“No, it’s too dangerous.”
“Do you not wish … to return home?”
“More than anything, but I can’t involve you in this. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Cassiel scoffed and shook his head. “You are the most incredulous person I’ve ever come across, maddening even …” The way he was looking at her made her heart do all sorts of flips. “But I find I do not mind it in the least.” His hand rose and brushed the hair from her face, faintly trailing over her cheek, leaving behind a tingling trail on her skin. “You have beautiful eyes,” he mumbled as his own slid closed, his breaths deepening. “They remind me of …”
“Of what?” Dyna whispered.
His only response was a faint snore.
She smiled, well aware of her heated face. He liked her eyes? What had gotten into him? He had never said such things to her before.
Cassiel held her captive beneath his arm so there was nothing to do other than watch him sleep. His features were smooth of any irritation, long dark lashes kissing his cheeks. He looked serene, happy even.
It wasn’t often he let her get this close. Reaching out tentatively, Dyna brushed her fingers along his sleek black feathers. She traced the outer edge of his wing. Carefully, lightly, moving over the margins to where the wing met his back. She trailed her hand over his shoulder layered in muscle, fingertips stroking his smooth jaw. A current pulsed where they touched, fluttering in her stomach.
Whatever this energy was, it didn’t feel wrong.
Ignoring her blush, Dyna closed her eyes and settled on his chest. She listened to his steady heartbeat as hers slowed to match his rhythm.
At times it was a difficult thing to believe Cassiel was real.
He was starlight, and wonder, and questions without answers. But she was willing to wait to uncover them.
His soft breathing lulled her, chasing away all her fears. One day she would have to face the shadows. But at this moment in his arms, it was the furthest thing from her mind.
She slipped into a peaceful sleep with his soft feathers against her cheek, and his scent lingering in her dreams.
Chapter 37
Lucenna
Lucenna woke up in a strange place with a foul headache. She moaned, pressing the heels of her palms against her pulsing skull. It was equally unbearable as the hard bed she laid in. Someone had graciously provided her with a coarse blanket and an itchy straw mattress. A spike of alarm went through her at finding herself in an unfamiliar house. It was small and dark, the fireplace providing some light. The window shutters were closed, but she sensed that night had fallen.
Three little girls peeped at her from behind the footboard with wide curious eyes, whispering to each other.
“She’s pretty.”
“I like her hair.”
“Is she to be our new mama?” the youngest one asked.
Lucenna glowered at them, and they giggled.
“Father,” the oldest one called over her shoulder. “She’s awake.”
There was shuffling from the other side of the room. The ferryman rose from his table and approached.
He handed her a cup of water. “How are you feeling, lass?”
“What happened?” She sat up. Her vision spun, and she gripped the bedpost to keep from keeling over.
“You lost your footing on the shore and hit your head. The man helped me carry you up the hill to my home.”
“The man?” she hissed, recalling Commander Von’s last words before he struck her. “He’s the one who rendered me unconscious!”
“Did he?” The ferryman frowned skeptically. He hadn’t seen it, his back had been turned.
