Amanda Bonilla - 01 Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

Author:Amanda Bonilla [Bonilla, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Xander’s comments about Tyler left a sour taste in my mouth. I didn’t want to think that by binding himself to me, Ty had given up his free will. It made me sick to think of anyone giving themselves over in that way, so completely, without reservation. I’d done that a century or so ago when I’d given my life over to Azriel, and look where that decision landed me. Slave. The word was degrading, disgusting, weak. Tyler wasn’t weak. He was shrewd, handsome, and loyal. He didn’t have to be flashy about his power; you could see it in his eyes. Tyler may have looked like a harmless sidekick, but only because that’s what he wanted people to see. He wasn’t weak—not by a long shot. And he was no slave.

I couldn’t understand why Tyler had chosen this path. He’d known me for years. My personality hadn’t changed in that short time; I wasn’t charming or sweet or even remotely lovable. Why had he done this seemingly undoable thing? I didn’t even truly know how to break the bond. And if I could, would I want to? Tyler’s presence had begun to grow on me. I was tired of being alone, and he made me feel warm, protected, and almost normal. He’d sworn to keep me safe, but could I do the same for him? I was up to my eyeballs in danger, and I didn’t want him anywhere near it.

I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d hidden his true nature from me all this time. Did he think I’d care for him more as a hapless human? Had he worried that if I knew the truth, I’d send him away, or leave myself? I wouldn’t have—left him, that is—no matter what. Now I wondered which one of us had been enslaved.

Daybreak brought with it a drizzling, somber gray. Storm clouds hovered low over the cityscape, brushing the tops of the taller buildings, hiding them like tall turrets in a medieval kingdom. I closed the drapes over my picture window. A kingdom in any form was a grating reminder of the harsh new reality of my existence.

Raif showed up just in time to make an already bad morning worse. Dressed to blend in, he wore a pair of khaki slacks and a dress shirt. He looked ridiculous. I was so used to seeing him in his elfin getup that to me he seemed more out of place than ever. I snorted into my coffee cup and took a seat at the dining table.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he took a seat across from me.

“I’m not dead,” I said in a flat, toneless way.

“No, you’re certainly not that,” he said. “But you are feeling . . . better?”

I shrugged.

“You are to report to the king’s estate at sundown,” Raif said. “Not a minute later.”

I resisted the urge to douse his face with the hot beverage in my hand. Ty had it easy. I was the slave. “What for?”

“It doesn’t matter what for,” Raif said with a sneer.

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