Page 29 of The Star's Sword
I grinned, backing away from them and giving them a moment, very happy for Griffin that it appeared Os had missed him after all.
I walked away from the courtyard, hopped over the crumbling wall that led to a brambly wilderness I liked to walk through, and moved into the tree line.
I felt a little bad moving away from Griffin, and having no one else with me.
But I was the Morningstar. I could be alone occasionally if I wanted to, right? I was powerful enough.
After the ball, the training, everything with Zadis and the odd way Samael was acting, I seriously needed time alone to clear my head.
The sun moved behind clouds, darkening everything around me, and before long, it began to rain as well, and I took shelter under a large tree, sitting on the soft dirt and leaning back against the trunk.
For a moment, I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the sound of the rain. Rhythmic. Perfect.
My body still ached from training, and I felt weak from blood donation, but I knew that at the end of this, all of it would be worth it.
And I would have my happily ever after with Samael. That was worth everything.
I drifted off against the tree, sheltered and safe and sure Griffin and Os would come find me when they were done hooking up. After all, I’d have to disrupt them to get back to my friends.
And I could call Samael anytime I wanted to.
Water droplets sung a lullaby around me, and darkness drifted over me.
The next thing I knew was a loud thud that jolted me awake, making me reach for my sheath, even as I blinked, trying to get my bearings.
A huge figure stood in front of me, based on the tree-trunk sized legs ensconced in black leather. The huge boots. But before I could even open my mouth and scream, Something huge and dark was thrown over me, like a sack made of pure void.
And then everything went black once again, just as I felt something lift the sack holding me into the air, and take off, bringing me with it.
12
Icame to just as I hit the floor and rolled out of whatever had been holding me. The floor was covered in a lush rug and very soft, but a floor all the same.
I pushed myself up, grabbing for my sword, but still dazed. I fell back on my butt on a part of the wooden floor that wasn’t covered by the rug, but before I could even push up, I felt a heavy boot hit my chest, pushing me back to the ground and holding me there as my kidnapper loomed over me, a smile spreading across his handsome, deep-skinned face, gray eyes flashing, short curls mussed.
“It wasn’t hard to capture you, Morningstar candidate. I’m disappointed.”
I put my hand on my sheath, ready to bring my sword forward and show him how much of a Morningstar I was.
After all, I had a night sword that was also a morning sword. I could kill anything forever and resurrect it as well.
But Samael had told me not to show it to anyone if possible, so no one could know what it looked like to copy it in an illusion.
Swearing, I let go of my tiny sheath, not wanting to give my secrets away.
“Didn’t even bring your sword, did you?” Mark said mockingly, folding his arms and making the black leather trench he was wearing stretch across his broad shoulders.
Damn, the man was just big.
And very attractive, I had to admit, even as his wings retracted. They were so big, I wondered how they would compare to Simon’s, which outreached even Samael’s.
I looked around the room we were in. We’d flown in through an open window, and I could see clouds and the sky, so I knew we must be high up.
The furnishings in the room were all of the highest quality and very ornate and new. Nothing damaged or worn or full of ‘character’ like at the sanctuary.
Every chair was practically a throne, sumptuously covered in velvet and gilded with gold. Every wall had complex, patterned wall paper, and large paintings in gilded, elaborately carved frames.
The window sconces were molded to look like cherubs and flowers and leaves, and there were two large windows in the room.
