A Dance with Darkness: An Angelfire Novella (HarperTeen Impulse) by Courtney Allison Moulton
Authors: Courtney Allison Moulton
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glared at him, completely ignoring the line of blood pooling into the hollow of his throat. His father disappeared up the stairs and then a door slammed shut so hard the walls rattled.
I sighed a breath of relief and turned my attention to Cadan, whose entire body was shaking where he stood. I put a hand on his arm and inspected the wound in his neck. It had healed, but there was a significant amount of blood on his skin. “Cadan,” I said gently. “Come with me. Let’s clean this up.”
He didn’t resist as I led him toward the kitchens, where several human servants went about their business with their gazes pinned to the stone floor. I dismissed them with a wave of my hand. They never looked directly at any reaper on the premises, but they always watched us in their periphery. I found a bowl and filled it with clean water left over from the servants’ last trip to the well. I dunked a rag into the water and I dabbed the damp cloth to his skin to wipe away the blood from the healed cut.
“Has he always treated you like this?” I asked in a quiet tone.
Cadan gave an ugly, sarcastic laugh. “Like what? Like a misbehaved dog instead of his son?”
I frowned, disapproving of his comparison, but I didn’t exactly disagree. “Has he always been so cruel to you?”
He jerked himself away from me and gaped at me in astonishment. “What did you think he was like? You’re the one sleeping with him.”
“I—” I clamped my mouth shut. His words were a slap to my face. Didn’t I know what Bastian was like? He was sweet to me, generous, attentive … Was I just a terrible fool? I’d been ignoring everything that I knew about Bastian. He was … Bastian. He killed my people and he killed humans. The demonic did not rise in rank through sweetness, generosity, and attentiveness. Tonight he killed an angelic relic guardian—perhaps someone I knew—for the book written by Antares. I was a blind fool.
Cadan exhaled and deflated. The color of his extraordinary eyes dimmed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s none of my business. That was appalling of me to say.”
“No, you’re right,” I said. I covered my mouth with one hand and realized my fingers had gone ice-cold. “I don’t know what I’m doing. What am I doing here?” I asked myself aloud, my voice rapid with panic. “What am I doing with him, with any of you? I’m going get myself killed.”
Cadan watched me, his expression tense. “Do you think he would hurt you?”
I lowered my hand and met his gaze. “Do you?” I asked him seriously.
His brow furrowed as he considered my question. “I don’t know,” he replied. “He treats you differently, but I’m honest when I say I don’t know how long that will last. Are you afraid of him?”
I loved him and I’d never felt threatened by him, but he didn’t make me feel safe. “I ought to be.”
“But you’re not.” It wasn’t a question.
I studied Cadan’s gentle face carefully. What a conundrum he was. “Why are you so sweet then?”
“Maybe you don’t know me either,” he said.
His smart mouth was meant to shut me up, but I could see right through him. “I know you’re a very good actor.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Is that so?”
“Most of what you tell your father is a complete lie,” I said very seriously.
“You read minds now?” He tried to seem casual, keeping hold of his false aloofness, but still he didn’t fool me.
“No,” I replied. “But I read people quite well. Bastian apparently does not. He’s too trusting. He believes those loyal to him are too afraid of him to disobey, though you clearly do. The question is, are you afraid of him?”
He laughed softly, as though the question amused him. “Of course I am. He’s stronger than me by a thousandfold.”
“Are you afraid of everything that can kill you?” I asked him, not amused in the slightest.
“No,” he said. “But I’m not stupid enough not to fear Bastian. I know what he’s capable of
I sighed a breath of relief and turned my attention to Cadan, whose entire body was shaking where he stood. I put a hand on his arm and inspected the wound in his neck. It had healed, but there was a significant amount of blood on his skin. “Cadan,” I said gently. “Come with me. Let’s clean this up.”
He didn’t resist as I led him toward the kitchens, where several human servants went about their business with their gazes pinned to the stone floor. I dismissed them with a wave of my hand. They never looked directly at any reaper on the premises, but they always watched us in their periphery. I found a bowl and filled it with clean water left over from the servants’ last trip to the well. I dunked a rag into the water and I dabbed the damp cloth to his skin to wipe away the blood from the healed cut.
“Has he always treated you like this?” I asked in a quiet tone.
Cadan gave an ugly, sarcastic laugh. “Like what? Like a misbehaved dog instead of his son?”
I frowned, disapproving of his comparison, but I didn’t exactly disagree. “Has he always been so cruel to you?”
He jerked himself away from me and gaped at me in astonishment. “What did you think he was like? You’re the one sleeping with him.”
“I—” I clamped my mouth shut. His words were a slap to my face. Didn’t I know what Bastian was like? He was sweet to me, generous, attentive … Was I just a terrible fool? I’d been ignoring everything that I knew about Bastian. He was … Bastian. He killed my people and he killed humans. The demonic did not rise in rank through sweetness, generosity, and attentiveness. Tonight he killed an angelic relic guardian—perhaps someone I knew—for the book written by Antares. I was a blind fool.
Cadan exhaled and deflated. The color of his extraordinary eyes dimmed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s none of my business. That was appalling of me to say.”
“No, you’re right,” I said. I covered my mouth with one hand and realized my fingers had gone ice-cold. “I don’t know what I’m doing. What am I doing here?” I asked myself aloud, my voice rapid with panic. “What am I doing with him, with any of you? I’m going get myself killed.”
Cadan watched me, his expression tense. “Do you think he would hurt you?”
I lowered my hand and met his gaze. “Do you?” I asked him seriously.
His brow furrowed as he considered my question. “I don’t know,” he replied. “He treats you differently, but I’m honest when I say I don’t know how long that will last. Are you afraid of him?”
I loved him and I’d never felt threatened by him, but he didn’t make me feel safe. “I ought to be.”
“But you’re not.” It wasn’t a question.
I studied Cadan’s gentle face carefully. What a conundrum he was. “Why are you so sweet then?”
“Maybe you don’t know me either,” he said.
His smart mouth was meant to shut me up, but I could see right through him. “I know you’re a very good actor.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Is that so?”
“Most of what you tell your father is a complete lie,” I said very seriously.
“You read minds now?” He tried to seem casual, keeping hold of his false aloofness, but still he didn’t fool me.
“No,” I replied. “But I read people quite well. Bastian apparently does not. He’s too trusting. He believes those loyal to him are too afraid of him to disobey, though you clearly do. The question is, are you afraid of him?”
He laughed softly, as though the question amused him. “Of course I am. He’s stronger than me by a thousandfold.”
“Are you afraid of everything that can kill you?” I asked him, not amused in the slightest.
“No,” he said. “But I’m not stupid enough not to fear Bastian. I know what he’s capable of
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