“We’ll wait for nightfall,” he said.
“And until then?”
“We pack and rest. There’s still a chance they’ll discover us before we get to them. We have to be ready. The cave is easy to defend, so if they decide to investigate, we’ll have an advantage.”
“Unless they know we’re here and decide to wait us out while we starve.”
Ronin sighed. “That’s a possibility. They haven’t found us yet, though. We can’t dictate what the future will hold, but we can prepare for the possibilities.”
“So we wait,” she said.
How remarkably perceptive of him. Then again, Ronin had demonstrated cool, logical thinking under duress already. The king had trained him well. “We wait.” His gaze sparkled. “And you’ll need to keep your hands to yourself.”
She snorted. The road ahead held many possible challenges, but none greater than resisting the urge to throttle the prince.
23
“The best defense is attack.”
Italian Proverb
The scrape of metal against stone woke Cora from her nap. She jerked awake, ripped her dagger from the sheath and bolted upright. A dark shadow near the edge of the cave moved.
Cora bit back a scream.
Ronin stepped close enough for her to make out the familiar contours of his face, the set of his shoulders, the intimidating armour and the shockingly white wings folded behind him. He raised his finger to his lips. The moon played with his expression and a twinge of longing struck her chest. A different time, a different place, a different life. She and Ronin were not meant to be.
And what totally ridiculous and pathetic thoughts to have at a time like this. Focus, Cora. There would be plenty of time to lament the loss of a relationship when they made it home. It certainly wasn’t the time to mourn something that didn’t exist. Cora almost snorted, but that would be dumber than her thoughts.
“Be ready,” Ronin whispered. He drew his dagger and placed it between his teeth.
What?
Before she could question him, he was up and out of the cave in one swift fluid move. The gentle whisper of his feathers against the stone was the only sound and she had to strain to hear it over the waterfall.
She grabbed Ronin’s sword and the bag with the food and set them by the entrance.
A grunt and a thud punctured the roar of water. Cora held her breath. Her heart pounded. Should she go up there and help?
More smacks. Scuffling feet on dry dirt. Crunching rocks. Another grunt.
Cora adjusted her grip on the dagger and squeezed. She’d be ready for whatever came over the edge.
A man hollered, the sound cut off with a gargle.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Please let that be Derek.
A dark shadow flew past the entrance toward the ocean. A body.
Cora stuck her head out and looked down in time to catch the dark ocean swallowing the body in its infinite darkness.
Dirt crunched again. A long, low grating sound followed. Another shadow sped past her, only a foot away. A blast of air smacked her face in its wake.
Body number two.
“Could you stick your head out a little more? I might manage to hit you next time.”
Cora swivelled up to find Ronin standing at the cliff edge looking down, his dagger flashing under the moonlight as he cleaned it with a cloth.
“Do you have a third body handy or are you just making idle threats?”
His white teeth flashed. “Come out, princess. The boys left us some gifts.”
Princess? She’d been called many things in her life, but that was not one of them.
She shoved both arms through the bag straps, wearing it against her chest and slung the belt for Ronin’s sword across her body and along the back of her shoulders above the wing sockets. She scrambled up the bars. Princess? More like pack mule.
Ronin gripped her forearms and pulled her over the ledge to place her on solid ground.
Instead of letting her go, he slid his hands up her arms until he clutched her shoulders. His gaze captured her own and though night descended hours ago, the moon cast enough light for Cora to see Ronin’s fierce gaze.
“We have horses,” he said.
Not what she thought he’d say.
As if picking up that the weird humans with wings were talking about them, two horses lifted their heads from where they chomped on a patch of grass near a make-shift campsite.
Cora raised her eyebrows. Sapavians and horses rarely mixed. They didn’t have any on the Eyrie. “Horses?”
Ronin squeezed her shoulders before letting go.
“Do you know how to ride?” She certainly didn’t.
“How hard can it be? Sit on the saddle and give them a nudge with your heels.”
She hesitated. The one who looked as though a child chucked a couple buckets of white paint on a black canvas looked at Cora sideways, while the other one with a pure black coat went back to munching the grass.
Ronin leaned in. “I get the all black one.”
“Why?”
“Everyone knows the hero is more badass when he’s riding a black stallion.”
She waved her finger back and forth between them. “Are you the hero?”
“I happen to recall saving you from falling to your death.” He pulled his shoulders back. “Of course, I’m the hero.”
She ignored the way he puffed out his muscular chest, walked closer to the animals and bent to peer under them. “Well, I think your dreams of riding into battle on a black stallion will have to be waylaid.”
Ronin scowled. “He will be a fine steed.”
“He’s a she, hero.” She patted his chest.
Ronin snapped his mouth shut and glared. “You’re just jealous you have to ride the cow horse.”
“Just call me the dream crusher.”
Ronin stepped up to the horses and looked under them. “They’re mares. Why would those men choose mares?”
“Why not?”
Ronin straightened and gaped at her, for once appearing speechless.
“Because…”
“Because having a penis makes it better?”
