A Dance with Darkness
Page 8
I brushed my lips over his smile. “I quite like it. It’s my favorite of all your names for me.”
“Perhaps I should use it the most.”
“I would not object.”
He made a low, guttural sound of frustration and stepped away. “I have to deal with this.”
“Who has come?” I asked.
“My son.”
“Your … ?” Yet another surprise. He didn’t elaborate as he left me in the library to attend to the new arrival, but my curiosity was instant and all-consuming. He had not mentioned a son before now and I wondered why. The likely case was that Bastian didn’t believe I could meet him, seeing that I was angelic and his son was certain to be demonic. It was the same reason I could not introduce Bastian to Nathaniel. Nathaniel would never understand. But as I stood here now, alone and hidden, I realized that I didn’t like this. Perhaps being a paramour was not enough for me anymore. If I loved Bastian, then I wanted to know every part of his life, and that included his family.
I crept from the library, my slippers as silent as possible on the floor, into the hallway leading to the balcony over the reception room. Voices drifted up the staircase and I listened effortlessly. One was Bastian’s and the other was a gentler, clear male voice that also had Bastian’s Germanic accent.
“You weren’t to arrive until tomorrow night,” Bastian said, his tone harder than I’d ever heard him speak.
“Ivar and I had a lead,” his son replied. “We followed it into an angelic ambush.”
“That seems like failure.”
“Not quite. The presence of the angelic obviously meant they were guarding something.”
Both fell quiet as Bastian absorbed this. “Did you retrieve the relic?”
“No,” his son admitted. “One of them grabbed it and ran before we could follow. We did get information out of the reaper we left alive. The book will be passed to a relic guardian—” He paused abruptly. “Is there someone here?”
“I have a guest,” Bastian replied.
I took the opportunity to step out from my hiding place and reveal myself at the balcony above their heads. Bastian snarled a few words in his native tongue, and though I didn’t understand, I could guess by his tone that they were nasty.
His son looked up at me, burning me with fire-opal eyes beneath pale gold hair. His fair features resembled little of Bastian’s and I imagined he took after his mother, whoever she was, but he was just as beautiful as his father. I could also tell by his strength that he was at least two hundred years old. His gaze followed my descent down the staircase. There was more contempt in those fiery eyes than curiosity. I began to doubt revealing myself.
“Who are you?” he asked coldly.
I looked at Bastian for a response. Only he could know what threat his son posed to me, if he was a threat at all. Bastian glowered, but he seemed more irritated than concerned that I’d exposed us.
“This is Madeleine,” he said at last. “Madeleine, this is Cadan. My son.”
“Hello,” I said, hoping to give him a good impression. That seemed unlikely.
Cadan’s gaze on me was relentless. “Might I inquire as to why you are keeping an angelic reaper?”
My breath caught in my throat and Bastian’s eyes widened. If I’d have let my power go, he could’ve sensed my angelic energy, but I’d never once let it slip. He shouldn’t have been able to know what I was, but clearly his senses were quite keen.
“She is my guest,” Bastian repeated. He wouldn’t insult his son’s intelligence by denying anything or claiming that I was his prisoner. It was very obvious that I wasn’t just an acquaintance. Even I could catch my own scent on Bastian, and his was all over me in return.
“Interesting company you keep,” Cadan replied. He was less angry now and more confused. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “I apologize if I was rude. You surprised me, that’s all.”
“And you surprise me,” I said.
“How so?”
“I didn’t expect you to accept me without major issue, I suppose. I thought you would react differently to knowing what I was.”
He blinked at me, taken aback. “Did you expect me to just attack you? Did you think we were animals?”
“No, of course not,” I said. “I’ve never mistaken the demonic for animals, but you and your father are the only demonic that have never ‘just attacked’ me.”
His contempt began to show again. “Well, you are the only angelic that has ever said hello and not tried to put a sword through my chest.”
“Cadan,” Bastian said in a low, disapproving tone. “There’s no need.”
Cadan studied the both of us for several long moments, seeming unable to decide what to do. “You must forgive me for finding this all very strange.”
“There is one thing I ask of you,” Bastian said, “and you must not fail me in this. Do not breathe a word of her. You understand why and the importance of this. If you do, I will come for you.”
Cadan was not alarmed by Bastian’s threat and gave his father an even look. He did not answer.
“That’s not necessary,” I assured them both. “I have a feeling Cadan can be trusted.”
Surprise overcame his face, but he quickly reined it in. “We’ll discuss matters later, then. Madeleine, it was lovely meeting you.”
