Page 148
He watches me expectantly. But I can’t take him with me, not where I’m going.
Sphinx emerges from the shadows and prowls to his side. “We will watch over him.”
My throat thickens, but I manage to dip my chin in a nod. I close the distance between us and reach up to stroke his furry head. “Be safe,” I murmur. “Don’t eat too much moonflower.”
I stare into his molten gaze a moment longer, then I turn and run.
My footfalls echo against the stone as I sprint out of the cavern, the cold cutting into my lungs with each breathless stride. The light sharpens ahead, pulling me forward until I break into the open air.
I’m not surprised when I see him. I knew the bargain mark would bring him here.
Lyxander is pacing beyond the entrance, his wings and shoulders hitched high. The sight of him unravels me completely. Pain crashes down upon me in fresh, unrelenting waves.
He stops mid-step as his gaze locks onto me. The truth hangs between us: that I will have to leave and that, I know with every instinct in me, he won’t follow.
“Aella,” he says, my name barely escaping his lips.
But I can’t bear the way he looks at me, the edge of something unspoken lingering in his voice. I raise a hand, cutting him off before he can say anything more.
“Fly me back,” I say, the words harsh, cold in their clipped urgency. “Take me to the tower.”
Apprehension flickers across his features as his gaze searches mine for some explanation I can’t yet offer. Without a word, he turns, his wings spreading wide before I step close, looping my arms around his neck as he lifts me and carries us both into the air.
I channel all my energy into suppressing the thoughts that relentlessly push their way to the surface—the nagging reminder that, if I hadn’t failed, I could be soaring on my own instead of relying on him. And the most devastating of all, the possibility that even if I could fly, I might still need him.
The flight is suffocating in its silence. I cling to him, the auroras painting fractured shadows over his broad frame, but his warmth offers no solace. Instead, I focus on the cold wind slicing against my cheeks, trying to bury the growing ache in my chest.
We land in the tower’s upper chamber with a soft scuff of boots against stone. I step away the instant he lowers me, but his voice halts my hasty retreat.
“What did she show you?”
“Nyssa,” I say. “She’s been captured. My father, the Eagle—they’re forcing her to compete in the Empyrieos Games.”
He takes a step closer, his presence warming my back. “And what will you do?”
I spin to face him, the question igniting something volatile beneath my skin. “What do you think I’ll do? I’m going to save her.”
His expression hardens. “You’re being reckless, Aella. If this is a trap, walking in blind is as good as self-sacrifice.”
The words sear through me, and before I can stop myself, anger flares, bright and unrelenting. “She is my sister,” I spit, each syllable jagged with fury. “Not by birth. Not by blood. By choice. She is mine. I would sacrifice myself for her. I would go to the farthest corners of this cursed realm and challenge the gods themselves for her.” My voice cracks, but I don’t stop, the storm inside me demanding every word be spoken. “Is there not anyone you feel something similar for?”
His gaze roams my face as the question hangs between us.
“I cannot come with you,” he says finally.
“Then leave me to make my own reckless choices.”
“The bargain…”
I laugh bitterly, looking away from him until the sting behind my eyes eases.
“Lyxander Thalos,” I say, turning back to face him. “I release you from our bargain.”
He flinches as golden light bursts from his palm. A searing heat ignites in my hand, and my gaze snaps downward. The mark of our bargain flares to life, painfully bright, then it vanishes. A cord snaps in my chest, leaving an aching absence behind.
A space once occupied, now empty.
I turn before the ache can overwhelm me and descend into the tower. The familiar winding path of the stairwell does little to soothe the fire raging beneath my skin, and it only worsens when each step I take isn’t echoed by his. But I push forward, until I find the kin gathered in the living area.
