Serpent in Shackles

Chapter Sixteen

A few days had passed since Ezra located the pendant and I was growing incredibly impatient because we hadn't made any effort to retrieve it and move on to the actual job at hand. It also didn't help that the Shadow Knight seemed to be avoiding me at all costs. I asked Elianna once where he was, but all she said was that he was busy with work and would call upon me when I was needed.

Every morning when I went to the dining room to eat breakfast, I found a note on the table that said I have to leave for work today. Read the books I left on the table in my office.

I suppose I left one palace a prisoner, to become a prisoner at another.

Reading, reading, reading.

All I did was read. The books were all about monsters of the night, as well as the monsters that lived in the other Kingdoms. Except for yesterday. The two books he left yesterday were steamy romance novels. He left another note on the top of the stack that said in case you're lonely without me. ;)

I dressed for the day, but I didn't even bother wasting my time with breakfast that morning. I already knew I was going to be spending my day reading in his office again.

I reached for the handle of his office door and that was when I heard it. Heard him. I pressed my ear to the door, to listen again, but my blood boiled more and more with each word he spoke. The reading, the notes - all by myself - but he had been there the entire time.

Grabbing the knob, I swung the door open with all the force in my body. The entire team sat around the table, whipping their heads in my direction as the knob bashed into the solid wall behind it. My heavy breathing and stone cold eyes made me look like a raging bull. The only thing missing was the steam pouring out of my nose.

As much as I tried to hold it together, I couldn't. "Where the fuck have you been?" I snapped. "Do I look like a damn book worm to you?"

The Shadow Knight leaned back in his chair, letting his arms rest on top of the table. He raised his eyebrows at Naia in a playful manner before glancing over to where I stood. "Good morning to you too, Princess."

The smug look plastered across his face was almost enough to send me flying over the table at him. "Why aren't we working on the job? When are we going to look for the pendant?"

He reached for the mug sitting on the table before him. "I'll tell you when you're needed."

"No, that's not fair!"

Something seemed to flicker in his lies. "Life," he emphasized, "isn't fair." He turned to Danver. "Take her outside."

I shuffled closer. "What? Why?"

He arched a brow, as if the answer was blatantly obvious. "Because I don't like your attitude."

"Yeah? Well, I don't like your attitude. You're the most infuriating..." I trailed off, catching my slip of the tongue.

"Most infuriating what?" he taunted, prodding me to answer.

But I bit my tongue and said nothing.

Again, he repeated his question. But this time with more command in his voice. "I'm the most infuriating what?"

My nose scrunched at the bite in my words. "You're the most infuriating, pain in my-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence," Vincent warned.

Without even saying a word, the Shadow Knight lifted his chin to the door and Danver rose to his feet. I took a step back, preparing myself for a fight.

I ducked away as he took a step toward me. I wasn't going easily. I threw my fist into his abdomen. Not hard enough to hurt him. Just hard enough to stall him to give me a chance to break away as I sprinted around to the other side of the table. Danver whirled around, blue eyes blazing red.