“Perhaps I should use it the most.”
“I would not object.”
He made a low, guttural sound of frustration and stepped away. “I have to deal with this.”
“Who has come?” I asked.
“My son.”
“Your … ?” Yet another surprise. He didn’t elaborate as he left me in the library to attend to the new arrival, but my curiosity was instant and all-consuming. He had not mentioned a son before now and I wondered why. The likely case was that Bastian didn’t believe I could meet him, seeing that I was angelic and his son was certain to be demonic. It was the same reason I could not introduce Bastian to Nathaniel. Nathaniel would never understand. But as I stood here now, alone and hidden, I realized that I didn’t like this. Perhaps being a paramour was not enough for me anymore. If I loved Bastian, then I wanted to know every part of his life, and that included his family.
I crept from the library, my slippers as silent as possible on the floor, into the hallway leading to the balcony over the reception room. Voices drifted up the staircase and I listened effortlessly. One was Bastian’s and the other was a gentler, clear male voice that also had Bastian’s Germanic accent.
“You weren’t to arrive until tomorrow night,” Bastian said, his tone harder than I’d ever heard him speak.
“Ivar and I had a lead,” his son replied. “We followed it into an angelic ambush.”
“That seems like failure.”
“Not quite. The presence of the angelic obviously meant they were guarding something.”
Both fell quiet as Bastian absorbed this. “Did you retrieve the relic?”
“No,” his son admitted. “One of them grabbed it and ran before we could follow. We did get information out of the reaper we left alive. The book will be passed to a relic guardian—” He paused abruptly. “Is there someone here?”
“I have a guest,” Bastian replied.
I took the opportunity to step out from my hiding place and reveal myself at the balcony above their heads. Bastian snarled a few words in his native tongue, and though I didn’t understand, I could guess by his tone that they were nasty.
His son looked up at me, burning me with fire-opal eyes beneath pale gold hair. His fair features resembled little of Bastian’s and I imagined he took after his mother, whoever she was, but he was just as beautiful as his father. I could also tell by his strength that he was at least two hundred years old. His gaze followed my descent down the staircase. There was more contempt in those fiery eyes than curiosity. I began to doubt revealing myself.
“Who are you?” he asked coldly.
I looked at Bastian for a response. Only he could know what threat his son posed to me, if he was a threat at all. Bastian glowered, but he seemed more irritated than concerned that I’d exposed us.
“This is Madeleine,” he said at last. “Madeleine, this is Cadan. My son.”
“Hello,” I said, hoping to give him a good impression. That seemed unlikely.
Cadan’s gaze on me was relentless. “Might I inquire as to why you are keeping an angelic reaper?”
My breath caught in my throat and Bastian’s eyes widened. If I’d have let my power go, he could’ve sensed my angelic energy, but I’d never once let it slip. He shouldn’t have been able to know what I was, but clearly his senses were quite keen.
“She is my guest,” Bastian repeated. He wouldn’t insult his son’s intelligence by denying anything or claiming that I was his prisoner. It was very obvious that I wasn’t just an acquaintance. Even I could catch my own scent on Bastian, and his was all over me in return.
“Interesting company you keep,” Cadan replied. He was less angry now and more confused. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “I apologize if I was rude. You surprised me, that’s all.”
“And you surprise me,” I said.
“How so?”
“I didn’t expect you to accept me without major issue, I suppose. I thought you would react differently to knowing what I was.”
He blinked at me, taken aback. “Did you expect me to just attack you? Did you think we were animals?”
“No, of course not,” I said. “I’ve never mistaken the demonic for animals, but you and your father are the only demonic that have never ‘just attacked’ me.”
His contempt began to show again. “Well, you are the only angelic that has ever said hello and not tried to put a sword through my chest.”
“Cadan,” Bastian said in a low, disapproving tone. “There’s no need.”
Cadan studied the both of us for several long moments, seeming unable to decide what to do. “You must forgive me for finding this all very strange.”
“There is one thing I ask of you,” Bastian said, “and you must not fail me in this. Do not breathe a word of her. You understand why and the importance of this. If you do, I will come for you.”
Cadan was not alarmed by Bastian’s threat and gave his father an even look. He did not answer.
“That’s not necessary,” I assured them both. “I have a feeling Cadan can be trusted.”
Surprise overcame his face, but he quickly reined it in. “We’ll discuss matters later, then. Madeleine, it was lovely meeting you.”
