Sixteen
Haven Haywood
I was down in the dungeon. I couldn’t recall ever being down there during my time as member of the guard. My life was Ashden. I followed her, and nothing else beyond that mattered. I walked over to where Samael’s cell was. Samael had a warrior build like me, tall with broad shoulders. His eyes were brown, almost red.
He looked up at me. “Ah, the competition.”
I frowned. “Competition?”
“I’m not a fool, and neither are you. I saw you when you two entered the throne room that day. Your eyes never left her.”
“Because,” I said, “it’s my job.”
“Of course, it’s your job. But there’s a difference between looking at her like you need to know when you’re a guard, and the way you looked at her.”
“Which was?”
“Like a drunk man who was addicted and wouldn’t stop
