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His words sank in, wrapping themselves around my heart like a vise. That was the only reason he had bothered coming here, wasn’t it? Not to explain, not to confess his true love, and certainly not to offer an apology. I had yet to hear one of those. No… he’d come to lie.
To scheme.
To bond.
Even now, his ambitions were paramount, his motivations casting a shadow over any flicker of shame or guilt he may have had—though, there was probably none. Malyr had never loved me for who I was and hated me for who he’d thought I was, Lord Brisden’s daughter.
And now?
Well, now he wanted me to bond, not because of who I was, but because of what I was to his gift—an amplifier. Nothing but a means to win this war, to win him a crown, to gain him a kingdom. A thing to be used, played, and exploited.
Never again.
I angled my head just so, letting my lips seek his, nuzzling them until he groaned. But instead of kissing him, I shifted my balance back. His mouth followed, just as planned, his lips parting wider as if he meant to devour me.
Well, he could devour this.
I spat at him, unfortunately missing his mouth by the width of a finger, but the way it hit his bottom lip was enough to make his head jerk back and his eyes rip wide open in shock. “This is the closest your mouth will ever come to mine again.”
For a moment, Malyr stood frozen, visibly stunned as the spit rolled down his chin. His shock morphed into anger that bled black into his eyes, a low growl rumbling deep inside his chest as his fingers tightened around my throat.
“You want to hate me?Fine, have it your way.” He walked me back toward the cliff until the ground disappeared beneath the edge of my heels, tendrils of shadows pulled from his eyes by the breeze. “Which do you prefer? A count from five, or a sudden push? Choose.”
Turning my head within the collar of his hand, I lifted my chin at him. “I’m indifferent either way. I would rather jump off this cliff than bond myself to you.”
The shadows lifted from his eyes for a moment, a fraction of a second, then his mouth lowered to my ear where he growled, “Fly, Galantia.”
Then he pushed me off the cliff.
ChapterEleven
Galantia
Present Day, Tidestone cliff
My heart thundered in my chest, the pulsing blood rushing through my veins a deafening roar that matched the terror gripping my very soul. Cold air bit into my skin as my hair whipped around me in a chaotic flurry. Salt seasoned my lips as the spray of waves speckled my cheeks. The cliffs rushed past me in a blur, the abyss swallowing me whole until—
A blinding flash burst from within me. Pure white feathers erupted from every pore, catching the wind and spreading wide in an unfurling of wings. The shout of my fear morphed into the triumphant cries of my unkindness as we glided along the wind.
A strong breeze pounded our wings.
The world tilted.
Oh no!
A flurry of shadows manifested to our left, our right… all around us. Five black ravens swooped in to join our unkindness. They maneuvered closely, beating against the onslaught of the biting wind and tumultuous air currents, their bodies absorbing the gist of it. Malyr?
Down,a voice croaked somewhere inside us, just as five more black ravens joined.Land on the beach, sweetheart, or the currents will pull you out to sea.
Sebian?
We lowered, guided by the black vanguard of ravens. They swooped, soared, and spiraled, skillfully maneuvering so the gusts would shift us in the right direction.
The scent of salt, seaweed, and wet sand grew stronger, the whispering roar of the waves louder. The ravens flanked our landing, wingtips occasionally brushing against ours. Our formation scrambled, each bird individually picking their spot on the beach below. As we touched down, the graininess of the sand beneath snow chilled our feet until the blinding surge of magic returned.
A painful chill pin-pricked at my bare soles, making me gasp just as I slung my arms around my naked body. I’d done it! I’d shifted and flown down here!
“Goddess, help me, did all your things fall into the bay? Your shoes?” Sebian was still shifting out of shadows and feathers as he fumbled with the ties of the black cloak he wore over his brown cuirass, his topknot tousled, and his cheeks and chin generously dusted in black stubble. “You’ll catch a damn fever. Here, take this.” He quickly draped the cloak around my shoulders before he barked over his own, “I saw you push her off. Are you insane? She could have been pulled out to sea.”
