Iawoke at dawn; Anna’s body pressed against mine. At first, I was startled, unused to a woman still being in my bed when I awoke. I watched her, the sheet barely covering her breasts as her chest rose and fell.
Cursing under my breath, I closed my eyes. I was a fool. The first time I touched her, I knew—I would never be sated of the feel of her body, the taste of her mouth. I ached just looking at her. It took all my restraint not to rouse her and take her again. Being so careful was nearly torture—that would not happen again. The way our everi synced of its own accord was undeniable and it made her irresistible.
Perhaps last night was what she had needed to fulfill the desire we had been letting destroy us. Maybe that was my mistake. I should have bedded her the night she awakened her everi and been done with it. However, her remark about wanting to go to Raven Falls planted something dangerous in my mind that both pleased and disturbed me. A part of me wantednothing more than to take her to my home and keep her there with me.
I exhaled, irritated at my own irrational thoughts. There was no way she could ever go to Raven Falls. I had to keep her as far away from him as possible. In my world, she could never be my queen—just a slave to be controlled like the rest of us. If I cared for her at all, I would end this as soon as we returned to Nightfall.
My jaw clenched.
It did not matter what I wanted—she would hate me when she knew the truth. Of course I was cursed to desire a woman I could never be with—the Ryth’enir line demanded it.
Just as it had of my mother.
Still, that first night at Nightfall, when I saw her there, tears streaking her cheeks, I thought I was seeing a ghost. It was still hard to believe that she had come back into my life—I never thought it would happen. It was clear to me now why everything had unfolded as it did—she was powerful, her own destiny already playing out before her.
Her life was woven through the fabric of this world and the one beyond the rift in ways I did not understand, and yet here I was, about to take her on an unsanctioned tour of the Bloodmist Void. Perhaps I had been away from The Falls for too long—I could not tell if I was more myself at Nightfall, or less. It did not matter—what was done was done. Everything would come to light soon and then she would never see me again. It was for the best. She would be safer that way, even if she did not know it yet.
I rose from the bed, taking a deep breath. There had been plenty before her, and none, save for one, ever made me feel like this. Shielding my mind from my own thoughts, I readied myself for the journey to the Void. Anna was stubborn and would likely find a way to do what she wanted without me should I refuse.There was too much risk of her taking off—for now, she was safer if I took her myself.
I slipped from the room, eating breakfast alone. I asked Ganforth to have breakfast taken to my room for Anna, to which he chuckled and nodded. I had known him since I was a boy. There was no reason to hide things he certainly was aware of anyway. Anna’s privacy was safe in his hands—it was his specialty.
“And Ganforth,” I called.
He faced me, his eyebrows raised.
“Would you leave her a note asking her to meet me on the rooftop?” I asked. “And make sure she does not sleep in too long.”
He smiled. “I’ll have her there before Ryth’anor arrives.”
“Why are we up here?”Anna asked, touching the stone parapet of the tower’s roof.
“We will be flying.”
“What do you mean flying?” she asked.
I smirked, glancing up.
“Ryth’anor, come.”
Within a few minutes, he soared across the landscape, his pitch-black wings glistening as he flew. His black and red armor glittered fiercely as he landed on the veranda, the wind of his wings forcing Anna to step back.
“What... What is it?” she asked.
“This is Ryth’anor,” I said. “My Raven Hawk.”
I watched as Anna reached out and touched his feathers. She was hesitant but it didn't stop her.
“I’ve never seen a raven so big,” she said, marveling at Ryth’anor’s size.
“They have been bred for centuries to hold riders. They are talented beasts,” I said.
I held out my hands to allow Anna to climb into the mount. She pushed off her foot and hoisted herself up. I mounted behind her and took hold of the reins. I let my magic flow through my limbs, wrapping tendrils around Anna and Ryth’anor, holding us firmly to him. Her chest shifted against mine as she took a deep breath and I wrapped an arm around her slender waist.
For a moment, I faltered. This did not feel right—taking her near the bloodmist. The feeling settled deep in my ribs.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, glancing back with a curious look.
I forced a smile. “Just making sure you are secure.”
