An Irresistible Shadow by Kirsten S. Blacketer

Author:Kirsten S. Blacketer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: medieval romance, steamy romance, English romance, historical romance, knight
Publisher: Kirsten S. Blacketer
Published: 2023-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Evelyn reveled in the earthy scents as they rode through the woods. The silence stretched taut between them. Gabriel led her over the ridge and into a beautiful clearing. They pulled their horses to a halt beside a fallen tree and dismounted, tying the reins off.

“You owe me an explanation,” she said as she turned to face him. His blue eyes were even brighter today. She inhaled, steeling herself against the attraction that consumed her.

“Aye.”

“Who are you?” she asked, placing several feet between them. “The truth this time.” She crossed her arms. A flutter of movement just beyond Gabriel’s head caught her attention. A figure, shroud in black and wearing a cowl, stepped from the tree line into the clearing behind Gabriel.

Evelyn slipped the dagger from her belt. “You tricked me!” The man approached them. What have I gotten myself into? She had been a fool to trust him. First, she betrayed her best friend and now herself by falling into the enemy’s hands. Gabriel turned and took a step toward her. “Deciever! Do not move.”

She drew the knife up, the tip glinting in the morning sun. “Have you decided to kidnap me? Kill me? Try it.” She charged at the man in black, a guttural cry ripping from her lips. Gabriel snatched her by the waist with one arm as his other hand twisted the knife from her grasp.

“We bear you no ill intent, Evelyn,” he said as she struggled against his powerful hold. “If you promise not to gut us, I will explain.”

She stilled in his arms, not because she trusted him, but because there were two of them. Without her sword, she was outmatched.

“Why does he wear the garb of the shadow guardian? You told me you were the shadow guardian?” The fear lingered in the back of her mind, and confusion clouded her heart.

Gabriel’s hold loosened a fraction; his steady voice caressed her ear. “I am the shadow guardian.”

“Then who is that? A figment of my imagination?”

“He is my brother,” he replied.

“My father told me your brother was dead. Why are you hiding him?” Evelyn asked in confusion.

“We work better as a team when only one of us is exposed,” Gabriel explained. “The king sent us here, as a team, to maintain the peace. We are here as a precaution. Not to start a war, but possibly prevent one.”

Evelyn’s mind absorbed his words, but she struggled to fathom why he hid his brother. Her father would accept both the men in his court if they were truly here to help and protect the borderlands.

“Why hide one?”

The shadow guardian stepped closer, his voice low. “Sometimes ‘tis important strategically to be able to confound and outmaneuver your enemy within the shadows.”

She searched him, her jaw thrust forward. His face was obscured by the cowl. Evelyn remained unconvinced.

The hooded man reached up and slipped the cowl back. Evelyn’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You are twins?” she screamed, tearing herself from Gabriel’s grasp. She backed away from both men. Her dagger pointed at them in accusation.

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