His silent words burned through me like liquid fire. I swallowed and rolled onto my side, hurrying to my feet.

A dark gleam filled Roark’s eyes. He spun a short blade in his grip.

I kept low, circling the Sentry. Kael stood beside Emi. More Stav took positions to watch. Even a few courtiers and servants preparing the courtyards for the arrival of the Myrdan royals stopped to observe.

You have enemies you do not see. Prove you can defend yourself. Roark gestured with sharpness, like a command. Like he would not accept anything less.

Then he lunged.

Like Kael, Roark moved with the glide of a shadow. His strikes came before I caught up to the previous move. I fought to gain the offensive, but kept backstepping, blocking every strike in a frenzy.

I managed to spin out and get behind him, but Roark took a long stride and found a position behind me before I had time to turn around. He was a force and I could not follow him. He swung at me, and I stumbled, falling backward to the ground.

Roark gave me no time to breathe before he made a cage with his arms and legs over the top of me, my own damn dagger in his control at my throat.

Dark hair pinned to his brow from a thin layer of sweat. His body was carved in divots of muscle and pressed too close to mine. The bastard only made it worse when he leaned his mouth over my lips, one hand in my sights. Heat from his bare skin burned against my chest.

You are dead.

His fingers brushed below my jaw, and I had to fight the horrid urge to lean into his touch. “Does it please you?”

A snide kind of smirk split over his mouth. Depends on the time of day.

“It is a shared feeling.”

He leaned in ever closer. One slight lift of my head and my lips would brush his. Roark shifted. His chest ran over my breasts, forcing my teeth to clench to bite back a moan.

Your grip on that blade is the worst I’ve ever seen.

I huffed in annoyance. “Get off me, Sentry. I tire of looking at you.”

Doubtful.

“Bastard.”

Roark held out a hand to help me up. I took it, almost on instinct. The instant I was steady on my footing, Roark’s smile faded and we pulled apart.

Emi will guard you tonight. Roark turned to go.

“Why? Where are you going? I thought you were to be my shadow.”

I have duties with the Stav Guard. I am glad my absence is distressing and you will miss me.

“I will not miss you,” I fired back.

“How do they talk so fast?” Kael’s irritated grumble came from my back. “Lyra hardly pauses to read the hand speak.”

“Sometimes souls just understand each other, Darkwin,” Emi returned.