Page 54 of Heart of the Raven Prince

“I’ve got enough to spare,” he croons before winking at me. It sends a tingle skating down my spine. Hurriedly looking away from him I shove my arms into his jacket. The garment is far too big on me. His scent curls around me, and I make an effort to breathe as little as possible.

Why the fuck did I just put his jacket on?

It’s like my traitorous body is ignoring the fact that he is very much our sworn enemy. He killed my parents, he enslaved my people, he—

He didn’t do it of his own free will.

I pause. That doesn’t feel like my thought. It feels like it was dug up from the traces of his mind that still linger in me from when I was inside his head. It is accompanied with so much heavy guilt and shame that I am momentarily struck numb by it.

“By all means, take all night,” he drawls, and I scowl in return before storming to him. He turns instantly and leads us down the stairs and toward a back room in his estate. Holding open a door for me, he steps aside and lets me walk into a courtyard bathed in deep ruby light.

Dark gray stone lines the floor, and rusty red bricks surround the space. There is a fountain in the center, but no water pours from the spout. Stagnant green water pools in the base, moss growing along the sides. I assume this place was once bursting with life, judging from the withered brown vines that creep over every surface.

“Charming,” I muse, plucking a bloom off a wilted vine.

“My mother loved this garden,” he says, coming to stand beside me. I know he is watching me; I can feel it in the way heat traces down my back.

“So, you honor her by letting it die?”

“I honor her memory by trying to let the world forget I was ever her son.”

“Oh…” I say, my shoulders drooping.

What am I supposed to say to that?

I drop the prickly stem I’m still holding and dust off my hands as I quickly change the subject. “Where did you want to walk?”

“Who said anything about walking?” he asks, blinking at me.

“You said you wanted to get some air.”

“Yes,” he says, stepping closer and crowding into my space. He curls an arm around my waist, and for one intense moment I think he’s about to bite me again. Then he bends and scoops me up by my legs. He ignores my gasp of indignation, and it is only when I see his wings begin to stretch out that I suddenly realize what he means by wanting to get some air.

“Caden, put me down,” I say, slamming a hand against his chest and trying to kick out of his grip. The bastard grins, flashing his fangs at me before turning and looking up at the sky. “Caden, I swear to the fucking gods, if you don’t put me down right now—”

Whatever threat I was about to make gets lost in the shriek that rips from my lips as he launches into the sky. Wind whips around me, grabbing my screams and carrying them off. I can feel Caden shaking, and I realize this bastard is laughing at me. That alone is the only reason I snap my mouth shut. I make the mistake of looking down, watching as the city shrinks beneath us, and a pit opens in my stomach. I quickly slam my eyes shut.

“Don’t fucking drop me,” I shout above the wind as it wails around us.

“What’s that?” he calls. “You want me to drop you?”

I scream again when he momentarily loosens his grip, pretending to let me go. I might fucking hate this fae male more than I’ve ever hated any creature before, but I don’t hesitate a second as I fling my arms around his neck and cling to him. This close, I can feel his rolling laughter reverberating through my chest. Anger boils inside of me, but I’m too paralyzed by fear to do anything but continue to cling to him.

Once we’re back on solid ground…

I get lost momentarily in thinking of the many, many ways I’m going to make him pay for this. I’m muttering an endless series of the vilest curses I know, digging my nails into his skin as I hold tight. The asshole could have at least warned me. Suddenly the wind isn’t whipping around us, the freezing temperature replaced by a gentle warmth. I feel the crackling trace of magic lingering over my skin, and I know he is the one responsible for it.

“Open your eyes, Oisín,” he purrs, tapping on my shoulder. “You’re missing the best part.”

“I’m good, thank you,” I mutter, muffled against his shoulder, my eyes determinedly shut.

“I’m not going to drop you, I promise, but you’re going to miss it. Unless, of course, you’re just simply too scared.”

This motherfucker…

I want to say I’m a better person than this. I want to say I’m smart enough to not fall for the obvious bait, but dammit I’m weak. Snapping my eyes open, I lean incrementally back from him, proud to see I’m only trembling a little. Before I can say the harsh retort building in my mind, I see the view and a quiet gasp parts my lips.

We’ve left the city behind; I can see it not too far in the distance, and now we are flying over a large stretch of endless dark waves. We’re flying over the ocean. Blood red moonlight dances over its surface, twisting and rippling in the rolling tide. The churning waves are hypnotic, and I feel the barest hint of calm beginning to bloom in my chest. It’s the same sense of peace I got looking off the coast of Gaelynn—a feeling that only staring at the ocean can provide.