“Freya,” I called out, pointing to the knight. “What’s wrong with him?”
She looked at the blade and her eyes went wide. “Nothing’s wrong with him.” She slammed my door shut, and I heard the key turn in the lock. The wards lit up and activated. When I touched the handle, my palm burned again.
I sucked in my breath and shook my hand to ease the pain. My fireplace wasn’t lit, and Sol the Salamander hadn’t returned. But the castle was naturally warm, and it seemed a fire was merely a luxury here, not a necessity. It looked like I really was going to be trapped in my room for the rest of the night.
Nightclothes were laid out for me, and I was grateful for the change in the routine. When I crawled into bed, I noticed a book was on my nightstand. One that wasn’t there the night before. Picking it up, I grinned when I recognized it. The one written in Eld.
I stayed up as long as I could to read it by candlelight.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The balcony door slammed open, and I jumped up in bed, my heart pounding as I scanned my room, grabbing the book to my chest. The door slammed again, and I saw the wind was blowing it open and closed. Tiptoeing across the room, I slowly closed the door and spied a reflection in the glass. I spun, swinging the book with all of my might at the intruder.
A hand grasped mine, and with a tug, they pulled me forward and then flipped me easily onto the bed. My back bounced on the mattress, and I looked up as the shadow loomed over me.
“Why do you always try to hit me over the head with a book?” the shadow said.
The tome fell from my fingers, and I sat up, my hands covering my mouth to prevent my scream of excitement. “Kash?”
He struck a match and held it up. I caught sight of his grinning face, the scar on his chin visible as lit the bedside candle.
“Who else would scale the side of a mountain to get to you?”
I cried out and flung my arms around him in a hug. He smelled so good. Like fresh winter air and pine. He buried his head in my neck, and I felt the barest of kisses on my shoulder.
“I thought you were dead?” I cried out, pulling away, not afraid to show my tears of joy.
Kash wiped away a stray tear. “And I thought you were going to stay back at the manor, safe and sound. Not end up in the very place I didn’t want you to go.”
“I don’t listen very well.”
“No, you don’t.” He sighed.
“What about Marco? Velora said they hurt him.”
Kash’s expression turned stony. “He’s fine.”
“What do you mean, ‘he’s fine’? What happened?”
“He was injured in the fight as the king’s men came to take Velora. He escaped into the mountains.”
“But what about you? How did you escape? How did you find me?” I asked.
“Rhea.” Kash’s voice was filled with emotion, and he sat on the bed, his thigh brushing against mine. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. I told you I would find you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and leaned forward to kiss me.
I met his lips and let the tears fall. I was so glad he was alive that he was here. Everything would be all right if Kash was with me.
He pulled back, pressing his lips to my cheeks, kissing my tears away, then pulled me into his arms. We fell back onto the bed and Kash tucked me into his side, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I’ve missed you so much, Rhea. I came here looking for you last night, but you were gone.”
“If I would have known you were alive, I would have never left the room. I’d wait forever for you.” I reached up and kissed the bottom of his chin.
“I told you, I’m hard to kill. I’m just glad you’re here now.” Kash sighed and threaded his foot between mine. “I wish I could hold on to you like this forever.”
“Why don’t you?” I whispered.
Kash’s chin rested on the top of my head as I leaned against his powerful chest and listened to the soft beating of his heart.
“Because soon the sun will come up,” he said quietly.
“Then hold me until then,” I murmured.
And he did. I slept curled against Kash’s side and wasn’t plagued by a single nightmare. I awoke to him kissing the top of my head and rubbing my back.
The sun wasn’t even up yet.
“What’s wrong?” I stretched, reluctant to pull away from him.
“It’s time for me to go,” he whispered. When Kash sat up, his thigh brushed my leg, and I noticed the golden knife on his belt.
I froze. “Why do you have that?” I said in a clipped voice.
Kash tensed. “Rhea, I need to explain.”
I jumped up and moved away from him, putting plenty of distance between us. “Please, tell me there are two identical knives, Kash.” I swallowed, feeling the betrayal separate us. “Tell me the horrible dragon blade has the same knife.” Angry tears stung my eyes.
Kash didn’t move any closer to me, instead he moved closer to the open balcony and into the morning light. He lifted his head toward the sun. “No, there’s not. There’s only one.”
As the sun crested the mountain and the rays rained over him, he unsheathed the golden knife and his body was immediately surrounded by a black, misty cloud.
“Kash,” I called his name.
“Rhea, I can’t guarantee I will stay in control, but I wanted to explain to you last night. I should have. But I was too selfish. I knew you would reject me. Now it’s too late. I have to show you.”
Kash screamed in pain as his clothes shifted. Black scales appeared out of his skin and wrapped around his body, hardening into black armor.
I shook my head. “It can’t be.” I was in denial, but I knew all the same.
Kash stepped forward, but there was something wrong. He was fighting the mist that was encasing his head. He didn’t seem to submit to the curse. He collapsed to his knees, clutching the dragon helm, and I raced forth to help.
“Don’t touch me. He’s too strong,” he cried out as the mist covered his face, smothering his voice. The cries died out and his golden eyes disappeared. I saw the hint of red eyes staring back at me as the dreaded dragon blade was now in my room.
“Kash?”
The dragon blade was kneeling before me, his hand on his knife, and head bowed low. As I stepped forth, he swung out, the blade nicking me, drawing blood.
“Ouch!” I cried and fell back onto the floor.
Slowly, his body trembling, the dragon blade got to his feet. But I wasn’t sure how much of Kash was in control and how much was that darkness that was usurping him.
Kash held up the knife and looked at the blood dripping from the blade, and I quickly remembered what Mouse said about the three blades. The lion valued strength, the hawk—wisdom, and the dragon—death.
The way the blade looked at the blood on the knife gave me chills. This wasn’t Kash. This was something darker, and I had a feeling I knew who it was.
The dragon turned toward me. I got to my knees and reached for the magic for the ley lines deep in the mountain. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight I was going to win.
Before I could gather magic, my door unlocked, and I looked up just as the lion blade rushed into my room. His sword drawn, he met Kash head on and they fought. Kash was fast. He dodged, rolled, and came up behind his brethren.