Grave cleared his throat at the top of the stairs. “Yes, I’d like to know as well.”
My mouth hung open, and I blew out a breath as the king adjusted the cuff of his shirt. He was handsome during our formal dinner in Rivale, but in the morning light, he was downright devastating. With pressed black pants and a matching shirt, he elegantly descended the stairs. A black coat with a silver inner lining hung over his arm while a silver twisted crown, adorned with obsidian and diamonds, dangled from his thumb and forefinger.
“Excuse us,” Grave announced as he stepped forward and maintained his focus on me. Amalee and a giggling Sky exited through the front door, leaving Fisher behind.
“I’ll meet you outside,” I prompted the guard, who hesitated, but thankfully complied with my request.
Grave fumbled with the crown before losing his grasp and letting it bounce against the flatly woven rug. I grappled to catch the large jewel-covered metal piece, but only managed to knock my head straight into the king’s when we bent down simultaneously.
I quickened myself to stand and rubbed at the top of my head as he did the same with the retrieved item in his free hand. Carefully, he set the crown on a nearby table and returned to stand close to me. His long hair was drawn back into a still-wet bun while beads of moisture decorated his forehead.
He placed both hands into his pockets. “It’s the last day of summer, and there’s a celebration tonight.” The scent of bergamot and warm sandalwood filled my nose. “If you’re not too tired this evening, I’d be honored for you to come as my guest. It wouldn’t be a date, but a?—”
“Yes,” I interrupted, feeling the warmth of his presencetaking root deep within me. Even with his imposing size, I didn’t mind him towering over me. “But I don’t know what I’d wear. Fisher didn’t bring my formal gown.” I didn’t need to point out that anything Amalee owned would be too small.
“There’s something put aside for you in your room.” His mouth twitched. “Wear that, or whatever you’d like. Go without clothes for all I care, though my kindness may wane with too many lingering eyes.”
I couldn’t form a sentence and stood fidgeting with my hands.
He grabbed the crown and paused at the door. “I will look forward to tonight with every breath I have today, Audryn.” The door clicked closed behind him as I stood stunned and frozen by his words.
My head was in a fog,but with little other option, I joined Sky and my guard on a flight high above the cliffs. She’d tried to talk to me about Grave and our conversation, but I couldn’t get much out other than that he’d invited me as his guest that evening. She theatrically gasped, grabbed her chest, and mocked surprise.
Blackness leaked into the navy blue water below, as if the stone had turned to liquid, and was leaching out. The deeper water on the coast was always dark, but I’d never seen the shoreline appear black. My interest piqued, and I wanted nothing more than to get closer for a better look. Perhaps Dysis had wanted the same because the instant the thought crossed my mind, she descended.
Furious waves beat against the rocky cliffs, misting me with salty water. Rainbow hues shimmered across the water’s surface. I ran a finger over the droplets on my arm and rubbedthe moisture between my thumb and forefinger. A slick film lingered behind.
Dysis ascended and took a position between Sky’s wyvern and the one Fisher was riding with an escort. Sky motioned to the left, and my creature instinctively followed the turn.
We moved along the tops of the mountains toward the valley where the town sat nestled. Ant-like trails of fae walked along the rocky terrain. I’d assumed everyone resided in the main area of the land and hadn’t considered others lived within the mountains.
We landed in the empty gravel area on the castle grounds, and Dysis flattened herself down, allowing me to easily dismount. A loud trilling noise above caught my attention as Zalzre flew in wide circles in the sky. My stomach filled with butterflies as I watched the enormous creature waiting for his friends.
“Go on.” I patted my borrowed wyvern, and only a moment later she was up in the air. Ralti and Fisher’s wyvern bolted to follow.
“What was that shit you pulled out there on the coast?” Fisher stomped in my direction. “You were reckless, selfish, and stupid. You’re going to get yourself killed, and it would serve you right if?—”
Before Fisher could finish his sentence, he was off his feet and in Dysis’s maw. His arms beat furiously against the creature's face as they flew at a fast rate in a steep incline. He grasped for the sword at his side, and my stomach dropped. The guard wouldn’t hesitate to kill her even if it meant his own demise.
Screams left my throat before I even realized, and they must’ve caused a stir because the back doors of the castle flew open. Grave, with a silver cloak at his back, and a crown on his head, exited first. Amalee trailed in a sleek silver gown adorned with black crystal beading around the bodice. There was nomistaking the two were royals, both by birth and for their loyalty to the people of their kingdom.
A woman wearing all purple lingered at the doorway with a golden crown on her head. Athela cried out as she pushed past the unfamiliar woman and tripped on her way down the stairs. With tears in her eyes, she looked at the scene playing out in the air.
An ear-piercing screech let loose, followed by a crimson flame darting across the horizon. It was a stream of fire from the mouth of a large wyvern, nearly twice the size of Dysis. And it was headed straight for her.
“Call her off, Audryn,” Grave said as he stood at my side. The back of his hand brushed against mine, drawing my eyes from the sky.
“What? How?” I looked up just as another burst of flame erupted toward my beast. I went to shout at Dysis, who’d started twirling through the air. Zalzre was screeching nearby while my guard limply dangled from Dysis’s mouth.
“You need to tell her to stop.” Grave stepped in front of me with wide eyes. He tilted his head back as the wyverns screamed past. “She is no match for my mother’s mount—call her down. She’s going to get Zalzre,andherself killed.”
Zalzre shrieked toward the flame-wielding wyvern chasing his friend. His positioning appeared more strategic than cautious, though he kept a distance between them. Whatever was being communicated between the beasts was as chaotic as a rough sea.
“Tell her you need her to return to you.” Grave turned, trailing the wyverns’ path.
“She’s your beast!” I shot back at him. “Tell her yourself!”
He ran a heavy hand across his brow and shook his head. “I’m not her rider anymore—she cut me off earlier this week.” Grave cupped my cheek, bringing my view to his. “You need to tell her to put him down. Not with words, but with your mind.”
