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“Hush, child. You’re in no place to refuse me.”
The Queen’s army, while we weren’t paid nearly as much as we were worth, had not only rescued me from the Erosyan Temple. It gave me a modicum of financial stability and independence. Over the years, as I rose in rank, my earnings increased, and now that I was The Royal Irae, I had more money than I knew what to do with. It was how Queen Zurie’s attempted to ensure my loyalty and discretion becauseAkashknew it wasn’t out of generosity.
I also knew that without a doubt, part of her resentment towards me was that I didn’t needaetrato wield magic that nearly paralleled that of an Orisha’s - the god-like beings, like Miroslav, who came from deep in the mountains and deserts ofYatólhad been here long before even the fae.
Zurie both needed me and despised me. We both knew that no one could carry out her duties as effectively as I could. Her former Iraes were known to die within a few years. And I had survived for seventy more than anyone before me.
The lush, rolling, grazing pastures behind Zurie’s palace were breathtaking. Adorned with fields of wildflowers lay an unobstructed view of Mount Othrys, the largest of the Falcweard Mountains, and its snow-capped peak. I walked unhurried and in awe of the surrounding majesty. The reeling of my mind at what had just occurred with Miroslav and the immensity of what I could intuitively feel was coming despite not yet knowing what it was finally beginning to calm.
Akash, the divine presence in all things, washed over me in a wave of peace. Without conscious thought or intention, I found myself kneeling in the grass and flowers, spreading my palms across it as my eyes slipped shut. I simplyfeltthe magic in the ground beneath me.Akash.My heart swelled in recognition and gratitude.
I sat back on my heels, justbeing… Feeling the energy, the magic of the land course through me and out of me in what was revered by our wild ancestors as a healing energy exchange. I’d read that often before battle, or if someone were suffering from an emotional or spiritual malaise, they would do this very thing beneath the oldest, thriving tree they could find.
The sound of distant, lazy hoof steps had my mind returning to the present and a grin parting my lips. My eyes still closed with the sensation of my soulneedingthis sacred exchange of magic. Several moments later, a velvety muzzle pushed against my cheek. Finally, I opened my eyes to see Chihiro in front of me, head swaying as he huffed softly in demand for my attention.
His coat, black as a starless night sky, had been perfectly groomed. Even the long tufts of hair around his legs that draped over his hooves shined as though they’d been conditioned.
Riven had clearly been spoiling him. My heart swelled a little more in appreciation at the thought of him.
I stood, taking his large head in my hands and pressing my forehead to his as I caressed his cheeks and neck.
“Yes, I missed you too, dear friend. How long has it been? Hm? A whole week?”
Chihiro huffed a breath that sounded remarkably indignant.
“I know. I’m sorry… Wanna go for a ride?”
A familiar magic caressed my intangible senses, making my head snap up, startling Chihiro. Relief filled me as I saw Malekai striding towards me. His own relief was visible on his face, replacing the frustration that had stricken it earlier. The wounds on his face from Zurie were, blessedly, now fully healed.
We had experienced too many near-deaths together for either of us to ever feel certain that each time we parted couldn’t possibly be our last. Malekai's long, muscular arms curled around me and pulled me against him, tucking my head beneath his chin as my arms wove around his waist.
“I was worried I was going to have to leave with you still angry at me,” I murmured.
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “You should know better by now.”
“I’m sorry for stressing you out…”
Malekai frowned, tucking a few rogue strands of hair behind my ear from the gentle breeze.
“Will you go to a parlour before you leave?”
My gut twisted at the thought.
“You know how I feel about those places, Malekai.”
“What if there was an alternative?”
I huffed a sigh, already knowing where this was going.
“We’ve been through this already.”
“But I’m giving my blood to you willingly and for no other reason than wanting to protect you. It’s not like you haven’t fed from me before.”
“That was when I was on the cusp of death. Youknowthat my venom doesn’t have the same effect then… I’ll just feed from Zurie’s latest victim. Like I usually do.”
Malekai’s frown deepened. “But that still leaves you vulnerable. What if something happened? You’re in a weakened state. What if they’re not alone… Or they’re stronger and faster than you. More skilled. As much as it might seem otherwise, youcanbe killed, Mareina.”
“I’ve been doing this for nearly a century, Malekai. One male isn’t going to sever the cord tethering my soul to this body.”
