Circle of Shadows (Circle of Shadows, #1)(100)

He wobbled while trying to stand. “What are they?”

“Cocoa nibs. Highly caffeinated.”

“Ah.” Wolf popped them into his mouth. The nibs would hopefully counteract the last of the genka’s effects.

He shook his head at the bitterness and blinked a few times, eyes bright and clear. Then he tilted his head as he looked down at Fairy.

She wrinkled her nose. “What are you staring at?”

“You’re alive. You’re awake.”

Fairy waved him off. “We already went over this.”

But he kept staring. “I worried . . . we worried that you might not have survived. I wanted to believe that you were safe, but we just didn’t know. And over the past few days, I couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of you in my arms in the desert, the life in you like a flame, and I . . .”

A silent hum began to build in the air between them, the kind of subtle vibration that only the two people involved can perceive. The thrill of the start of a foxhunt flitted through Fairy’s chest again.

“You what?” she prompted.

“I . . .” Wolf shook his head as if dissuading himself from speaking. But then he looked at her again and said, “Your hair is still gold.” He reached a tentative hand out, as if he wanted to touch it.

She held her breath.

“You were ready to give your life for the empress,” he said, hand still hovering just a fraction of an inch away from her hair. “You could have died. You almost did. I’ve always known you were bold, but that . . . Fairy, I’m in awe of you.”

His fingers found a stray lock of hair. They grazed her cheek as he pinned it back into place.

Fairy’s entire body vibrated at his touch. She looked at his mouth again. He was definitely awake now. She could kiss him, feel his tongue on hers, press herself against that glorious chest she’d seen in the bathhouse.

She met his gaze and raised her eyebrows, just a little, as if asking permission.

He nodded, dipped his head, and parted his lips.

His mouth was warm and soft at first. Gentle, as if he didn’t want to hurt her.

But Fairy was no fragile thing. She pressed her lips against Wolf’s, showing him what they could do. Her tongue found its way to his—hot and fluid.

And then Wolf let himself go, threading his hands through her hair and pulling her to him, smashing their mouths and bodies together. It was like he’d been released from a cage, his wanting fueled even more by his relief that she was alive.

Fairy smiled as she pressed herself harder into him and wondered why she’d never thought to do this with him. It’s not like Spirit cared. She and Wolf were like Fairy and Broomstick—together since childhood, like siblings.

Wolf’s hands began to trail down Fairy’s neck, along the collar of her tunic. He was just about to slip them beneath the fabric when she gasped and pulled away. “No.”

He startled and backed away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s all right. I mean, I wanted it. But we can’t right now.” Fairy hastily pulled her disheveled hair back into the semblance of neatness. “The ryuu are coming. We have to help.”

Wolf cursed at himself under his breath. “How could I forget? I’m so selfish.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just human.”

He sighed.

“We’ll finish this later. I promise,” Fairy said. “Come on, we’re meeting everyone at the main gates. I’ll fill you in on the way there.”

She held out her hand.

Wolf took it.





Chapter Sixty-Five


Broomstick found Glass Lady in the armory. She was pacing through the weapons racks, taking inventory of what they had at their disposal.

“Commander,” he said, jogging to keep up with her long stride. “Can I speak with you?”

“Unless you are reporting a breach of our perimeter by the ryuu, I don’t have time,” she said, marching on to the racks of swords.

“No, they haven’t been sighted yet, but—”

“Then go back to your post, Broomstick. You are derelict in your duties.”

“No.” He planted himself in front of her and crossed his arms.

Glass Lady looked at him, aghast. “I beg your pardon?”

“Commander, you have to listen to me. We know how to defeat the ryuu.”

“You’re at risk of heaping more punishment upon yourself and your friends.”

“I know.” Broomstick took a step closer to her. “And that’s why you should know this is important. The ryuu’s one weakness is sight. They have to be able to see the magic before they can call it to do their bidding. We believe they’ll be here shortly. We have a plan to blind them, but then we’ll only have a short window of opportunity to take them out while they’re vulnerable.”

Glass Lady frowned, but it wasn’t the disappointed one she usually wore when it came to Sora and her friends’ shenanigans. She was thinking over what Broomstick said.

He was afraid to breathe while she considered it, as if even a slight puff of air could nudge her back into dismissing him as an overeager apprentice.

“I thought Sight was what gave them power,” she said.

He exhaled. She was actually listening. “Yes, it is. But ironically, vision is also their weakness. Like taigas have to use their hands to form mudras, ryuu have to use their eyes to control their power.”