Shara couldn’t speak for a full minute. She’d never expected to come face-to-face with Balladyn during her first visit. She wasn’t prepared to speak to him, but she had no choice. Most Dark in his position didn’t mix with the hangers-on that littered his fortress; the fact he did was another revelation.
She wanted to run back to the doorway that would take her home. That was the girl she used to be. Her family had forced the woman to come forward. If she were going to take her life into her own hands, then she needed to begin to act like a Blackwood.
“I’m Shara Blackwood.”
His angry demeanor vanished. It was replaced with a look of delight and satisfaction. His gaze raked her head to toe in a slow perusal. “Your family allowed you to come here?”
“I didn’t ask their permission.”
Balladyn chuckled, his body relaxing. “A female who knows her mind. That’s not like a Dark. I like it.”
“It shouldn’t come as a surprise if you know my family.”
His gaze flared with desire. “There is talk that you will marry soon.”
“So I’ve been told. Apparently, there are some who wish to align with my family.”
“And have you as a wife.”
Shara’s smile was slight, barely turning her lips upward at the corners. “There are very few worthy of my family. Or me.”
She wasn’t sure what she was doing. Flirting with a male like Balladyn who served as Taraeth’s right-hand man was as mad as being attracted to a Dragon King. Maybe that was her problem. She was crazy. It was the only explanation for her recent actions.
Balladyn’s gaze shifted to the Dark next to her. “Leave us.”
X bowed his head and hastily walked away. The power and respect Balladyn had was remarkable. People feared her family, and therefore feared Farrell. All around her she could see the admiration and influence Balladyn had. If there was ever a Dark who would dare to go against her family besides Taraeth, it was Balladyn.
He moved closer, crowding her so that she had to choose to move away and appear weak or stand her ground. As difficult as it was, Shara decided to stand her ground. Balladyn stood so close his chest brushed her breasts. He peered down at her, and then touched the silver strip of her hair.
“Why are you in my compound?” His demand, asked in a soft voice, didn’t hide his doubt as to her reasoning.
She turned her head away from his intense gaze and motioned to the room at large. “I’ve heard a lot about what goes on here.”
“No you haven’t.”
Shara shifted her gaze back to him and raised a brow. She didn’t know how he knew she lied or if he was testing her. Either way, she was going to allow him to win. It was intuition she followed instead of certainty regarding the situation. “The truth isn’t as neatly tied up.”
He backed her against the wall and put an arm on either side of her. “But it’s the truth I want.”
“Farrell told me I couldn’t come without him. I am tired of being told what to do.”
Balladyn’s gaze held her for several tense moments. “Once you marry, it’ll be your husband who tells you what to do.”
“There has to be a Dark out there who would appreciate a strong woman and her opinions.”
Just as she hoped, his eyes lowered to her lips. “Aye,” he murmured.
Shara had been nervous with Kiril, but she had never been terrified. She was that and more with Balladyn. And yet she found herself considering him because she had no other choice, regardless that she wished Kiril was a choice. The fact was, he wasn’t. Any female who managed to tie Balladyn into marriage would find herself elevated above almost all.
She would no longer be under the thumb of her family. As Balladyn mentioned, she would be under his. Except he didn’t seem like the type who wanted to control her. He seemed to appreciate her strong will. That could be to her benefit.
A Dark female without family was shunned from everyone and everything. So walking away from her family wasn’t an option. She wouldn’t live out the week. Farrell would see to that.
Since she couldn’t leave everything behind or go to Scotland with Kiril, this was all that she could do. Shara didn’t want to marry Balladyn any more than she wanted to trap Kiril, but no matter where she looked, she couldn’t see another way for her.
Her flaunting of her family’s rule and taking control excited Balladyn. She could see it in his gaze and the way he stared at her as if he was holding back from throwing her over his shoulder and taking her through one of the many doors she saw down the various corridors. She would always have to watch herself with Balladyn. The first hint of deceit or dishonesty and he would kill her.
On the other hand, she was able to truly be herself with Kiril. No lies, no deceptions … just herself.
Marrying Balladyn would make my family accept me as well as get me out from under their thumbs while ranking me high in the Dark society. It would also stop my mission with Kiril.
It was settled. She set her sights on Balladyn.
Balladyn leaned back slightly and caught her gaze. “Your family will come looking for me once they discover where you are.”
“Are you afraid of them?”