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Relief choked off my air with a sob.
Ark and I twisted through the air like a psycho spinning top, veering sideways until we landed in a messy, painful sprawl on a green beside a bandstand. It might have been beautiful and picturesque if the second I stopped moving, I hadn't thrown up all over the cream and gold wooden boards.5
"Are we dead?" I groaned, spitting bile into the grass.
"Not yet," Arkan replied, scraping my hair out of my face as I retched again.
Not yetwas a depressingly realistic response. I groaned. Luckily, my stomach seemed to have run out stuff to throw up, so even though the cramps hurt like a fucking bitch, I was able to sit up and fight down the nausea.
I flexed my hands, and let out a plaintive cry when I found them both empty.
"Princess?" Arkan demanded, his eyes flying wide with concern, and the bond going mental in my chest. He stroked my hair in fast, frantic brushes.
"I lost another knife," I cried miserably. "That's two in less than an hour."
He groaned, releasing me to drag both hands down his face. "I thought you werehurt.For fuck's sake, Aveline."
It was always a treat when Arkan swore. I tried to squash my smile as I rose onto my knees to hug him. It was strange hugging him when I couldn't feel his body within the shadows, but I managed.
"Where's shitface?" I asked, craning my neck.
"Good question," Arkan muttered, accepting the name without question. "He's probably in mortal peril. Again."
"He's such a damsel," I joked, but inside I was all tangled up with panic, and I knew Ark felt it. "Taj!" I yelled across the green. "Where are you, you psycho bastard?"
"Over here," he shouted, his voice distant and echoey.
"Thank fuck," I breathed, getting to my feet and making sure not to step in my own vomit.
"What?" Arkan asked, a furrow between his eyes as he rose and followed me.
"You didn't hear that?" I asked, shooting him a frown.
"Here, pretty killer," Taj called again, distant but strong.
"There, see," I told Arkan, relief making me weak. "He's over here somewhere."
The area of the city we'd landed in was full of greenery and trees, the beautiful park-ish-thing behind us continuing down the road, honeysuckle climbing up the sandy-brick buildings and covering their flat roofs. The whole place smelled alive and lush, unlike the musty smell of Thena Castle. It was welcome, and I took deep breaths, clearing out the cobwebs in my emotional state.
"Princess, I don't hear anything," Arkan said, even icier than usual. He caught my elbow to keep me close, but knew better than to stop me.
"You need to get your ears checked, grandpa," I teased, hurrying down the vibrant street. "Wait, how old are you anyway?"
"Forty," he answered, squeezing my arm. Unease moved through his soul, travelling into mine. "And my hearing is impeccable."
I gave him a look that called him on his bullshit. Taj was shouting clear as day, and he couldn't hear him? Suuuure his hearing was perfect.
"Please be careful," Arkan murmured, sliding his hand down to wrap his fingers around mine. "I don't like this, princess."
"You don't like anything," I quipped, marching onward, Taj's voice getting louder. "We're close now. You must be able to hear him."
The look Arkan gave me was sad and full of worry. Oh great, he thought my mind had finally shattered. Not just cracked, but full-on exploded. Orimploded. One of those -oded things. The fact that he materialised enough to give me that look made it worse.
Arkan sent a wall of shadows in front of us, so deep and high that it covered the entire road from cobbles to domed ceiling. I blinked at the sign of how immense his power was, tingles racing through me.
"What's the shadow wall for?" I asked, and pretended I wasn't throbbing just a little downstairs.6
"Protection," Arkan replied.
