I jumped as laughter filtered in from beyond the hall, and the room filled with my friends. Vulcan sank into the seat across from me, Raek finding a place on his other side. Kellan slid into the chair next to mine, his arm brushing against me as he reached for the pitcher of water in the center and began filling everyone’s goblets.
But Kellan and I had talked about this. His family had descended from Lelyth, the last Starling queen. Kellan didn’t think the Celestyn Bone belonged to him because he was a man. Lelyth had passed down the story of the People of the Stars only to her female descendants. He’d always felt it had to belong to his mother or his sister…
Morwyn was gone, and if they were right and the Celestyn Bone only yielded to a woman of Lelyth’s bloodline… Then it either belonged with Mother Eghan…orEvony.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
NERISSA
An air oath cannot be broken unless by death. You wouldn’t just bind your breath to me… You’d bind your life.
– Correspondence from Nerissa to Ronan. 60thof Winter, 064.3E.
Nerissa – Airborne over the Juniper Sea
The Pissing Toad rocked with laughter, the potent scent of unwashed bodies mingling with the ale-soaked wooden floor of the back-alley tavern. Lida and Isla tugged their hoods over their pointed ears as they sauntered to the dark end of the bar, where Bayne wrapped his hands around four large mugs.
My eyes remained pinned on the door across the room, my nerves dancing every time the soft evening light of Aedrialis filtered in when it swung open. I straightened as it opened once more, and a pair of striking sapphire eyes scanned the room, pausing as they landed on me.
I bit my tongue to keep the ridiculous smile from forming, and Ronan’s lips kicked up when he spotted me. White flashed as he shoved his queensguard cape under his arm, his black armor camouflaging him in the shadows that arrived when the door swung shut.
My thighs pressed together, and I let my gaze drift to my fingers drumming on the grimy table. My heart was still high from his last letter. I shook my head, sucking my lips between my teeth to keep from smiling at the lengths he’d gone to track down the soulbinding lyrics, only to discover elves and humans couldn’t be soulbound… But in his response… My heart threatened to explode… An air oath?
The metal of his armor cooled my rising heat as he slid into the booth next to me, his leg brushing against mine. I slowly drew my gaze up to meet his, a vice wrapping around my chest as his eyes landed on mine.
He reached a hand to untuck my long hair, flipping it in front of my ear, and the tips of his fingers grazed my cheek.
“I missed you, Nis,” he murmured, his eyes darting to my lips. “Have you had enough time to think about it?”
Straight to the point, then. Gods, I loved him. I opened my mouth through a smile to tell him yes. Yes, I absolutely had thought about it, and the answer was yes. It would always be yes. I would bind my breath to his in place of being soulbound.
The sharp crash of breaking glass and thud of an upturned table rocked across the busy pub, and Ronan’s face snapped to the brawl breaking out a few tables down. He turned back to me, but my eyes shot to the group of kingsguards entering the sitting area from the stairs leading to the brothel.
“Ronan,” I warned, nodding slightly to the group of soldiers clad in black.
“Fuck,” Ronan muttered, shaking his head. His focus cut to Bayne and the rest of the crew, motioning them with a nod to stay in the shadows.
“I’ll find you,” he breathed. His hand slid to my knee and squeezed.
I slunk into the shadows, moving quickly to ensure our faces wouldn’t be seen by the Sultiran soldiers.
“Ronan!” the tallest one bellowed as he moved through the crowd. He clapped him on the back. “The queen’s been looking for you.”
“Better not tell her he’s been frequenting this fine establishment.” Another raised an eyebrow and thrust a mug of ale into Ronan’s hands. The soldier jerked his head to the brothel stairs.
I listened from afar. My elven ears cut through the noise of the pub and narrowed in on the man I loved.
“Best not!” cried the first. “She’s a jealous one, and violent, I’ve heard. Ain’t that right, Merik? Rumor has it Queen Galena killed the rest of her fancy family in Krestwood before making her way to Aedrialis.”
Ronan’s shoulders stiffened, and he took a slow swig of ale. His light curls swayed as he slowly shook his head. “I wouldn’t know about that,” he finally said.
“Aye, but you know she’d be jealous.” The tall man waggled his eyebrows. “You spend enough time with her. She favors you. What I’d give to stand guard at the edge of that goddess’s bed…”
I could feel Lida’s eyes on me, but I refused to look back at her as I waited for Ronan’s denial, his assurance that his relationship with the queen was strictly professional.
Ronan’s body stilled, his back to me, before he turned his face to the side. I caught the flash of his eye before he turned back and shrugged. But despite what looked like a denial, thesoldiers around him clapped him on the shoulder, haughty encouragement and laughter erupting in the resounding howls.
Numbness slipped through me, and a slew of excuses rushed through my mind.He was playing a part, I reminded myself. I’d see him tomorrow, and he’d explain.
