The Darkness Within Us (The Shadows Between Us, #2)

by Tricia Levenseller

I told him I didn’t want a present from him. I was very clear on the topic. But it wouldn’t hurt to just open the box. To see what it is. Has he paid attention to my jewelry preferences? Is the gift thoughtful, or was it something random he saw in town? The hinge swings upward at the slightest touch. After unfolding the tissue paper, I find only a short note nestled against the velvet. So you did want a gift from me. I hurl the box across the room. “No,” I say aloud, as though he’s here to argue with. I didn’t. I don’t. I was just looking.

“Your Grace, I have to tell you how divine you look tonight. You put all the other women in the room to shame.” “You hardly need to pay me a compliment by insulting the other women in the room,” I state.

“What happened back there?” I ask. “You fought those men off, and then we were talking. Argus and Dyson showed up. I don’t remember anything after that.” The needle hovers over my skin, and a guilty look crosses Eryx’s features. “You swooned,” he says. “Swooned?” “Yes, got too close to me, I expect.”

“Just relax and follow my lead. I have already devised the perfect cover story.” “Yeah,” Dyson says. “Chrysantha has thought this all through. You should really be more trusting.” “And you should stop thinking with your prick,” Eryx fires back. “If Chrysantha can help you get this under control, you can start thinking with yours!” “Dyson!” Argus bellows before Eryx has the chance. “What? It’s not like he wouldn’t be more fun to be around once he can finally get some of that pent-up energy out of his system.”

“If anything starts to go poorly, we’ll leave immediately,” I offer. “What if I’m exposed?” “That’s the point!” Dyson shouts. “Not that kind of exposure.”

What a … thoughtful observation. Curse him.

“We only have the one life. We have to fight to make it the best it can be. And when others abuse the powers granted them, then what choice do we have except to fight back?”

“I love you. I fought loving you, but it was as inevitable as the sun rising every day. For you are my equal in nearly every way and my superior in all the rest.”