Chapter
Seven
VANDER
Fyan roars past me, his tail flashing as he disappears into the clouds. We spent all day sparring, each of us intent on wearing each other out and drawing blood. Having the mortal in the keep has already upset what little balance there can be among four brothers. And for us, we aren’t the sort to sit and stew. We fight.
After Faraday almost lost an eye and Rivon got tired of being stabbed, we sat and went over our usual duties. Mine are on hold for the moment since I have a mortal on my hands, so the other three are taking up the slack. Fyan will patrol the eastern border and northern borders, Faraday the south and west. Rivon will listen in the villages nearby, paying his spies well to inform him of any moves made by the other clans. They’ll be curious about the Bargain, wondering if the mortal made it across the border.
We need to keep that information to ourselves for as long as possible. Once the other clans discover we have the mortal in the keep, the machinations will begin.
I groan at the thought and bank hard right, diving under a flock of phoenixes, one of them spitting indignant sparks at me as Ipass. I could crush the entire lot of them with my tail, but I don’t. They may have more pride than sense, but they’re beautiful, especially now that the sun has set. Their inner fire gives them hues of orange and gold as they race through the dark sky.
My thoughts turn to the mortal. To Larellin. All throughout sparring, my mind was on her. I told the Firefolk to leave her be. She’s afraid of everything and everyone. Maybe if she has some time to herself and a decent meal in her stomach, she’ll come to her senses.
I stretch my wings wider and soar, riding a current of wind I can almost see as I curve around the corner of the keep. Something begins to itch inside my chest. Like a burr between my scales. Pumping my wings harder, I gain speed, then tuck them closer to my body, making myself an arrow. I plunge along the side of the keep, the itch growing into a flame, one that feels as if it’s scorching me from the inside. What is this feeling?
And then I see her.
A falling star.
A tiny scrap of a woman plummeting through space, her hair a river flowing upward, her hands drawn into her chest. She isn’t screaming. There is no terror. Only peace.
But for me, I feel … The burning grows. The sensation turning to something I barely register.Fear.
A roar rips from me as I hurtle toward her, the ground trying to steal her from me before my talons can catch her. I won’t let it. The jagged rocks will not feast on my mortal’s blood tonight or any night.
Right before I reach her, I splay my wings, slowing myself as I grab her with one talon with only moments to spare. But I don’t have time to pull up, not when I’m this close to the ground. All I can do is pull her close to my body and wrap my wings around her.
I turn right as we hit the ground, pain radiating through my back as stone tears at my scales and punctures my wings. I roar again, rock and dust flying up as I skid along the jagged ground, my one free talon seeking purchase and failing to find any.
When I finally slow and stop, my back on fire, my body damaged far worse than it has been in a long, long time, I allow my wings to open completely. With fear—far more than I have for myself—I lift my talon and open it slowly. Have I crushed her? Did the fall kill her? Is she—There!
She pulls herself up between two of my claws, her face pale and drawn. “You … You saved me?”
I don’t know why it’s a question. Of course I saved her.
“Why?” she asks.
I can’t answer her, not when I’m in dragon form, but my frustration wells all the same. Craning my head back, I release a torrent of golden fire into the air. How dare she do this? How dare she try to end this Bargain?
When I return my gaze to her, she’s shrunk back into the cage of my claws, her small body shaking.
Fuck.
I don’t remember mortals being this difficult.
Reaching along the small cliff beside us, I set her down on it. She scrambles from my talons and presses her back to the rock.
With a groan, I roll off my back. My wings are shredded. I could still fly, but it wouldn’t be steady, certainly not steady enough to ensure Larellin doesn’t fall from my grip.
“Oh, gods.” She covers her mouth as she looks at the damage along my back.
I snort sparks and watch her with one eye. Is she going to run? She won’t get far, not in this rocky wasteland. The nearest town is several hundred feet up and into the woods. Not to mention the fact it’s inhabited by Drudge Golems. They’d squash her with their mallets as soon as look at her.
But she doesn’t seem to want to run. She simply watches me.
“You’re hurt,” she says softly. “You got hurt when you …” She looks up at the sheer face of the keep.
