“We didn’t tell anyone.” I put the wine glass down gently on the wooden coffee table, aligning it so that the rim fit perfectly around a small painted flower petal I knew Sparrow added to the table after she found this rickety thing on the side of the street and announced she’d bring it back to life. Now, brightly painted plants decorated the tabletop, all painstakingly detailed by my friend.
I stood up, getting a small slice of satisfaction as both males scrambled to their feet and regarded me warily. “I had my suspicions of Adara since she told me she found that godsdamn spell book. She saw me as a threat.” I blew out a rough breath. “So, she resorted to cheap shots and ugly tricks to get a foothold closer to my own power. When I met Keerian, I wanted to keep our infatuation with each other secret, and when the soul tie bloomed, I saw Adara’s expression. I had no shields up–she very easily could’ve taken us both out in one shot.”
“I hope you forgive me for all of the questions.” Laurent rubbed his palms together, turning to face the warm fire in the fireplace. The flames had licked down to their natural hues, the wood popping and crackling. “But this morning, I woke up in a cave in the Pyritee Pass, with my fealty pledged to Queen Adara, and by dinner time…I am realizing just how blind I was. It’s…hard to admit I–we–were so wrong.”
I took a step forward, realizing what he was implying, as Laurent finished slowly, “I would still prefer Lenna use the Prism to look into some of the details herself–maybe she can see a better image of whatever spell Adara is working on. But I no longer feel as if you will slit my throat while I sleep.”
I gave him a nod and a tight smile before slicing my eyes to the gargoyle standing to him. Merrick merely grumbled, “I hate to admit it, but I believed you the moment you allowed me to hear your conversation with Resso. I just wanted to know your side of the story.” He extended his hand. I clasped his forearm as he mirrored the grip, the calluses on his palm rough against my skin. “Gargoyle loyalties are black and white. If Keerian likes you, that’s good enough for me.”
Chapter thirty
Esmeray
Ihadtoadmitthis all wentfarbetter than I anticipated. Sparrow breezed back into the living room, carrying a crate of red wine I knew was as old as myself. Lenna, trailing behind her, held a few more wine glasses for the rest of the group, seeming much more at ease around Sparrow.
Sparrow had that effect on every being she met. I didn’t know if it was some part of her magic, or just the combination of her sweet face and bubbly personality, but it seemed a small trip down to her wine cellar had given her time to listen to Lenna’s fears, and assuage any concerns the Oracle expressed.
Gods, Lenna was a seer, too.
Lenna had gone back to sit on her pouf after Sparrow poured each of us a glass of wine, but Sparrow patted the spot next to her and announced the couch was now females only, and the males could sit on the poufs. Lenna smiled at that, the fine lines around her eyes crinkling. Merrick told me she was fifty-one, which was apparently considered middle-aged in the Slate Kingdom.
I told him when I was fifty-one, I got in trouble with my father for using illusion magic to turn my hairbrush into a dagger because I wanted to learn how to wield one.
Before Lenna and Sparrow rejoined us, Merrick offered up brief snippets on how he found Lenna. I was surprised he’d been able to track her at all, but Merrick admitted that part was all Laurent. The ex-Spy Master hadn’t looked particularly pleased Merrick offered up that tidbit, so I stored that kernel of knowledge away for later. Any being that could track magic was considered rare, and that was a fabulous quality to have in my corner.
The ease that we fell into conversation surprised me, but on more than one occasion, my pulse raced and my palms became sweaty. After ninety years of weighing every word and half-truth spoken and weaving through court politics, sitting on a purple couch with my dearest friend and Keerian’s closest friends was…overstimulating.
I listened more than talked, my heart panging whenever Laurent or Merrick mentioned Keerian. My mate was out there, and our short time together could end at any moment if Adara figured out that transfer spell. I missed him, I needed him.
The week after our soul tie was cemented had been the happiest week of my life. We’d flown together through the forest, finding a secluded spot by a waterfall to land. I’d looked out at that beautiful view breathlessly before my mate kissed me deeply, our tongues exploring, his hands fisted in my hair, and I threw my arms around his tanned neck.
Keerian had hoisted me up, flown us to the top of the waterfall, and we consummated our soul tie right then and there, on the mossy bank overlooking the tumbling water.
That week we lived in Sparrow’s house, gods bless her, she found many an excuse to stay away. Keerian and I hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other. The thought of him buried deep inside me, stroking me to that point where itfelt like we were tumbling off that waterfall into bliss…
The edginess I felt was caused by the lack of him.
“Esmeray.” Sparrow’s sharp voice cut through my thoughts, and I raised an eyebrow at her. She probably knew exactly where my mind had wandered because her voice changed and she said softly, “We will get him back.”
I averted my gaze, my throat tight. Merrick and Laurent exchanged a look as I stood up and announced I was going to fly. Sparrow nodded. I needed to blow off steam before I could even consider laying down.
“Lenna, I put some night clothes in the bedroom for you if you want to get some rest.” Sparrow turned to me as Lenna departed the room, covering her mouth with a hand as a yawn overtook her. “I’m going to lay out some clothes for you too, Meer. I still have your bedroom ready.”
I stretched out my wings. Flying was one of my favorite activities, and after the day I had, shit, after this whole year, I needed to launch into the sky and wear myself out. Plus, I had a hunch on what waited for me outside of this house, and wanted to confirm if my suspicions were correct. Or if I was being too paranoid for my own good.
I scooped up two bottles of wine, nonchalantly slipping them into the air next to me. My illusion magic had been difficult to learn when I first received my power–since no one in history had ever received the type of magic I did–but one perk I found early on was the ability to store things in a weird little pocket of space. To anyone who didn’t have my type of magic, it would look like the bottles disappeared into thin air, but whenever I called upon it, I could see the pocket shimmering, and beyond it, a small rock alcove that was mine. It made it much easier to swipe Sparrow’s good wine out from under her nose.
Merrick rolled awkwardly off the pouf, before hopping up and flaring out his grey scaled wings. “Mind if Ijoin you? I need to get some fresh air, or I won’t be able to sleep.” I agreed, even though I felt like a small part of his request was due to me being Keerian’s mate and he now felt the need to protect me. Or Merrick wanted to keep an eye on my behavior.
I grimaced internally. One night of me admitting my side of the story probably did not erase the years that I terrorized the Opal Palace with an array of pranks and complete dismissal of my duties as Princess. Still, I led him through the house and up the pink and purple painted stairs to the small patio on the roof.
This was my favorite spot in Sparrow’s house. We decorated it together years ago after one of my more explosive fights with my mother about the training I’d, once again, been caught doing. I had promptly waned out of the Opal Palace and came straight here. Sparrow had been living by herself for over a decade at that point, and took one look at my face before deciding we needed to redecorate the patio.
Now, two low backed chairs leaned against a small half wall that Sparrow built flower beds into. Numerous days had been spent on those chairs–me sunning my wings, Sparrow sunning her body–while we shared the good, the bad, and the ugly dealings of court life.
Wooden slats painted a soft green lined the floor, save for two circular areas in opposite corners where Sparrow added bird baths. But my favorite part was the thin strings of lights we added to two posts above the half wall. At night, we would light them and sit out here for hours, sometimes in silence, sometimes with a bottle of wine, roaring in laughter, soaking in the view around us.
Sparrow’s home was in a residential district in the city of Florra, one of the lesser known jewels of the Obsidian Kingdom. Although it was a smaller city than those closer to the Palace, its charm and color hadalways drawn a more eclectic type. Surrounding the city, waterfalls, lush forests, and a distant mountain range blended together.
