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My heart clenched, but I kept my expression bland, as I had for the Shadow King for a hundred years, even managing a slight smile of approval when she added, “The High Barrens witches are known for their cunning during battle, and Carex did not kill as many of us as he believed.”
49
ANARIA
Iwoke slowly, slipping out of my dreams into a lazy twilight, more comfortable and warmer than I’d been in a long, long time.
The best way to wake up, I decided, pushing my feet deeper into the warm, fuzzy blanket at my feet.
I stretched my hands over my head, my elbows brushing something hard and unmoving on either side of me. Skin. I cracked an eye open wide enough to see a wide expanse of tan skin, marked with some kind of…black circle with lines running through it. I reached out, tracing the strange mark, still half snared by sleep.
“I don’t know what the symbol means. But I like having your mark on me, Anaria.” I froze at Zor’s deep voice, my finger pressed firmly tohispectoral, whilehishalf-lidded eyes peered down at me. When I pulled away, he clasped his hand over mine and pressed my palm firmly to his chest.
“No, don’t stop.” His low voice was barely a whisper. “Last night, Raz…filled me in on everything I forgot. Which, much to my surprise, was quite a lot.” His lips brushed my forehead like a benediction. “I don’t mind forgetting the rest, but our first time…I would have very much liked to remember that.”
“A second first time, then.” I inhaled his clean, rugged scent, and Raziel’s. They must have found time to bathe, which was more than I could say for myself. But at least the river had soaked some of the dirt away, and…the filthy dress was gone, thank the gods.
“Do you two have to be so fucking loud in the mornings?” Raz grumbled, burrowing his face into the back of my neck, one hand sliding around my waist, hand flared out over my belly. “First Deepwood, now today. I’ll never get any sleep.”
All the lazy, relaxed calm slid away as reality crashed back into place. The Oracle. The Reaper army. Me, feeding the last dredges of my magic back into the forest as payment for saving my friends. At least I kept my word, unlike that hulking spider.
Who was definitely not a hulking spider anymore.
“Is everyone all right?”Gods, what was the last thing I even remembered? Healing the forest, I supposed, and after that…nothing. Until now.
Zor nodded, his dark eyes shining with something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Regret? No, not exactly. More like worry and fear.
“Tell me the truth, Zor. If someone’s hurt, I want to know.”
“Everyone is fine, thanks to you. We’re in the…Wynter Palace.” Zor said that like there was so much more he wanted to explain, and his hesitant tone sent a shudder of anxiety through me, while Raziel hugged me tighter.
“Then what is wrong?” I couldn’t stop staring at the black circle, and the longer I did, the one on my side seemed to burn hotter. The mark looked so familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I’d seen it before.
“This is from me?” Zor nodded. I traced the mark carefully, a perfect circle with two lines through it. “And you don’t recognize it?” The mark was horrifically beautiful, slightly raised from the even, tan skin, and when my fingers brushed over it, Zorander’s eyes darkened, a slow, sensual smile curving his full lips. I instantly went damp between my legs.
I liked that look.A lot.
Yes, a repeat performance of our first time was definitely in order. In fact, I had some ideas on what I wanted to try next.
Raziel raised his head, leaning his sharp-ass chin into my shoulder while I tried to wiggle away. “I recognize that symbol. Old Valarian. The mark means war.” He shifted when I rolled onto my back, laying his arm over my abdomen. Black ran from the crook of his elbow, up over his shoulder, stopping at his chest. His was different, but roughly the same size, an arrow inside a circle, the point resting over his heart.
I hated that I’d marked them, but something inside me liked it, too.
I loved knowing they belonged to me in some small way.
“Does this have a meaning?” I let my fingers play along the lines to the end of that arrow point that looked impossibly sharp.
“Death. This is the symbol of death.”
I snatched my fingers away, breath stolen from my lungs by fear. “Oh Raz…”
“Not your fault, princess.” Raz held me tight, not letting me escape, and Zor moved closer, keeping me trapped between them.
“Zor and I…we’ve always known exactly what we were. What our magic and our skills were meant for.” Raz nuzzled the side of my face. “Death and war, and so far, destiny has held true for both of us. War and death have been the only constants in our lives. The one thing we never saw coming, though, was you.”
“Me?” I swallowed, processing this, the gentleness of his voice sending a flicker of worry through me. I wanted to erase these past two minutes, and go back to thinking about sex and pleasure and simple things. Not death and war.
