I scrambled on, resting a hand on his withers, while the other reached towards a wing. The nerves I felt were rivaled by my child-like excitement as I lightly trailed a finger along a single feather.
Raf went still, huffing out a breath as I studied his wings. He stamped a foot when I made the mistake of touching him again.Stop playing around,I assumed he was saying.
I swallowed hard, wrapping his mane around my fingers. He took off quickly, cantering into a gallop, before snapping out his wings and letting the wind pick us up. We sailed over the pond, almost skimming the water with our feet. Slowly gaining altitude, he flapped hard, creating mighty gusts, as he flew us towards the mountains. We soared higher and higher until the air became frosty, making my magic sing.
Everything looked small and insignificant from up here. As I peered down at the giant, white castle below, I wondered if any of the guards were trying to identify the impossibly large bird in the sky. I laughed with reckless joy as the wind whipped my hair across my cheeks. I never wanted to get down.
I hugged Rafael around his neck for support as he began to turn back towards the grove. We were above the base of the mountains already. I looked down towards the rough trails that had humbled us over the past week. He was a male of much patience, walking a horse up a mountain when he could’ve been flying. Such awondroussecret he kept. I felt grateful he’d shared it with me. This was my new favorite form of escape; none of our problems could follow us here, as we reached new heights.
We were back on the ground too quickly. His chest was heaving as he slowed down to a trot, eventually coming to a silent stop. I sat paralyzed, not ready to say goodbye to the magic of the moment—or the easy intimacy we shared whenever he was in his animal form.
He stamped his foot.The ride was over. I slid off him reluctantly, running my hands along his neck until I was at the side of his face, staring at long, dark lashes and gold-flecked eyes. I scratched the space between his brows—Najma’s favorite place to be rubbed. He leaned into it, butting me playfully before I leaned my forehead against his.
“Thank you, Raf,” I whispered. He nodded, shifting back, and then we buried the tension, channeling it into training.
“You forgot to use your shields last week, which was my fault as much as yours. We’ve been focusing too much on offense. From now on, you’ll display a shield at all times, anytime we spar.”
He shot a tendril of shadow at my wind shield, while I tried to aim a hailstorm at him. He was quick and unpredictable, making it difficult for me to track his movements. Shadow wielders had another huge advantage over the rest of us. They had the ability to transport themselves from one point to another, eveninsidethe shield of an opponent, making it nearly impossible to win against him.
I was just glad he was on my side, even if he loved to torture me. He wrapped a vine around my ankle, pulling me to the ground. I noted his grin of satisfaction as the smoke around me cleared.
“Can you see through your shadows?” I asked as I sat on the ground, catching my breath.
“No, but I don’t need to. My other senses are strong enough to track an opponent.” I caught a gleam in his eye as he purred, “Perhaps I should blindfold you… so you can learn to honeyoursenses.” The grove turned into an inky night in seconds and my pulse began to trip over itself.
And then he was gone. His voice bounced and echoed across the field, making it difficult to know where he was as he said, “I can hear your fast little heartbeat. Your shallow breathing. The shuffle of your feet. And then of course… there’s yourfuckingscent.”
He said it so rudely. “What’s wrong with the way I smell?” I scoffed.
“Nothing,” he muttered.
My patience was fraying. “I don’t like the dark… Come on. This isn’t funny—” I gasped as he grabbed me from behind, holding a hand to my throat. I hadn’t heard a single footstep. Ice coated my fingertips as I felt his breath tickle my cheek.
“I could’ve killed you ten times by now, Princess,” he whispered. “I think I’ve found my new favorite way to torture you. We’ll practice in the dark from now on.” His laugh skittered down my spine as the world began to reappear.
And then I elbowed him in the stomach.
thirty-five
Galen had been busy since we’d returned, but he always snuck into my room at the end of the day. He continued to deny that there was anything going on with Isla. I watched them at dinner and my paranoia grew, though I didn’t know when he’d have time to be with her, since he spent every night with me. I couldn’t keep punishing him for something he most likely hadn’t done. I knew I was his choice. But the situation didn’t have a solution—he was still publicly courting her. And I was still internally spiraling.
Then there was the conversation I’d been avoiding. Galen still didn’t know that I was planning on leaving this world with his brothers, along with as many humans as possible. It wasn’t exactly an easy thing to bring up. "So, your brothers are plotting to overthrow your mother with my help—oh and by the way, we’re planning to take all of the humans—as many as we can find—essentially dooming your people. But don’t worry, we’re going to try and break the curse. Want to join?"
My pitch still needed some work.
“You’ve been acting off since we returned to the castle,” Galen said one evening while I laid on his chest. We’d just gotten back from dinner and were sipping on wine while we talked in bed. “Exactly how long are you going to be distant with me? And is there something I can do to speed up the process? Because I miss you.”
I let out a deep exhale, trying to find my courage. “I don’t mean to punish you. The truth is Galen… I still don’t fully trust you. And it’s kept me from being completely honest with you.” My heart began to beat faster and I knew he could hear it. I sat up on my forearms, meeting his gaze.
“You have my attention,” he said, eyebrows raised. His pointed ears seemed especially pricked as he studied me in a way that was more feline than man. “I can sense that whatever you’re about to say is difficult for you, so let me remind you that there isnothingyou can say that will scare me away.” He gave me an encouraging smile and it looked sincere, but since he’d bitten me at the inn, I could only seemyuhra around him. No red or blue. Nothing ofhim. It made it more difficult to trust his intentions.
I swallowed, sitting up on the bed and crossing my legs. “I don’t want to open a doorway to Erador for your mother or the Elders. In fact, I won’t. There’s nothing you can say to change my mind.” The words tumbled out too quickly. I’d forgotten to take a breath.
His facial features barely moved as he processed what I’d said. He tucked my hands in his and brought them to his lips. “Okay,” he said smoothly.
“Okay?” I asked skeptically. “That’s it? You’re not going to fight me on it? What about—” I was going to bring up what he’d said on the mountain, but instead he cut me off with a kiss that stole the words from my mouth.
On our way to the Oracle he’d said that we didn’t have a choice—that Ihadto open the portal for his people. What had changed his mind? The prophecy?
