“I blocked out everything else, closed my eyes, and asked for guidance on finding the most spiritually intense place in the forest. The answer came to me in a flash, along with anactualguide.” At this, he finally meets my gaze again, darkness and rage leaking into his energy like ink spilled in water.
And I know, in that moment, exactly where he found the pentacle.
“The petrified tree,” I whisper. “The one where he… Professor Phaines…” I close my eyes, the remembered taste of blood filling my mouth. What he did to me there…
“Stevie, it’s okay.” Baz’s touch on my face pulls me back, and I open my eyes, the old memories fading. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you.”
“It’s okay. I mean, it kind of makes sense. Phaines picked that tree for a reason, right?”
“He must’ve sensed the power there, even if he didn’t know exactly why.”
“And the guide?” I ask, eager to move on from Phaines. “You said an actual guide came to your aid. Was it Lala?”
“Not… exactly.” A smile softens his face, his eyes drifting skyward. I follow his gaze to a bright white mass taking shape in the darkness, floating down toward us like an angel.
“Oh my Goddess,” I breathe. “Really? He helped you?”
“Youhelped me,” Baz says. “You’re connected to him. He sensed your need, your desire to find me and get me home safe.”
The snowy owl is majestic, shimmering overhead as he slowly descends.
“Oh, my sweet friend.” An echoing laugh escapes my lips as I hold up my arm in invitation. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”
“I said the same thing in the realm,” Baz says. “Excellent wing man, no pun intended.”
My beautiful familiar settles on my arm. He’s heavier than I remember, but I welcome the ache in my muscles, the sharp bite of his talons on my skin. It’s a reminder that we’re never alone—that he’s always watching over us. Not just me, but everyone I care about.
I stroke his head, the feathers soft and silky, and wonder how much he can understand me. Between my classes, magick lessons from Kirin, the prophecy work, the constant threat we’re all facing, romps through the dream realm… I’ve had zero time to work on our bond. Kirin believes it will strengthen the more I use my air magick, but I’m still pretty green on that front too.
Closing my eyes, I envision the Ace of Swords and try to summon the wind, but all I manage is a quick breeze. When I open my eyes and meet his golden gaze again, I swear the owl is laughing at me.
“If you’ve got a better idea,” I tease, “I’m all ears.”
Crickets.
Goddess, I must look insane. The thought makes me laugh again, imagining what Jessa would say if she could see me now, standing in the middle of the Towers of Breath and Blade with a big-ass bird of prey on my arm like some kind of warrior goddess of old.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He shifts along my arm and nuzzles my neck. And then he’s off once again, soaring back up into the night.
I watch him disappear, trusting that he’ll be back.
A heavy sigh escapes, and I turn back to Baz, doing my best to rein in a surge of anger. “You should’ve told us your plan. We could’ve gone to the Forest together. Or just… I don’t know. Figured something else out.”
“There was no time. Once Kirin and I decided on the best way to get you out of that chamber, it was all we could do to make it happen before that asshole took you down.”
“We all knew the risks going in there, and we took them together. We were supposed tostaytogether. We agreed—”
“Yeah, we did. But trust me when I say this: you can talk me into just aboutanything, Little Bird.” He hooks a finger under my chin, all humor gone from his eyes. In its place is a love and protectiveness so fierce it makes my heart skip. “But here’s the thing about the realm. If you die there, you die here. I wasn’t about to let you die. End of fucking discussion.”
“I wasn’t about to letyoudie, either, you dumb shit!” I shove him hard, no longer able to hold back. We almost lost him tonight, and he thinks that’s the end of the discussion? “We made an oath, Baz. We’re brothers!”
He shakes his head, totally resolute. “Doesn’t mean I have to let you die for me.”
“Yes it does. It meansexactlythat. Why can’t you see it? Why does everything with you have to be so—”
He grabs my arms and hauls me in close, stealing a kiss so ferocious he draws blood. By the time he breaks it off, we’re both panting, our lips swollen, our eyes wild with anger and passion and everything in between.
