“I just need to drop the feather somehow. Can you get it to my mouth?”
It took a moment for me to roll my body over to face Corvin—for the stiffness in my abdomen to recede enough for me to actually be able to move. “Hey, there,” he greeted as our eyes connected across the prison cell. “Fancy meeting you here,” I said in mock surprise, scooting myself over toward his prone body. Like a caterpillar, slowly inching my way forward. Luckily, there wasn’t much distance between us.
Rippp.A long tear appeared in the train of my dress.
Worst dinner party ever.Guilt filled me. I hoped this wasn’t his friend’s favorite dress. I slowly scootched toward Corvin until we were resting face-to-face, each of us propped onto our side. “Am I looking for a pure white feather?” I asked, surveying the many hundreds of feathers lining his cloak. It was a marvel he could keep track of them all.
“There should be one near the top of the cloak on my front left shoulder.”
White feather…white feather…There.
“Are you sure I’ll be able to remove it?” Hadn’t he said something about using enchanted thread?
Corvin gave me a reassuring smile. “You have my permission.”
“Alright—here goes.”
I aligned my body flush with Corvin’s. The scoop neckline of my dress dropped dangerously low, causing my bare breasts to press against his hard chest as I prepared to grab the feather. The thread keeping it attached to his cloak certainly looked delicate enough, just a few golden stitches in the fabric. I angled my head sideways, approaching the quill with my teeth bared. Corvin’s warm breath caressed the side of my neck. I faltered, unsure of my approach.
“I think I need to get closer,” I said, pressing into him even more. “Slide your leg in between mine,” was his soft reply. I did what he said, my knee coming to rest in between his thighs, bringing our bodies into full alignment. Close enough to wrap my mouth around the feather’s quill. Close enough to see the silvery flecks of color in Corvin’s dark eyes. He made a sound low in his throat.
I could no longer blame the poison for the tension thrumming through me.
Seizing the quill in my teeth, I yanked until it was no longer attached.So far, so good.I raised my head, feather in mouth, once more face-to-face with Corvin. My heart fluttered with anticipation. Transferring the feather to his mouth was going to beverymuch like kissing him.
Corvin’s eyes dropped to my mouth and stayed there as his own lips parted, preparing to accept the feather. Warm breath blew across my lips, and the scent of sweet honey wafted over me. I brought my mouth to his until our lips were softly brushing, forming a seal around the quill. As I pushed it into his mouth, our tongues unexpectedly met, sliding over one anotherin a tantalizing exchange that caused a much stronger reaction within me than if we had simply been transferring a feather. Heat pooled low in my belly, and if I let my lips linger against his longer than was strictly necessary, I told myself it was to ensure the feather did not drop.
I pulled away, breathing heavily, the feather successfully relocated to Corvin. Reluctantly, I moved even farther away from him, giving him space to perform his magic. His face scrunched, brow furrowing, as he released it from his mouth. It caught the air, preternaturally slowly, drifting down between us—beautiful white ribbons of magic already swirling up to surround our bodies.
A tiny shiver of pleasure ran through me at its touch.
The magic felt like a massage, gently kneading and prodding at my muscles, forcing them to relax. Its delicate tendrils began to sink into my flesh, entering my bloodstream. Warmth followed in its wake. I lay there panting as the remainder of Rogam’s poison leeched from me, sought out and destroyed by the curious magic Corvin evoked from the dove’s feather. “Can you shift now?” I asked, afraid of the answer. Surely, the Fae could arrive any moment now.
“I’m trying,” Corvin replied, sounding distracted. “Ahh—this is embarrassing. You see…I can’t quite…seem to…I’ve never…shifted like…this before. With my arms and legs both restrained.” He sighed. “This is why I’m always saying I need to get some real-world experience under my belt. But no one ever listens. Just need…one more moment…”
Between one blink of the eye and the next, Corvin finally shifted shape.
He spread his wings as a raven, landing at my feet. His sharp beak made quick work of the ropes that bound me. First, my feet. Then, my wrists. Wincing, I massaged the skin rubbed raw by my restraints. When I looked up next, Corvin had shifted back,offering me a hand up. I took it, relieved to find I could stand and move of my own volition once again.
I looked around the room. “Should we take anything on our way out?” I asked impishly. Laughing, Corvin reached down to grab a handful of gems, stuffing them into his pants pocket. “You went for the shiniest object you could find,” I teased, eliciting another short laugh from him.
My gaze landed on a sheet of parchment, draped across several stacks of books. Taking a closer peek, I could tell it was a map. I wondered if it wasthemap—the one that led Rogam to the treasures all around us. Maybe he hadn’t looted it in its entirety yet. Impulsively, I reached for the parchment. It was small enough to hide on my person if I rolled it extra tightly, detailing the location of a single mountain. I tore a strip of fabric off the bottom of my already torn gown, using it to tie the map around my thigh for safekeeping. I was leaving here withsomethingto show for my troubles.
“Any other feathers that might help us?” I asked Corvin, pointing to his cloak.
He rubbed his chin. “Let me think about it. Kygraw is always lamenting my lack of subtlety. Telling me to find the simplest path. Use the most common feather. But I don’t think there’s anything simple about our current circumstances.”
I rattled the bars of our prison. “What about the slots? Think you could fly through?”
Wordlessly, he shifted shape, tucking his wings as he approached the bars, and I inhaled sharply, thinking that he might just be small enough in his raven form to slip in between them—
An invisible force slammed him backward, followed by the sharp tang of magic.
“Are you alright?” I exclaimed as Corvin shifted back, stumbling to the side of our prison.
“That hurt,” he remarked, rubbing the back of his head.
“Let’s see what we’re working with,” I grunted, heading over to the empty suit of armor standing nearby, like another, much less concerned, prisoner sharing our cell. “Mind if I borrow this?” I joked, bracing my foot against its base and tugging free the sword loosely gripped in its hands. I stalked over to the prison bars, raising the sword and preparing to strike. “Careful,” Corvin warned. With a mighty clank, I swung the sword against the metal bars.
