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Nellie and I tipped our mother’s ashes into the swirling lake, and we watched until every last speck of her was gone.
* * *
After I changed out of my funeral attire, I met Kalen in the courtyard for another round of brutal training. I hadn’t taken a day off since we’d begun, and my muscles screamed every time I took a step. That wouldn’t stop me, though. I wanted to learn to fight. The sooner, the better.
He smiled as I stalked toward him with the tip of my sword dragging a line through the sand. “You’re going to blunt the sharpness doing that.”
“I thought it might look intimidating.”
Kalen chuckled. “It’s quite the sight. But you’d be better off taking advantage of people’s perceptions of you.”
“And that means?” I asked, coming to a stop before him.
“You’re mortal. People will underestimate you. I already have numerous times.”
I smiled a little at that. With the funeral over, I was feeling much more like myself again. The grief still weighed upon my heart, but it wasn’t quite as heavy as it had been. A smile didn’t feel as impossible as it had before.
“So you’re saying I’ve surprised you with my abilities. In a good way.”
“Now you’re just fishing for compliments.”
“And I will hook my teeth into you until you give me one.”
He arched a brow. “Don’t tempt me.”
I blushed, feeling a flicker of desire spark inside me once more. Kalen had not pushed for anything from me since the attack. He’d done nothing, not even gaze at me with that fire in his eyes. I’d even slept in his bed last night, and all he’d done was hold me close. He’d askednothingfrom me, and yet he’d given so much.
Not for the first time, I tried to conjure the words to express just how much his steady, understanding presence had helped me. To thank him for what he’d done. The training, the listening, the lack of pressure and questions and just plain words. But I didn’t know how to say all that without breaking down again, and I was done with tears.
So I just let myself smile. “You like to be nibbled. Noted.”
“You could do anything to me, and I’d like it, love.”
Heat seared me. My sword thumped onto the ground when it slipped from my fingers, and I took two steps toward him just as he strode toward me. My mouth was on his a second later. His tongue slid between my lips, his hands snaking around to my backside. A moan crept from my throat as he lifted me from the ground.
“Ahem.” Someone coughed from behind us.
Cheeks flaming, I released my grip on Kalen’s shoulders, and he lowered me to the ground. Toryn approached with a raven perched on his shoulder. It was all black with a single white tail feather. Not Boudica then.
“I hate to interrupt,” he said, shooting me an apologetic smile, “but a raven arrived with a message. It’s for you, I think.”
Boudica swirled in from the sky, her all-black wings flexing against the wind. She flew toward us in wide circles before landing softly on Kalen’s shoulder. The bird on Toryn’s shoulder let out a strange cawing sound, and then Boudica answered, cocking her head.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Kalen’s lips flattened. “Some ravens are trained to communicate. This is one of them.”
“What she’s saying?” Toryn asked.
Kalen turned to Boudica and whispered something to her. A moment later, she nuzzled her head against his cheek. The muscles around his jaw tightened.
“It’s Morgan,” he said in a low voice. “She’s being held captive by Oberon and she needs help.”
“Morgan?” I asked, alarmed.
He nodded. “He’s hiding out in the mountains behind Albyria. In a cave, apparently. With his Mortal Queen. I didn’t know that was an option for him. Those peaks are said to be impassable.”
“They are, mostly,” I said. “But there’s a path on the western side. The mountains aren’t as dangerous there.”
