A Surrender Of Hope (Umbra Hunters #3)

26. Meyer

TWENTY-SIX

Meyer

I rub at the mark on my wrist, wishing I could somehow take it off. Orcus said the magic in me wasn’t from the mark Inanis gave me, that I was somehow a blood descendant of him, but it still freaks me out to see the red mark engraved on my skin. Even worse is the flicker of fear and worry I see in the guys' eyes whenever they look at it.

“Maybe makeup will cover it,” I muse to myself, letting my hands drop to my sides as I walk over and grab my bra and underwear, tugging them on and looking around for the dress Valen said he left out for me. I spot the purple, silky dress, snatch it off the hanger, pull it over my head, before eyeing the silver detailed armor that wraps around my bust. It reminds me of the gown I wear in my dreams and can’t help but wonder if thats why Valen selected it for me.

After cursing at the armor detail, which is surprisingly comfortable, strapped into place, I walk to the mirror to study my reflection. The dress clings to my curves from the bust down to my hips before flaring out slightly at my thighs into a full skirt. The heart-shaped neckline molds over my breasts, showing off more cleavage than usual, but I don't hate it.

Spinning in a circle, I grin at my reflection, loving how the dress makes me feel. I loved the blue gown Valen gave me. It made me feel beautiful in a way I had never felt before, but this one is slightly different. It is equally as stunning as the blue dress, but this one is cut in a way that makes me feel almost powerful. I pull my hair off my shoulders, hold it on top of my head, and shake my head; it looks better down.

Releasing it, I let it fall over my shoulders and down my back in a glossy sheet of pale blond as I move over to the bed and grab the holster of small black throwing knives. Placing a foot on the bed, I move the fabric of the dress off my leg, the slip in the gown giving me easy access to strap my weapons into place, but freeze as something moves in my periphery.

My heart skips a beat, a tingling sensation racing over my skin as I hold my breath. The guys aren't in the room. Valen and Creed stayed with their parents, and Nox brought me back to his room to change for dinner, stating he would return shortly to bring me to the dining room as soon as he cleared the central part of the castle of guards.

My fingers move slightly, letting go of the silver buckles on the harness and moving to the long, slender handle of the blade as I control my spark of fear. I shiver as I palm the cold metal, feeling a hint of magic spark from the weapon in my hand before I close my eyes and take a deep breath. In the next second, I spin and release the blade, aiming for the corner of Nox’s room, throwing the blade as hard as I can, standing there.

My eyes nearly pop out of my head as the man steps to the side a second before my blade impales his shoulder. His dark brows furrow as he slowly pushes the hood away revealing an odd, almost pleased look on his striking face.

“Holy shit, Razar!” I rasp, my hands moving to my chest as he turns to look at my blade lodged into the picture hanging on the wall right next to him. “What the hell are you doing? I could have killed you!” He snorts, looking back at me with a skeptical expression.

“Not likely.” I glare at him, placing my hands on my hips as I look to the dark corner of the room he appeared at to the towel I dropped to the ground while getting dressed only moments ago.

“How long have you been here? Were you watching me get dressed?” I ask, furious that he stayed hidden and perved on me.

“Of course, I watch you. That is my job. And I’ve been here since Lennox pressed you against that wall and kissed you until you made that weird sound like a dying cow. You both could’ve been killed. Try not to do that unless you’re sure no one is in the room with you,” he drawls, looking around the room with a calculating glance. “You didn't lock the doors after he left and you failed to light the room, leaving lots of dangerous blind spots,” he points out casually, flicking his wrist and igniting the torches on the walls as my mouth drops open in shock.

“I’ll be sure to do that from now on! That’s a gross invasion of privacy, Razar. I was naked in here,” I snap, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Hmm. Yes, but since you came into my room unannounced while I was naked and didn't leave me to my privacy, I figured it was fine with you,” he points out, and my mouth clicks together with an audible snap at that memory. “However,” he mutters in an almost bored tone. My fingers twitch toward my blades, sitting on the bed nearby, and Razar tracks the movement, his eyes lighting up in excitement. “I didn't follow you into the bathroom, and I turned my back when you came out until you were dressed if that is any comfort.”

I narrow my eyes at him, but my anger dissipates quickly, and I nod. Razar may be many things, but a liar isn't one of them. There hasn't been a single time he’s ever lied to me since meeting him. So if he says he didn't look while I was getting dressed, I believe him.

