Fly. I'd flown before and had loved every minute of it. Unlike some of the other Avian armies, the Falcon Army hadn't paired humans with faeries to fly into battle together, so I haven't flown as much as I would have liked. Not that I'd want to ruin the experience by combining it with battle, but still. . . to fly. On my own. As a giant falcon. The thought was nearly as tempting as the Falcon Lord himself. And to live with him in Varalorre? Yeah, that might be better than opening a bakery in Lek.
“Have you considered the fact that you might be wrong?” I asked him softly.
“About you being my valorian?” Taeven asked with a lifted brow.
I nodded.
“No, I don't have to consider it. I know I'm right.”
“What if you aren't?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if, after all this work you're putting into convincing me, I'm not your valorian? Then you would have extended my life—something I don't want—and you'd be short a piece of your soul for nothing.”
“Not for nothing,” he protested. “I would never regret sharing my soul with you.”
“You aren't listening, Taeven,” I said sharply. “Iwould regret it.”
He flinched as if I'd struck him. “I see.”
“Not because of you,” I hurried to explain. “Because I don't want to live hundreds of years, watching the people I love grow old and die while I stay young.”
Taeven blinked. “I hadn't considered that.”
I let out a relieved breath. “Finally, you understand.”
“But that won't happen to you, Shane. You are meant to be my valorian. And in Varalorre, you wouldn't be watching everyone grow old and die.”
I growled in frustration and was about to say more when he spoke again.
“Look, we've arrived.”
I looked out the window at the soaring buildings of Fellbrook. Taeven had brought me to the nearest city for our outing. My stomach zinged with excitement. It had been a long time since I'd been to Fellbrook, since before I'd joined the army, but I fondly remembered the days I'd spent there. And especially the nights.
“Well done, Falcon Lord,” I said as if he'd just set a chess piece down and called, checkmate.
Taeven grinned smugly.
Chapter Ten
Despite the protests of his knights (he'd brought two with us, one of whom drove the carriage and both of whom rode on the driver's perch outside), Taeven and I left them at the carriage and strolled through Fellbrook alone. As soon as we started walking, he reached for my hand.
“Are you insane?!” I hissed and jerked my hand away from him. “I just told you how Stalanians are.”
“No human would dare accost me,” he said scathingly.
“Maybe not, but they'd remember me and come at me when you weren't around. In case you forgot, I kinda stand out.”
Taeven blinked, frowned, and grumbled, “I don't like this. We should be free to behave as we wish as long as it's not hurting anyone else.”
“An enlightened view, my lord,” I huffed. “Too bad most of thegoodpeople of Fellbrook don't share your opinion.”
“Ridiculous,” he muttered.
“One of the hardest things to accept is that some people are ignorant or just plain mean and there's nothing you can do to change them,” I said with a shrug. “All you can do is choose your battles wisely and decide how you want to live. Is it worth it to hold your hand if I'm hunted down and murdered later? Sorry, you're hot and all, but no, not by a long shot. So, I'll be content with walking beside you, knowing that you want to hold my hand.”
Taeven smiled softly. “Then I'll be content with that too. For now.”
