“I don’t need your opinion of him. You are the reason he thinks he is unworthy of kindness and love.”
Selene’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think he is your soulmate? Do you want your soul bound to such a broken soul?”
Avery felt the magic in Selene’s question immediately. She’d accepted food from this fae and was now being interrogated. It was a risk she took when she accepted Selene’s food. Selene could ask heranything,and Avery would be powerless.
Her voice came out forced. She didn’t want to share her personal feelings with this woman. This woman who admitted to torturing Savine’s soul. “I can’t be his soulmate. I’m not from here. But if I was, I’d be honored. He’s-he’s. Even broken souls deserve love.”
Selene quirked a brow like she was studying a rare animal. “Do you feel the magic forcing you to speak?”
“Yes,” Avery said without hesitating.
Selene cocked her head as she continued to study Avery. “Strange that such a small thing has the potential for so much power. Your soul is stronger than most. Perhaps itis a human trait.” Selene turned to Susan’s sleeping form. “Who sent you to Aeritis?”
The power in Selene’s words pulled Avery to speak. “Nobody. I was attacked and went through some kind of portal.”
“What does Savine plan to—”
“Enough, Selene.” That honeyed whiskey voice was directly behind Selene. Rylo moved so quickly, Avery hadn’t seen him stirring from his sleep.
Selene didn’t respond as she walked back to the other side of the darkened cave.
Avery wanted to dart away from Rylo. Just being near him brought back visions of Weston’s blood-stained body, draining out on the cold ground of the cave—of the look on his face as she pierced the dagger into his heart. Her shoulders tightened and she immediately recoiled from Rylo.
“Oh, little witch. I took an oath, remember? I won’t cause you any harm.” As he spoke, Rylo reached out one long finger and stroked Avery’s forehead. He had to see the Goddess mark. Somehow, he was able to see past her glamour—and most likely Susan’s glamour. A chill went up and down Avery’s spine, and she turned her head, tucking it into her shoulder. Rylo reached for her hands and put the bindings back in place.
Fortunately, Rylo moved away from her, returning to the other side of the cave. As soon as he drifted into the darkness of the cave, Susan stirred. She wasn’t asleep after all.
“Is your magic still intact?” Susan whispered.
Avery felt down, past the bindings that prevented it from rising out of her. “It’s weakened. I can hardly feel it.”
Susan’s lips pursed. “Me too. We need to get our bindings off. I remember reading something once about the ancientwitches. Their power can be heightened together. It’s called a coven. When we get unbound, we can draw our power together. Even if it’s weak, it may be enough. Just be ready.”
Susan put her head back on the ground and closed her eyes.
Avery’s mind drifted to Savine. She’d taken for granted the kindness that he offered her, even from the beginning when she thought he was nothing but an asshole. Now, she’d give anything to be back beside him in Bayberry. She wanted so much more than friendship with him. Being separated from him made the longing all the more intense.
“We leave in an hour!” Rylo shouted. It startled Rue from her sleep, and dread shadowed her face when she realized where she was.
Avery scooted her body closer to Rue and slid her bound hand into Rue’s damaged hand. “We’ll get free, Rue. Somehow.”
Feet shuffled closer to them. Avery didn’t want to let go of her friend. She needed her touch like a lifeline, but before Rue could speak, warriors pulled them apart. Rylo walked over to Avery and touched her forehead again, casting her into another dreamless sleep.
Chapter forty-seven
Avery
Waking in unknown places was becoming less jarring after several days of traveling. But this space felt different. Avery was warm and wrapped in soft bedding. She was on top of a comfortable mattress. Not cold, hard ground.
As she opened her eyes, she saw she was in a room basked in soft morning light. The room was simple, but tastefully decorated in creams and off whites. It felt like she was wrapped in a cloud on a bright, sunny day. This was not at all where she expected to end up when she arrived in Nephel.
She had expected to end up in the Tower of Teeth ever since Rylo captured her. But that couldn’t possibly be where she was. It was too warm, too comfortable. Rylo had something else planned for her. Hopefully, it wasn’t some fate worse than imprisonment.
As she stretched on the bed, she let out a long, sad sigh. She’d hoped Savine would get to her before she reached this point. Disappointment left a bitter taste in her mouth. Was Savine coming for her? She assumed he would come for her. But maybe he wouldn’t come? He was partially a king now, wasn’t he? Maybe he didn’t need or want her after all.
She walked through the sunlit room and looked out the door that led to a small balcony. Avery gasped as she saw that she was hundreds—if not a thousand feet up in the air.
The canyon below was laid out in minuscule detail. A river carved through the deep valley. From this high up, she could see the tiny ripples that marked whitewater or a waterfall. The castle or fortress that she was held in seemed to be built on a spiral rock jutting high into the sky from the steep canyon below. All around the fortress were other tall spires built directly into the rock. There was no obvious way to connect these buildings, but if everyone living here had wings, then any bridges seemed irrelevant. The rock was a soft, buttery yellow color, and it shimmered in the sunlight. Golden for the Sun King.