“Why are you watching me?”

“I told you it’s my job,” he repeats, turning and grabbing my knife, yanking it from the wall with a pleased nod. “That was a good throw. A little slow on the draw, but we can improve your speed,” he murmurs more to himself than me. “That way, you can draw blood if it happens again.”

“You want me to cause actual harm? What if it works and I do hit you?” I ask in confusion, dropping my arms to my sides as he strides over, flicking the throwing knife in the air and catching it by the blade, handle extended to me.

“I want you to protect yourself if someone comes into your room unannounced. I doubt you’ll ever draw my blood,” he grumbles, turning to walk back to his corner. “But if you do, we can move on to the next step.”

“Which is?” I ask, leaning to the side, trying to see what he's grabbing from the corner of the shadows.

“A fatal blow. Death instead of injury,” he grunts as he drags something heavy from the corner. “I brought you a gift,” he adds, making me frown.

“I don't want a gift from you. I’m still mad about being tossed off a cliff yesterday,” I remind him as he turns and shoves a large object toward me.

“You’ll want this one,” he says confidently, my eyes widening in horror when I realize it's not an object but a damn person! There’s a grunt from the man as Razar waves his hand in the air, whispering a few words. His dark magic spreads around the room, and suddenly, I hear a familiar voice cursing Razar in an arrangement of words I’ve never thought to use before.

“Razar! What the hell?” I gasp, leaping forward and grabbing the sack tied over Theo’s head, ripping it off and revealing my friend’s dirty and scratched-up face. “Theo! Are you alright?” Theo's big brown eyes are lit with anger as he scowls at Razar over his shoulder.

“Yeah. Can you untie me?” he asks in a hoarse voice, my fingers already tugging at the rope looped around his wrists.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snap at him, then look up at the infuriating man leaning against the wall, watching me with a blank expression on his face. “What the hell is he doing here? Why did you tie him up?”

“The boy decided to follow us through the rift. I saw him stalking the convoy yesterday and decided I would fetch him if he survived the night. Found him treed by a pack of Therion,” he grumbles, nodding at Theo, who continuously glares at the Demon. “He did well. I’ll let his Senior know on our return,” Razar grunts as he nods with a pleased purse of his lips.

“That doesn't explain why he’s tied up,” I growl, finally getting the rope untied from around his wrists.

“I… uh, might have fought him about going back home,” Theo cuts in, dirty cheeks turning pink as he shakes his hands out in front of him and winces. Razar nods in agreement with Theo's words, and I roll my eyes at the two of them.

“So why are you here instead of home?” I ask, glaring at Theo as he helps me untie his ankles.

“I pointed out that you would be mad if he brought me home without you seeing me first.” I snort and look at Razar, not believing he would care if I was mad or not. There must be another reason, a lesson he wants Theo to learn, and that’s why he let him stay. “So he tied me up and threw me on those freaky dragon horses and brought me here.”

“Why are you here? I thought we agreed you were to stay at the castle,” I grind out, my anger doubling as I look him over. There are no major injuries besides some scratches and torn clothing. He’s filthy and has dark circles under his eyes, but he looks mostly unharmed. Theo yanks the remainder of the rope off and rubs at the reddened skin of his ankles as he glares at me.

“Not we, you decided I was going to stay at the castle. I didn't. So I trailed behind you up to the North Ridge and followed you guys off the cliff.” My head snaps back toward Razar, and I widen my eyes at him.

“Elaine is going to kill us when she figures out where Theo has gone,” I murmur in realization, and Razar nods once in agreement.

“Yes,” he confirms, glaring at Theo.

“Dammit. Theo, what the hell? You could have been killed! Do you understand what that would have done to your mom… to Jordan,” I point out, flicking my attention back to my friend, who at least has the decency to look a little guilty. “To me,” I stress as I reach up, wipe some of the mud and grime from his face, and sigh. “You really need a shower. You’re dirtier than I was yesterday.” Theo winces, his hand moving to his backside as he rubs it and nods.

“Yeah, I kinda landed in a mud pit after I jumped off that cliff, and I think I broke my ass,” he admits, making me chuckle despite my lingering anger.

“Same, but I rolled down a hill and then tackled that one into a mud pit for shoving me off the cliff,” I ramble, thumbing over my shoulder at Razar, who stiffens and huffs, looking away from us as he crosses his arms over his chest.

