The Other Side of the Mirror by Dana Evyn

Author:Dana Evyn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781648984464
Publisher: City Owl Press

Chapter 21

Eva

Aviel kissed me goodnight after walking me to my room. It started out almost gently, then deepened as he pushed me up against my door, his body firm and hard against me. His hands perused my curves over the silk, his tongue taking full advantage of my mouth. And maybe it made me a horrible, conniving person that I was planning on how to go against the only thing he had asked of me as I kissed him back. But that wasn’t going to stop me.

He stared at me so long after he finally pulled away that, for a moment, I thought he could see all my secrets. But he simply bid me to sleep well before shutting my door firmly behind me. I took a deep breath as I listened at the doorway for his footsteps to leave before rushing to change out of the less than inconspicuous gown.

A few minutes later, I was wearing yoga pants and a dark green, twist-front top I brought from home, inhaling the citrusy scent of the laundry from Imyr with a stab of longing. Slipping out of my room, I was relieved to find the door unlocked and unguarded when I heard voices at the end of the hall. From the sound of it, two guards were stationed around the corner. With a sinking feeling, I realized that—with my room and Aviel’s the only ones in this hallway—they could only be here for me.

To keep me safe, or to keep me in?

The hallway had darkened, the silver sconces on the walls unlit after nightfall. It was only too easy to wrap my own darkness around myself like a shroud, using it to blend into the shadows as Bash had meticulously taught me. Sliding against the wall, I let my magic brace my footfalls—a trick I had managed to copy from Yael. I breathed a sigh of relief as I passed the guards without them noticing—just another sliding shadow. Quickly, I walked toward the staircase, careful to mask each step.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been sneaking around like this, but something was off—something felt wrong underneath the glittering glamour of this place. And I had to figure out what it was before it found me first.

Doing nothing was simply not an option.

And if Aviel caught me sneaking out after his warnings? The ruler of the realm needed to know that I could take care of myself—and maybe him too—considering whatever it was likely threatened us both. That I needed to figure things out head-on, not be sheltered for my own protection. And, perhaps most importantly, that I wasn’t the sort to blindly abide by his control.

Besides, what was the worst thing that could happen? If I got caught, I would feign embarrassment and say I was trying to find my betrothed.

Silently, I continued downwards, slipping through one stairwell then another. Melting into the darkness of the shadows whenever unknowing servants passed me by, praying their fae senses wouldn’t find me. As I turned down a long, dim hallway, I heard footsteps and backed quickly into a dark corner.

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