Free Curse Of The Dark Wind (Book 6) by Charles E. Yallowitz Page B

for an attack. Far below, he sees fire on the side of the building with Luke, Fizzle and Timoran watching it die out. A pile of what the warrior at first assumes is snow shifts and collapses, revealing Nyx as she drags herself out of the mess. Dripping with foam, the half-elf is glaring at the tower, but whoever she is angry at is standing out of sight. Her rage turns to Luke, who leaps away from her tackle and continues dancing away from her wild punches.
    “I don’t think it ever crossed their minds,” Sari says, joining Delvin at the window. She smiles at the skirmish that has turned into the half-elves hurling snowballs at each other while using Timoran and Fizzle as shields. “I admit to being worried at first, but I realized that the two of them have something special. If Nyx had to pick one person in the world to call family, she’d pick Luke without hesitation. Even over me, who has known her the longest, and those who raised her. Those two really are inseparable.”
    “I’ve heard about their first adventure together,” the warrior admits, turning to casually examine the simple room. He finds himself wondering how long it will be before he gets to stay in a real bedroom, a thought that seems to always appear before he returns to the road. “None of us can truly understand the betrayal and suffering that they felt. I hate to call it a natural progression, but they went with the emotions of shared events and developed a powerful bond. Maybe that’s the key. Stop the flirting and let things run their course.”
    “That’s a terrible idea,” the gypsy declares, grabbing the last of her gear and heading for the hallway. She holds the door open for her companion, playfully snapping her fingers to hurry him along. “With Nyx, you need to stay out there. She’ll mistake your silence and distance for losing interest. Flirting keeps your intentions known and forces her to consider her own feelings. You didn’t hear this from me, but you’re dealing with a virgin who has never had a boyfriend. She’s admitted to this, so you need to play the game carefully.”
    “Nyx is a virgin?”
    “Pure as the spring rains.”
    Delvin startles Sari when he punches the wall, his gloved hand coming away with scuff marks on the knuckles. The gypsy prepares a calming spell on his lips, but lets it vanish when the warrior takes a deep, cleansing breath. Leaning against the stone, he shakes his sore hand and flexes his fingers. A few spots of blood have seeped through the glove, forcing him to remove it and examine his skinned flesh.
    “Guess you realized why Nyx is still focused on Stephen. She’s hiding her fear with her temper, but you can sense that she isn’t right when she talks about him,” Sari says. She draws a long dagger from her boot and spins it in her hand, a cold look in her emerald eyes. “I think all of us want a piece of him. Luke and I spent a few nights discussing what we would do. I’m sure you’ve had dark thoughts along the same lines. Probably smarter to only talk about it now and not go out of our way to find the bastard.”
    “As much as I hate Stephen, he’s too powerful for us to defeat,” Delvin agrees, sighing and continuing down the hallway. “Still, I refuse to run if he shows up. He’ll have to kill me to get to Nyx.”
    “That’s the mentality I want to see in my friend’s suitors,” Sari declares as she skips ahead and walks backwards, gracefully taking the stairs. “Just keep that emotion out there, Delvin. If Nyx has even a glimmer of interest then I promise she’ll return your advances one day. Either that or you’ll wear her down and get a real date out of her simply to shut you up. That’s when you come to me and I’ll help you pull off the most romantic dinner in the history of Windemere. I know you can cook, but I’ve got a few culinary tricks up my sleeves that will make it a truly magical night.”
    “Thanks.”
    Sari bends backwards and cartwheels over the last