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We soared toward a tall building nestled among those closest to the coast. Beyond a high, thick wall mounted with bristling guards, I spied a wide strip of black sand patrolled by more orcs wearing heavy armor and carrying numerous weapons. I saw no boats. Who’d dare attack such a formidable force by sea?
At Jaus’s command, Feyla dove toward the last building at the end of the long row of them standing high enough to view the sea from the top floor. The vox approached the tower residence at a speed that made my heart roar up into my throat.
I clutched Jaus’s arms to the point my fingers must pinch, but he didn’t appear to notice.
His flinty gaze remained on the water beyond the high wall encircling the city. Like everything else we’d flown over, the wall was constructed of glassy silver, and it was nearly as tall as the highest buildings.
One of the orcs stalking along the wall paused and released a guttural cry. His arm lifted, pointing toward the water.
Jaus subtly stiffened. If I wasn’t pressed against him, I would’ve missed it. His pulse ticked in his temple, and his lips tightened.
The orc’s cry was picked up by those on the shore. They hefted their weapons and pivoted to face the sea in one long line.
Feyla landed on an open, circular area mounted near the roofline of a building, coming to rest with a thud that jarred through my bones. From here, I couldn’t make out the wall or the sea.
Shouts and guttural cries echoed from that area, the voices making the air thicken with tension. This wasn’t a welcoming cry. No, if I guessed correctly, they were anticipating battle. From whom?
Jaus leaped off Feyla and reached up, his long fingers encircling my waist easily. I was no tiny maiden despite him calling me that. He lowered me to the smooth stone surface. Before I could speak, he jumped back up onto Feyla’s back.
Horns sounded along the wall and shore, discordant and shrill, making my ears ache.
“Get inside,” Jaus barked, his gaze feral. After tossing my pitiful bag of possessions onto the stone beside me, he whipped his hand toward a metal door mounted on the side of the tower. A flag with the Azuris symbol fluttered frantically in the breeze at the peak above it.
“Where are we?” I called out over the cries of orcs and something else I’d never heard before in my life. A nightmare had come to life. Shrieks and the sound of claws scrambling for purchase on smooth metal grated across my bones.
“This building is my home,” Jaus said.
“You’re not coming inside with me?”
He jerked his head back and forth, his gaze fixed on the sea.
A large group of voxes flew over us, the agitated gust from their wings blasting around me.
A growl ripped up Jaus’s throat. “I don’t have time for this. Get inside!”
He didn’t have time forme, he meant. It wasn’t like I expected a grand tour of his residence, but I didn’t think he’d abandon me the moment we arrived.
“You’re going to fuck someone else already?” I gasped the second the words burst from me, dismayed that I’d actually spoken them aloud.
His eyes shuttered.
“Get inside,” he said softly. “Please.”
My face heated to the point of boiling, and I chided myself for behaving like a fool. He’d been clear about his needs. While I shrieked at him like a harpy, he continued to treat me as he’d stated—gently.
Jealousy coated my throat, sour and sticky, and I swallowed it down, determined to never allow the feeling to rise within me again. It was ridiculous to suspect something like this. It was clear from the cries on the beach that something was attacking the city, that he had to leave to meet the threat with his weapon drawn.
Feyla snapped her teeth, but she didn’t appear to send her anger toward me. No, it was also directed at the enormous body of water beyond the wall.
“What’s going on?” I asked as Jaus tapped Feyla’s sides. “I’ll go inside, but please, tell me.”
Feyla sprang upward, her wings snapping out to catch the wind.
Another fleet of voxes swooped overhead, the orcs mounted on their spines hefting weapons.
Jaus’s gaze met mine, and again, they softened. “Please, Rhoslyn. Get inside. The dresalods are attacking.”
Chapter9
