Chapters (64)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Pronunciation Guide
- Prologue
- Part One
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Part Two
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Part Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Part Four
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Epilogue
- Excerpt from The Sun and Its Shade
- The Night and Its Moon Playlist
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Cover
She bit her lip as she waited for a response, undoubtedly knowing what an effect such a subtle action had on men. Ash did his best to comply as he watched the wolves fight, curious who would win. As the taste of cinnamons and plums overcame him, he began to silently cheer for the first hungry, male wolf.
He nodded. “It is quite the journey, and not one for anyone who fears heights, I’m afraid.”
She looked impressed, saying, “You’re on a mountain itself, then?”
“I am.”
“And what is the name of your city?”
Hundreds of years ago, when the reevers were welcomed as guardians and respected for the peace they brought to the kingdoms, Uaimh Reev had been a household name. He would have told the girl of the reev, and she surely would have been delighted to have been sharing a drink with a guardian. Over the years, however, as their kind grew fewer and the continent more suspicious, it had proven pertinent to keep to the shadows. On the best days, people thought of them as assassins. On the worst days, they were equivocated to nothing more than hired swords. Samael had said the past fifty years had been the most challenging to live amongst the humans. This young woman wasn’t old enough to know any reputation of the reevers that would serve him.
Ash opted for a deflection. He shook his head, saying, “I’m not sure the northern names would hold much meaning to anyone from outside of the area.”
“Try me,” she pushed. Was her brow arched with curiosity, or something more hostile? It was the second wolf again, clamping its jaws down into his flesh to draw him to awareness.
“I’d rather hear more about you, miss,” he replied.
Her frustration was unmistakable this time, if only for a moment. It took the young woman a beat to steady herself, and Ash noticed. She took another drink of her ruby-red wine. She took her time eyeing the tap room and its patrons, its music, its tables and scents and sights, presumably regrouping her thoughts. She didn’t lower the glass from her lips, still looking away. Clearly, he’d rattled her more than he’d intended.
Finally she’d summoned the casual air to say, “You’re too kind. Men don’t often ask much about me. What can I say? I’m a simple girl. The most exciting part of my day would be hearing about your adventures in the north.”
“I doubt that very much.”