DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS

33

Finally, it was Selina’s and Calvin’s turn. They walked onto the stage and halted in the center. From where she was, Kianna could see Selina’s hands shaking slightly. When the little girl looked at her, Kianna took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Selina followed her cue and did the same.

The band started playing, and the kids danced to the song.

Their first movements were unsure and a little stiff, but as the beat increased, they let it go and danced their heart outs.

A smile spread through Kianna’s lips.

The song ended, the kids froze in their final pose, and the public clapped. Kianna clapped the loudest of them all. She even let out a cheer. Devon chuckled at her side.

The kids hopped off the stage and ran to her. She embraced them both and kissed the top of their sweaty heads. “I’m so very proud of you.”

“That was great,” Cat said, patting them on the back.

“You two did well,” Devon said.

“Thanks,” Calvin said.

“I was so nervous,” Selina admitted.

“I know, but you overcame it,” Kianna said.

Cat grimaced. “I should get back. I’ll let your mother know you two were great.” She waved at them, then dashed away.

Kianna, Devon, Selina, and Calvin stayed near the stage and watched the rest of the performances. There was a ten-minute break after that, so the judges could vote out and decide on the winners, then the lady from before came onto the stage and announced the winners.

As Kianna expected, Selina and Calvin didn’t win. There had been better pieces and more experienced dancers in the competition.

“Remember what I said?” Kianna asked. “Don’t think of it as a competition. It was a fun demonstration, right?”

Calvin nodded his head. “Right.”

Selina, on the other hand, didn’t seem happy about it. She was passionate about dancing, even more than Kianna had ever been.

A pang cut through Kianna’s chest. If only they had more money. If they hadn’t lost it all, Selina could have taken dance classes like Kianna had.

“Here.” Devon extended his closed hand to Calvin. The little boy stared at his fist. Devon grabbed Calvin’s arm and dropped a bunch of coins in Calvin’s hands. “Go play some games.” Calvin’s face brightened. “Share with Selina.”

Selina’s lips pulled up into a big smile. “Thank you!”

The siblings ran to the nearest game stand.

Her brows curling down, Kianna turned to Devon. “Why—?”

“Come on.” Devon turned and walked away.

Kianna stared after him for a moment. What was he doing? Why was he being so nice and attentive and gentle? Why was he making her heart flutter so much?

God, more than that, how could she look at him and not feel attracted to him? He had washed his long hair, pulled it back into a loose ponytail, and put on a nice, clean black shirt and pants.

Since the first time she had seen him, she had found him good-looking, but now she thought he was handsome.

Devon disappeared into the crowd and Kianna rushed to catch up with him. Side by side, they meandered from stand to stand, looking at trinkets, tasting samples, and talking about the festival and what they liked so far.

To her surprise, spending time with Devon was easy. Simple. Comfortable.

She liked it.

The next stand they stopped at was a jewelry one. Kianna’s hand hovered over the necklaces and bracelets and earrings. She didn’t consider herself vain, but she missed having jewels. Now, she had only the small pearl earrings she was currently wearing, one thin necklace her father had given her for her birthday right before his death, and one hairpin that had been her grandma’s.

Her eyes scanned through the rings and one called to her. A silver band and a bright blue stone. It looked like the stone had been shaped and cut around the metal, and then sunken. Small claws clutched the stone.

It was delicate and beautiful.

“It looks like your eyes,” Devon said. Kianna frowned. “The bright blue of the stone matches your eyes.”

It didn’t matter if it matched or not, she didn’t have money to pay for the kids’ games, and she certainly didn’t have money to waste on a superfluous ring.

A heavy sigh escaped her throat. Needing to get away from such things, Kianna turned her back to the stand and walked on.

Her mind lagged as a horse appeared right in front of her. She ordered her legs to move, but they were too slow—

An arm hooked around her waist and pulled her back.

“Sorry!” the rider yelled as he maneuvered his animal through the crowd. Why was he riding a horse in the middle of a crowded street?

But his words were lost as Kianna looked up at her savior. Devon had grabbed her and pulled her back. Her arms were against his chest, his arms tight around her waist, her eyes fixed on his, and his mouth only a inches away.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low. His dark eyes gleamed with concern.

Her breath escaped her, not only because from her near-miss with the horse, but Devon’s arms encapsulated her body. Kianna nodded. “I-I think so.”

She wanted to move, to regain a respectful distance from him, but she couldn’t. She was completely frozen in place.

Like a fly in a spiderweb.

She had been caught while fluttering by and would soon be dead.

Devon

A strong, magical, immortal warrior rendered powerless by a beautiful maiden. It sounded like the storyline of an impractical romance novel, but no matter how much he fought against it, Kianna's beautiful blue eyes had ensnared him.

Gods, was this torture? Or punishment? Had he done something terribly wrong that they now were sentencing him to the woes of a human life, one he could never be truly a part of?