Before I could retort that I at least had more friends than him, he suddenly launched us into the air. I scrambled to get a grip on the pommel with my one good hand as gravity hit me like a brick wall, wanting to force me back down to the balcony.
The wind whipped my hair back, and tears pooled in my eyes before being quickly whipped away in the wind as I squinted. My calves were pressed tightly into him, and I swore a layer of skin on my face was being peeled away from the force of our ascent.
Then suddenly we were floating and my body loosened up instantly. Opening my eyes fully, I craned my head around in every direction, taking in as much as I could through the blizzard. From this vantage point, I could barely make out a cluster of buildings just on the other edge of the field I’d passed out in that first night. That had to be where the other drackya lived. I couldn’t count the number of buildings from this height and with the snow blinding me, but from the sprawling around was easily twice the amount of land that the castle took up.
Theo’s wings flapped as we glided through the air with ease, banking to the right as the mountain his castle was etched into came closer.
“We’re going to travel along the mountainside before taking a steep trip up. I’m going to keep you down here where you can breathe a bit easier for as long as I can, and I’ll warn you before we have to make the quick ascent into the alcoves.”
I nodded as if he could see me, too busy committing this moment to my memory, hoping I’d never forget the feel of such weightlessness and the sense of being one with the sky.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yes, it is.”
My cheeks heated, and it wasn’t from the frigid temperatures biting at my skin.
Chapter Sixteen
SIYANA
By the timewe made it into the alcove, my face and hands were practically numb from the cold. At this elevation and nearness to the ocean, the temperatures were far colder than anything I’d experienced up to this point in my life. However, there was something soothing about hearing the waves crashing against the jagged mountainside, as long as I didn’t picture falling out of our alcove and down into the icy depths waiting for me at the bottom.
“Lay my clothes out for me, please, I’m going to shift back.”
I’d just finished unhooking the saddle and bringing it off him, which was made incredibly difficult with how stiff my joints were. Fumbling through the bags, I tugged out what appeared to be trousers and a tunic. Turning over my shoulder with them in hand, I yelped at the sight of Theo—naked.
For some reason, my instinct was to throw the clothes at him and slap my hands over my eyes.
“I told you I was going to shift back, wench,” he said, amusement rich in his tone.
“I thought you were going to wait until after I had the clothes out for you!” I exclaimed in defense, as if I’d been caught red-handed doing something wrong.
I heard the rustling of his clothing and spread my fingers ever so slightly to peek through. Just to see if he was done, of course. While I’d seen his stunning physique on display, with his naked torso and the curve of his muscled ass, what I hadn’t seen prior was the gift between his legs. His fingers quickly tied the trousers in place and I dropped my hands, feeling comfortable with the remainder of his nudity.
Whoever his mate was wouldn’t be disappointed in that department, to say the least.
“Your kind cares far too much about modesty,” he rumbled before tugging his tunic over his head and tucking it into his pants. “Have you never gazed upon a man’s nude body before?”
It felt like a loaded question, but considering I didn’t need to worry about presenting myself as a wholesome princess my father had likely painted me as in the letters I hadn’t seen, I answered honestly. “If you’re asking if I’ve seen a cock before, the answer is yes. I just felt wrong glancing at you without permission. I’m not without manners.”
His jaw ticked with my answer, and he brushed past me without a word as he moved to our supply packs. I watched with my arms crossed against my chest as he lugged them onto his shoulders before grabbing the saddle.
“Let’s go,” he demanded, somewhat harshly, “this alcove has a tunnel that leads into a more enclosed space that should better protect you from the temperatures. Alstrid gathered supplies for us to be able to build a fire within.”
It felt like such a startling change of conversation that I just stared at his retreating back as he walked down the small crack that led into the mountainside. I’d somehow missed it entirely upon my first inspection.
Pulling my hands to my mouth, I attempted to warm them up with my breath as I followed him into the mountain. Darkness swallowed me whole, and I was forced to place a hand on the rock wall to guide me the further in I went. The chill of the rock seeped into my fingers, stealing the little warmth I had managed to breathe into them.
“Theo?”
When he didn’t answer, panic quickly rose up within me as I had a flashback of my dark room as the strange drackya’s eyes stared at me. My throat constricted and my knees trembled.
“Theo?” I called out, louder this time, unable to hide the quiver in my voice.
A warm hand touched my own that rested on the wall, and I startled, feeling on edge.
“Sorry, wench, it’s easy for me to forget that you don’t have the same eyesight as me,” he admitted from the dark void in front of me before his eyes sparked with his magic, illuminating the space enough to see a small outline of his face.
