remains closed.” She shuffled over to her armchair and pulled it across the flagstones, closer to the bars of her cell, and I frowned as I noticed her hands were shaking as she grabbed the footstool and positioned it a few feet from the chair.

She noticed me staring and smiled, but there was sorrow in it, and a trace of fear that shocked me.

Neve had seemed so fearless, but opening her cell door for only a second had rattled her. “I do not wish to speak of it.”

I nodded. “I’d never make you talk about it, but if you ever need someone to speak to, you can ask for me, Neve.”

Because I had been that terrified once, only I had been shut inside an inescapable cage at the time. Neve feared the opposite. She feared leaving hers.

“Now, what can I do for you?” She patted the footstool and settled in her armchair, her smile brighter now.

“I bought you these. I noticed you were reading what looked like a fairy tale when we met and I thought you might like them.” I offered her the books and her golden eyebrows rose high on her forehead as she looked between the books and me.

“Kaeleron has allowed you in his library.” She sounded surprised by that.

I shrugged. “He’s also been training me, and I can wander around the city as I please.”

“There is hope for the boy yet.” Neve tugged the books from my grip as I pondered just how old she was if she was calling a male of over five hundred years a boy.

The dragon studied their spines, her eyes brightening with flecks of blazing gold as she inspected each book and murmured to herself, “How delightful you all are. You are lucky the little wolf found you. You shall have a good home here.”

I realised it was fortunate I had already read the books, because they were more than books to Neve. They were treasure. I glanced beyond her, to the corner of her room that had been hidden from view in my cell.

To the piles of books and trinkets stacked here.

Neve growled.

My gaze shot to her and I tensed as she stared me down, her eyes flaming gold, her teeth dangerously sharp.

“Mine,” she snarled.

I held my hands up in front of me. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of touching anything. I was just admiring it. Such a beautiful collection. You must be very proud of it.”

My smile wobbled as she continued to bare fangs at me, but the fire in her eyes dimmed and then she beamed at me, her expression bright and carefree again.

“Is it not? I have been working on it for decades now. I am still collecting of course, looking for those finer pieces that will add to the beauty of it.” Her gaze landed on me as I stared at the haphazard pile, noticing the worn and dented pewter mug on top of one of the books, a few copper coins scattered here and there, and a ruby-red stick that looked as if it might have come from the Forest of Blood.

Her hoard was eclectic to say the least.

I realised she was still staring at me.

Or more precisely my hand.

I covered the ring on my finger with my other hand, and her face darkened, her lips flattening and the corners turning downwards as I stole it from view.

“You can’t have it,” I said, the words flying from my lips and my hackles rising at the thought she might try to take the ring from me. It was mine, and I had grown terribly fond of it in the short time I had been wearing it. “Kaeleron made it for me and he wouldn’t be happy if I lost it.”

She huffed. “Unfair. I want a ring. He makes you pretty things. Makes himself pretty things he will not give me. I want something.”

“What pretty thing of his do you want?” I tilted my head and studied her as she muttered things in a language I didn’t know under her breath.

“His sword,” she said bluntly in a tongue I could understand.

I chuckled. “Well, I don’t think he will surrender that easily. He worked for a long time on it and according to him, it’s his crowning achievement.”

“Then he can make me a sword… or a ring… or a bracelet, yes, I should like a bracelet. I do not have a bracelet.” She glanced at her treasure trove, gaze quickly scanning it. “Yes, yes. I do not have a bracelet.”

“I will tell him you want one.” I leaned over and touched her hand, trying to get her to focus back on me rather than her treasure.

Her gaze shot down to my ring and lodged on it, and as I moved my hand, her gaze tracked it, eyes wide and glassy.

“Shiny,” she murmured. “White for Lucia.”

I was losing her again, so I folded my hands together, stealing the ring from view, and she frowned at them, a little pout to her lips.