She has to be using magic to wield the silks because she pulls me up with such ease for someone so small. I reach the roof and scramble for purchase on the stone.
Once I find my balance, she unwraps the silk from around me using magic. Then she lowers her arms.
It’s the woman who somehow broke the spell that held me. The performer with the angelic voice. Her sequined costume catches what little light there is. Her blond hair is pulled back from her face, revealing high cheekbones and blue eyes that remind me of a deep ocean.
There is a smattering of light freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her lips are full, and her cheeks are flushed. She’s breathing heavily, and her costume strains over breasts too full to be on someone so small.
She’s beautiful. The thought hits me hard because it comes as a surprise. Even covered in sweat and breathing heavily from the effort, she’s stunning in a way that makes my breath catch.
Why is she here?
Why did the Ruler General free her?
For a moment, we just stare at each other. Her eyes are wide, searching my face like she’s trying to figure me out. Like she can’t quite believe she just rescued me.
I can’t quite believe it either.
“Who are you?” I ask.
Shouts erupt from below us, pulling my attention away and onto the situation at hand.
I look down. Guards are running toward the tower, pointing up at us. Arrows fly past, clattering against the stone.
“Up there! On the tower!”
“Shoot them down!”
“The prisoner is escaping!”
Arrows whistle through the air. One embeds itself in the stone inches from my foot. Another flies by the female’s head, just missing her.
“Now is not the time. We need to go!” she growls at me.
She’s right. I nod once.
10
Isla
I pull on my magic with everything I have, feeling it surge through my veins like wildfire. The silks respond instantly, wrapping around Sebastian’s chest. I yank hard, using both my natural strength and the full force of my magic.
It feels good to let it flow. To wield it without restraint.
It’s also terrifying, but I won’t think about that right now.
Sebastian flies upward, his body rising from the courtyard in a blur of motion. The guards below shout in alarm, their voices fading as I haul him higher and higher.
My arms burn with the effort. My magic flares, hot and bright, beneath my skin. The silk cuts into my palms, but I don’t let go. I can’t. Up he comes. My heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears.
Finally, he reaches the top, pulling himself up. I help him scramble up, unwrapping the silk from around his torso as his feet find purchase on the stone.
For a moment, we just stare at each other.
Kakara help me because he’s utterly devastating.
His dark hair is wild, falling to his shoulders. His eyes are something else. They should look unnatural, freakish even, but on him they’re…utterly beautiful.
His shoulders are impossibly broad. He is all male with a frame that makes it clear he’s spent years training. He looks deadly in every possible way.
