Read Online Shadowstorm (The Shadow World Book 6) by Dianne Sylvan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dianne Sylvan
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remains: without darkness, light is meaningless.”
“Maybe so,” she replied, “But that darkness nearly destroyed me when I was still human. My gift ran wild and drove me mad, and I was already running out of time when…if David and I hadn’t met, and he hadn’t taught me to control it, I don’t think I would have survived.”
The Bard sighed, and said with mock irritation, “You must stop telling me things like that about your mate, or I will end up liking him in spite of myself.”
She laughed. “Oh, I think you already do, you just don’t want to admit it.”
A conspiratorial grin. “Of course I do. How could I not at least acknowledge a man who so obviously adores, admires, and respects both you and my brother? He is wise enough to know how blessed he is to call you his Queen; that, at the very least, I can appreciate.”
She knew, by how hot her face was, that she was blushing crimson, but thankfully he didn’t comment on it. He did, however, kiss her hand when he left, and she stood there unable to move for a minute, her skin tingling where his lips had touched.
Oh, hell.
That was two weeks ago; after that, Kai had gone home for the Harvest. She spent the next two weeks in a knot over her sudden and unwelcome attraction to the Elf until David called her on it the night Kai returned. When the Prime left for work, she stayed on her piano bench with her thoughts, trying to make sense out of them before she had to deal with the Bard.
She had, without really saying so, come to the understanding that one day David would have a lover. Whether it was Deven, or someone else, she had long felt a sense of inevitability about it—it was common in Pairs, though the romanticized legends about the Signets made it seem that they were exclusive for all eternity. Very few remained completely monogamous, but historically it was the result of adultery, not a polyamorous arrangement of equals. Over time, starting after that night with Deven and developing further after David’s crush on Olivia, Miranda had unconsciously come to accept the idea, but while that theoretically opened the door for her own pursuits, she hadn’t thought for a second that any such pursuits would ever exist. David, it seemed, saw right through her, just as she’d seen through him.
Thank God he’d brought it up, though, because she would have had no idea what to say.
Hey baby, you know that Elf you think is a stuck-up bastard? Well, turns out, not so much. In fact I kind of want to…
No.
Okay, so, you know how you get the hots for basically anything that moves these days? I guess you’re a bad influence, because…
No.
Hey, I was just thinking, you know what we’ve never done? Twins!
Oh lord.
She stuck her hands in her hair, trying not to pull it in aggravation. It was all so ridiculous. She had gone up against a dozen armed opponents at a time, recorded two platinum albums, learned how to operate not one but two psychic gifts, and overcome assault and murder—but give her a crush on a ridiculously attractive Elf, and she turned into a gibbering idiot. She’d been telling the truth when she told David she didn’t intend to shag the Bard, but Elves were sexually permissive — to put it mildly — so who knew what Kai was thinking?
There was a soft knock at the door, and she swallowed hard. “Come in!”
She knew who it was, of course—there was no mistaking the moonlit presence of an Elf in the room.
She turned, about to try out the Elvish greeting he’d taught her…and froze.
“Are you okay?”
Her gift, it turned out, was not necessary at the moment. Kai’s face was haunted, almost dazed with sadness; he sank down on the loveseat back against the wall, unspeaking.
She left the piano and sat down next to him, peering into his face with concern. “What happened…is it Nico?”
A vague nod.
“Tell me.”
He took a deep breath, grounding himself. “It was bad tonight,” he said softly. “The worst I have seen
“Maybe so,” she replied, “But that darkness nearly destroyed me when I was still human. My gift ran wild and drove me mad, and I was already running out of time when…if David and I hadn’t met, and he hadn’t taught me to control it, I don’t think I would have survived.”
The Bard sighed, and said with mock irritation, “You must stop telling me things like that about your mate, or I will end up liking him in spite of myself.”
She laughed. “Oh, I think you already do, you just don’t want to admit it.”
A conspiratorial grin. “Of course I do. How could I not at least acknowledge a man who so obviously adores, admires, and respects both you and my brother? He is wise enough to know how blessed he is to call you his Queen; that, at the very least, I can appreciate.”
She knew, by how hot her face was, that she was blushing crimson, but thankfully he didn’t comment on it. He did, however, kiss her hand when he left, and she stood there unable to move for a minute, her skin tingling where his lips had touched.
Oh, hell.
That was two weeks ago; after that, Kai had gone home for the Harvest. She spent the next two weeks in a knot over her sudden and unwelcome attraction to the Elf until David called her on it the night Kai returned. When the Prime left for work, she stayed on her piano bench with her thoughts, trying to make sense out of them before she had to deal with the Bard.
She had, without really saying so, come to the understanding that one day David would have a lover. Whether it was Deven, or someone else, she had long felt a sense of inevitability about it—it was common in Pairs, though the romanticized legends about the Signets made it seem that they were exclusive for all eternity. Very few remained completely monogamous, but historically it was the result of adultery, not a polyamorous arrangement of equals. Over time, starting after that night with Deven and developing further after David’s crush on Olivia, Miranda had unconsciously come to accept the idea, but while that theoretically opened the door for her own pursuits, she hadn’t thought for a second that any such pursuits would ever exist. David, it seemed, saw right through her, just as she’d seen through him.
Thank God he’d brought it up, though, because she would have had no idea what to say.
Hey baby, you know that Elf you think is a stuck-up bastard? Well, turns out, not so much. In fact I kind of want to…
No.
Okay, so, you know how you get the hots for basically anything that moves these days? I guess you’re a bad influence, because…
No.
Hey, I was just thinking, you know what we’ve never done? Twins!
Oh lord.
She stuck her hands in her hair, trying not to pull it in aggravation. It was all so ridiculous. She had gone up against a dozen armed opponents at a time, recorded two platinum albums, learned how to operate not one but two psychic gifts, and overcome assault and murder—but give her a crush on a ridiculously attractive Elf, and she turned into a gibbering idiot. She’d been telling the truth when she told David she didn’t intend to shag the Bard, but Elves were sexually permissive — to put it mildly — so who knew what Kai was thinking?
There was a soft knock at the door, and she swallowed hard. “Come in!”
She knew who it was, of course—there was no mistaking the moonlit presence of an Elf in the room.
She turned, about to try out the Elvish greeting he’d taught her…and froze.
“Are you okay?”
Her gift, it turned out, was not necessary at the moment. Kai’s face was haunted, almost dazed with sadness; he sank down on the loveseat back against the wall, unspeaking.
She left the piano and sat down next to him, peering into his face with concern. “What happened…is it Nico?”
A vague nod.
“Tell me.”
He took a deep breath, grounding himself. “It was bad tonight,” he said softly. “The worst I have seen
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