House of Mages and Raven (Shades of Ruin and Magic #4)

Chapter 2

2

Barbie

M y heartbeat went wild, like the fluttering wings of a hummingbird, while ice coursed through my veins.

My father, the God of Ruin, had found me.

He’d sent his ace acolyte to do his dirty work and pave the path for him. How had he found an oracle in his employment? But who would dare to disobey him? Who didn’t fear a terrible original god?

We haven’t seen Daddy for a long time, have we? Sy chimed in while I was still paralyzed with icy dread on top of Killian. Maybe we should catch up with him. Aren’t you curious what he’s been up to?

She was aiming for humor, but she was bad at it, even with her vicious tone. Yet her words rang with some truth. We were lacking intel from Ruin, our ultimate enemy. We’d been running and hiding from him for eight years now, looking over our shoulders all the time, terrified of his finding us.

In the end, in Mist of Cinder, where we could settle down and stop running, he’d located us, his claws stretching toward us, ready to rip away our dreams and hope and home.

It was time for us to change our strategy. Instead of being passive and having Pucker do most of the patrols so we could enjoy the perks the realm brought, like eating well and reading smutty books, we should train our eyes on Ruin and aggressively gather intelligence on him so we could anticipate his next moves.

That required spy networks, a resource we didn’t have.

Then we ask the heirs to help, Sy said. Let’s put all of them to work.

We need to handle it delicately, I said. We’ll want to use their resources without risking exposure.

Yet I’d been willing to risk myself and tell Killian about my secret origin, only his betrothed beat me to it. She knew who I was, and she had brought an oracle to out me. I seized my cold panic and shoved it down as I watched Killian get ready to meet Queen Lilith and the oracle. Once he learned the truth about me through the oracle, he wouldn’t be able to shield me, even if he wanted to.

I swallowed drily. My gaze traced his every move. He put on a pair of gray slacks that hugged his powerful legs. His dark designer shirt stretched over his cut chest. He was a fine—the finest—specimen. It was a turn-on to watch my man dress.

No, he wasn’t my man. I shook my head inwardly. I had fucked him, but it didn’t give me the right to claim him. Right now, he was dressing to impress his betrothed while I was still perched in his bed, observing him.

“Don’t cover yourself, little scorpion.” He swept his gaze back to me, full of heat still. “You’re beautiful.”

Only now did I realize that I’d pulled the silky sheet up to my neck, my hands clenching its edge, as if to protect my vulnerability. As if the sheet could shield me from the heartbreak that was already on the way.

It was a futile effort. Yet I wouldn’t let him know about the riot of sadness, anger, and powerlessness running wildly through my head and coursing through my body like a storm.

“Modesty is my middle name, sir,” I said. “You’ll get used to it.”

Sy rolled her eyes, and Killian let out a low chuckle.

“Still calling me sir, my little scorpion?” he asked, leaning toward me to give me a kiss.

I fought the urge to lace my hands behind his neck to lock him in here with me, but I had to let him go—not just anywhere, but to see his betrothed.

For all my years on the run, I never thought that I would get attached to anyone. I’d been an expert at letting go of things, people, and places, as I couldn’t have anything or anyone for myself. But letting go of Killian was like tearing my heart out.

“Wait for me,” he said. “I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring food.”

For the first time, the promise of food didn’t make my eyes sparkle. Silently, I watched him leave the room, his footfalls fading along the hallway outside.

I surveyed the room where I’d spent the night in his arms, my gaze lingering on a sheathed longsword on an antique console. My life was always on a knife’s edge, wasn’t it?

Coldness sank into my bones at the absence of Killian while his intoxicating male scent still blanketed me. I sat motionless as I felt my future with him slip through my fingers before I let my feet touch the icy marble floor where my clothes were scattered.

I gotta go. I gotta hide.

I would survive this, oracle or not, as I’d survived so far.