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Darkness conquers me and I plummet into oblivion.
CHAPTERTWENTY
I’m halfway asleep, drifting in the void, but someone keeps calling my name.
“Pyrah. Pyrah, wake up.”
Disoriented, I blink my eyes open. I’m not in my cave. I’m lying on my back with moss and marble beneath me.
The royal bathhouse. The ruined castle.
Rook leans over me. He’s kneeling by me with his hand on my shoulder. He has hidden his demonic wings and tail. When I sit up, the blood drains from my head. I bend over until it stops whirling.
“Don’t try to stand just yet.”
“What happened?”
“You passed out.” A shaky breath escapes him. “I’m sorry. I never should have taken so much from you.”
“I didn’t ask you to stop. Hell, I begged you to fuck me harder.” I wince. “That’s probably why I’m so sore.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere. Especially between my legs.” My cheeks warm, though there’s no point in being shy around him.
When he lifts me into his arms, I rest my cheek against his chest. His heartbeat thumps fast enough to betray his fear. He carries me back to the tower of thorns, where roses climb over the ruined stones. After propping me against the wall, he touches his wrist to my forehead, carefully, like I might break.
He grimaces. “You feel feverish.”
“That’s not your fault. It’s a sign that I’m still in heat.”
But he won’t look me in the eye, his face a hard mask. “Wait here.”
He disappears downstairs, then returns with a blanket, a shirt, and a flask of water. He hands me the shirt. It’s one of his, and it falls past my hips after I slip it on. My hair still feels damp from the pool.
He holds out the flask. “Drink.”
I do as I’m told. He drapes the blanket over me, then goes downstairs and brings back all his clothes and armor.
“Are we leaving?” I ask.
“No.” He steps into his trousers and buttons his fly. “Just me.”
My stomach plummets. Is he abandoning me? “Why?”
He tugs his shirt over his head. “To hunt. You need to eat.”
“I can hunt for myself.” I’m too proud and too terrified of being left behind.
“Not right now.” He stares at me with a stormy expression. “Have you forgotten that you’re still bound by aellurium?”
I glance down at the golden chains. “We need to break them.”
“Impossible. I’m not a sorceress, and neither are you.”
“I can’t be chained by aellurium forever. Sooner or later, I need to shift into a dragon. I’m stronger that way.”
He focuses on buckling his armor across his chest. “We shouldn’t do this again.”