I take a deep breath and stand up, offering my hand to Theo and heaving him onto his feet, making him groan in pain as he stands up. “Fuck. I think I really broke my tailbone when I fell.”

“Shouldn't go jumping off cliffs when you don’t know what's at the bottom,” Razar mutters.

“Yeah. He should have been shoved. It’s so much better,” I snark, making the Demon Prince’s lips curl back in a snarl as he leans forward.

“I was trying to teach you. You were mad about being hauled around, so I thought I was helping… I simply forgot to tell you how to land.” I scoff and place my hands on my hips and round on him so we’re toe to toe.

“Yeah. When you teach, you need to use actual words, or you can stay out of it. First, the fighting lesson, where all I got was grunting, and then the cliff.” I wave my hand in the air between us. “You want to teach me. Fine. I’m happy to learn, but you have to actually teach, not just push me around and expect me to read your mind.”

“I’m not good at…” he starts to say, then snarls, stepping back as he grabs the hood on his cloak, tugging it over his long black hair as he turns to his shadowed corner. My hand darts out, catching his wrist, making him pause as I step forward, curious about what he was about to say.

“What?” I ask, softening my tone a little, hoping he’ll talk to me.

“Let go,” he clips, twisting his wrist from my hold. I sigh, release him, and step back. I can’t force him to talk or stay, but damn, I wish he would just speak to me.

“Fine. Run away and hide in your shadows. It's all you ever do,” I mutter, frustration filling me as I turn away from him, looking at Theo, who’s watching the two of us with raised brows. The room is silent momentarily and I sigh as I keep my eyes on my friend.

“Is… he gone?” I whisper, not sure if Razar actually left since I didn't hear him move, but not wanting to turn and risk looking at him again. My feelings about the dark Prince are more than a little conflicting, especially after our kiss yesterday. I know that watching him walk away would have hurt more than I would like to admit. Theo narrows his eyes on the corner and nods slowly.

“I… I think he is. Damn, where the hell does he go when he does that?” My shoulders hunch as I stomp toward Nox’s rumpled bed, wincing at the mess that was revealed when Razar lit the room.

“Who knows? He’s probably still somewhere watching us like a stalker, so keep an eye out for him.” I grab one of my throwing blades and hand it to Theo, who takes it with a questioning look. “If you see any shadows move, toss that at it,” I say with a wink.

“You two fucking? Because the tension between you two just now…” Theo lets out a low whistle as I flip him off.

“Does Elaine know you’re here?” I ask, trying to change the topic. I really hope she does, but I’m guessing that’s probably wishful thinking.

“No,” Theo admits, confirming my fears while looking at his feet as he shoves his hands in his pants pockets.

“Jordan?”

Theo deflates at that question, and he shakes his head. “No. We had a fight. He didn’t want me around… then you didn’t want me to come with you, and I… fuck, I just want to help someone I care about. That’s why I followed you,” he whispers, swallowing so hard I hear it from where I’m standing.

Well, dang, now I’m having a hard time staying mad at him.

“I guess I can understand that,” I finally say, nodding a little when Theo peeks up at me. I see his eyes are wet with unshed tears. Oh, shit! I hope he doesn't cry. I don't handle tears well and don't like seeing my friend in distress. I’ll try to help and only make it worse, and then we all will be uncomfortable.

“Um…” I nod at the open door that leads to the bathroom when Theo remains silent. “Shower, and I’ll try to find something clean that fits you. Maybe in Valen’s room,” I muse as I strap the knife holster around my thigh and cinch it tight. My eyes move to the shadowed corner, but it's empty, the shadows lighter than they had been before. Disappointment fills me, but I shove it down as I stand back up. “Then we need to go find Creed and let him know you're here so he can break the news to Nox.”

Theo winces at that comment but nods, already heading for the bathroom. “Thanks, Angry Girl,” he whispers, and I nod, watching as he walks stiffly toward the door.

“Theo?” I call after him.

“Hmm?”

“I… I’m glad you're here. I’m not saying what you did was smart, but I am glad to have a friend here,” I admit, making Theo's expression brighten enough that I know he’ll be okay. We just need to survive the Demon realm, figure out some answers to our problems, and then get home so I can help him repair things with Jordan. It should be easy… right?