Paimon shrieked in his face. “And so are you!”
* * *
“I’m not so sure about this spell of yours, Du.” Mara’s eyes widened as she saw the size of the raven he’d convinced to lift them up and carry them. “When you said we’d fly, I thought you meant without additional aid.”
He smiled at her. “Nay, my precious blodwen. But fret never. It’s not what you’re thinking. We couldn’t be in better talons. Trust me.”
Famous last words, that. She wasn’t sure if anyone could control something this large. And he refused to tell her exactly how he’d conjured this giant beast of a bird.
Even Belle appeared skeptical as they all gathered on deck to stare up at the fowl above them. With massive talons, it gripped the railings and lifted them through a sky as dark as the bird itself. Her heart pounding in fear, she clutched at the rope nearest her and gulped.
The wind from its wings whipped against them. Cool and pleasant over the heat, yet disturbing in that it was so unnatural.
William glanced over to Bart. “Thinking of feeding Roach to this beast as well?”
“How’d you guess it?”
“The expression on your face. You’re quite transparent.”
Roach passed a less than amused glare at the pair of them that forced Mara to press her lips together to keep from laughing. But she deeply appreciated their humor, given the severity of this, and her trepidation over it.
Only Duel seemed at ease. Damn him for that confidence. But then nothing ever seemed to rattle the beast.
Her heart in her throat, she tightened her grip. As if sensing her unease, Du moved to stand behind her. “It’ll be fine. I trust our raven.”
Problem was, she didn’t. How could she? She knew nothing of the creature or where it came from.
Worried, she turned toward Duel and the comfort he offered. Honestly, what she wanted most was to walk into his arms and have him hold her again. To bury her face against his chest and let the scent of his skin soothe her until it drove away the last bit of her fear and turmoil.
And still a part of her was scared to be so close to him, for he was every bit as dangerous to both her sanity and reason.
He met her gaze and frowned. “What?” The word was more a bark than a question, and that, right there, was part of her fear about this. He was ever unpredictable.
Swallowing, she glanced up at the bird, then down to the man who controlled it. “Have you ever been afraid?”
He reached to touch her hair, and hesitated as if he realized suddenly what he was doing and how many stood near enough to see. “Aye. Many times.”
She couldn’t imagine it. Not Duel. He was always so confident and in charge of himself. She’d never really seen true fear from him. Not like what other men showed. “Name me one time.”
“Every time I reach for you,” he whispered against her ear. “I’m terrified you’ll rebuff me.”
She started to scoff at his answer, until she caught the sincerity in those dark eyes. “How could you ever fear me?”
“I don’t fear you, Mara. I fear the power you hold that reduces me to your mindless servant.”
“You flatter me.”
“I only speak the truth. Had you ever once looked at me, you would have seen it plainly. Vine knew it, and it’s why I never held her full loyalty or her heart.” And with that, he stepped away to check on the others.
Tears welled in her eyes as she choked on the pain in her throat that his own anguished words had wrought. She wanted to call it a lie. To say he was playing her falsely and trying to weaken her.
She couldn’t.
Because in the back of her mind, she saw him as he’d been. The times their gazes had met over the years when they’d lived in Tintagel and he’d sobered as if someone had punched him. More than that, she remembered the way he’d rush to her side if she ever felt ill or needed something. Even leaving her sister during such instances.
Aye, it had infuriated Vine whenever he did such. Many times, she’d gone into a fetid rage at them both. Du had ignored her tirades and Mara had dismissed them as part of her sister’s unreasonable jealousy. It was ever part of Vine’s personality that she could become incensed over the smallest of things. So she’d thought nothing of it then.
But now …
