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“And do not get into the water,” he added, eyes flicking toward the copper tub.
A whimper escaped my lips.
“Everything here will attempt to twist your mind. No bath.”
“I’ll hurry.”
He nodded again as I backed into the room. For a heartbeat, I stared at him, his disheveled hair, his shirt that was crinkled from where I’d knotted my hands in it, his exposed collarbone, and the point in his throat. Ignoring the pain, I stepped forward and kissed him.
When his hands tried to reach around my face, he was again blasted backward against the far wall, a startling end to the brief moment of bliss.
I bit my lips and turned to the dress, cheeks flaming as I realized what leaving the door open meant. I whirled back to face him. He was my husband, after all. Only we’d never…and this was such an odd circumstance.
When I tried to hide behind my hands, my claws poked into my forehead. “Ouch.” I looked at my monstrous hands.
“I won’t look, if that would make you more comfortable.”
His eyes, however, told a different story.
I didn’t respond, only moved deeper into the room. Breaths heaving, I began to remove my clothing. When I was down to my underthings, I nearly glanced over my shoulder but couldn’t bring myself to see if he was watching or not.
Why shouldn’t he?
I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t. And yet, this wasn’t how I’d imagined this scene playing out. I kept Rafael’s dagger close as I changed, just in case any other fae or strange creatures appeared.
With shaking, clawed hands, I fumbled my way into the exquisite dress, trying not to groan as the pain danced nearer to the edge of what I could handle. The deep blue was richer than ordinary fabrics and was ruffled down the skirt. The style was, surprisingly, Avencian and would have been perfect to wear to the storyteller’s festival.
As I shimmied into the bodice, another spasm of pain shook my frame. I hit the bed on the way down, and my face was smothered against soft blankets as a full-body seizure locked my muscles into violent shakes. If Rafael didn’t succeed in killing his brother, and taking the crown, I’d soon shift into a bear, and my mortal flesh wouldn’t survive the change.
38
Rafael
My wife hit the bed, and I charged at the door, ready this time for the force that would knock me back. I held my ground, gritting my teeth as I watched her body buck and writhe. Her ugly, strangled sounds frayed my sanity.
“Talia!”
I gripped the doorframe and tore it from the wall. The ensuing crackle of energy told me I’d weakened the magic there. I headbutted the space where the enchantment held me back, and little bolts of lightning snaked outward from the impact. The spell wasn’t going to budge.
Instead, I turned my attention to the wall beside the door. With a kick, I knocked a hole in the plaster and stone. Ignoring the way my foot ached, I poured my new, untested magic into yet another kick. The wall crumbled. I raced into the room. Talia’s body still thrashed, but her mouth was open and her eyes vacant.
No.
With one hand, I rolled her over, and with the other, I sent a wave of magic into her. I sensed my own strength waning as I did so, but I didn’t care. I’d give her every bit of the life in me.
As her eyes sharpened and her muscles relaxed, a woman in a billowy, white dress appeared in the hallway outside, followed by six women with feathery, black wings. The crows had come.
“Step away from her,” said the woman in white.
From her black hair trailing the ground to the melodic nature of her voice, I could tell she was a harpy in her alluring form. Her garish beauty appalled me. I’d grown used to Talia’s unglamoured loveliness.
The hags crept into the room like a pack of silverfish. The youngest had the dewy eyes of youth, and the oldest had the dead, white eyes of blindness and had to be nearing seven thousand years of age. There was no telling what curses she’d set in her wasted lifetime. Talia’s dress slid off her shoulder, but I caught the fabric and clutched her limp frame.
“He wouldn’t come meet me himself?” I asked, readjusting Talia so that I cradled her across my arms. Her head lolled against my chest, and her muscles quivered. She might burst into the change at any moment, or it could still take hours before it was complete.
The harpy tilted her narrow face toward me. “He is busy preparing to acquire the most powerful item in all of Rivenmark. You should have stayed out of this room.”
With a flick of her wrist, my arms shot outward at my sides, and my body lurched back. Talia crashed to the floor and let out a sharp yelp. Before I knew what had happened, I was flat against the wall, head jammed up against the ceiling, and my arms pinned straight out beside me.