He scowled at her. “Just because, okay.”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “Maybe, the humans who live and work with horses on a regular basis know a tad bit more than either of us about the beasts, hmm?” She held her hand out to the cow horse. The animal ignored her and joined her friend to eat more grass. “I read somewhere that mares and geldings are preferred because they have better dispositions for riding.”
“Huh.” Ronin ran his hand along the neck of the black mare. “Let’s go, Dream Crusher. We can put more distance between us and the other groups now.”
Cora hesitated again.
Ronin sighed and turned to her. “You want to go after Ava, don’t you?”
“They tied her up and tortured her.”
“You hate humans. You owe her nothing.”
“I don’t hate Ava. I like her, I just didn’t trust her to choose us over her own kind. There’s a difference.”
“And you were right, weren’t you? She betrayed us.”
Cora shook her head. “No, she didn’t. Just as I don’t owe her anything, she doesn’t owe me or you any sort of allegiance. She was loyal to her people, and you heard the men, she didn’t want us harmed. She did what she thought was right and they beat her for it.”
“This isn’t our problem. You should leave her to her fate.”
“We killed her fiancé,” Cora whispered. “Probably the only connection that ensured her protection. She tried to withhold information to protect us. I can’t just leave her there. Not when she spoke in our defence.” She looked away from the thunder in Ronin’s gaze. “I can go on my own. You should stay safe and get back to the Eyrie.”
Ronin didn’t respond. When the silence became unbearable, she turned to find him glaring at her. She opened her mouth and then shut it again.
Why was h
e so angry? Because she told him to stay behind and stay safe? Oh for goodness sake. “Or you could come with me.”
“Of course, I’m going with you.”
Warmth spread through her chest and the tension gripping her body faded away. “I’m so honoured to have the company of the most majestic hero on his trusty, badass, black mare.” She fluttered her eyelashes.
“Shut up.”
She grinned.
“I’m only going with you because Ava might have more information on these men and King Aeneas.” His words were cold and harsh but even with the limited moonlight, she felt the heat of his gaze still on her.
“Liar.”
He grunted and turned away to gather supplies from their would-be murderers’ camp.
24
“Your lips are like wine and I want to get drunk.”
William Shakespeare
They walked the horses off the path and into the woods as the sky lightened and the birds began to sing. When they made it far enough from the road for the trees and distance to shield them from travellers, they found a patch of dense moss to make camp. A sweet summer wind rolled through the branches and caressed Cora’s skin as she tied up the horses. Ronin set out the bedrolls and made a small fire.
They had more food after raiding the hunters’ supplies and Cora looked forward to a hot meal and sleeping on a proper bedroll.
She turned to find Ronin studying her, lips quirked up and weight shifted slightly forward as if he prepared to pounce.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked.
His grin grew. “I was just thinking about yesterday.”
Heat spread across her cheeks. She’d thought about the kiss too, but every time the memories scorched her mind, she pushed the thoughts and feelings away. Now was not the time. It would never be their time.
“I think we should push the bedrolls together,” Ronin said.
“Why?” Maybe if she continued to play dumb, he’d get so tired of explaining things to her he’d forget his original plan.
“You know why.”
“I really don’t.”
He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “We have a kiss to finish.”
“Oh, that?” She shrugged and forced her face to remain neutral. “It was okay, I guess. Not feeling any urge to continue, if I’m being completely honest.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, just okay. About the same quality as your attempt at seduction right now.” She tossed the saddle bags by one of the mats. She turned away from Ronin and bit her lip. “Nothing worth repeating.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Ronin practically purred. “Seemed like you enjoyed yourself.”
“I was trying to get you to stop.”
“By grinding against me?”
She clamped her mouth shut and whirled around to find Ronin’s knowing gaze raking her body.
“Congratulations,” she said. “You successfully seduced the sole woman trapped in a cave with you, your only option. I’m pretty sure I would’ve climaxed if I rubbed on the rocks the right way.”
His grin grew.
Argh. “You’re so full of yourself.”
He shook his head. “I want you to be full of myself.”
She groaned. “I think I preferred you arrogant.”
He frowned. Right, he was being arrogant right now.
“As opposed to arrogant and horny,” she clarified.
“There’s a simple solution to that.”
“Yeah, I’ll hold down the fort. You can get reacquainted with your hand.”
Ronin dipped his head back and laughed. He actually clutched his stomach. “That’s not what I had in mind, unless you wanted to give me a hand.”
She folded her arms across her chest. That was not happening. She didn’t need to tell Ronin that. She needed to tell her own over-eager brain because her mind was clearly not getting the message and sent her all sorts of steamy thoughts instead.
“How about we push the mats together and cut the tension between us?” Ronin tried again. He’d probably never put much effort into seduction, and it showed. With his looks, lazy smiles, and status in sapavian society, he had women throwing themselves at him all the time. He didn’t have to ask what they wanted because it was painfully obvious to everyone. And ask twice? Never.
Though this effort with her was more matter of fact than smooth, it called to every bone in her body. He continued to seduce without effort, and she wasn’t immune to his charm. His unspoken words said: Come sleep with me. You’ll enjoy it. I’ll make you see the stars and turn your legs to jelly.
And that was the problem. She would enjoy every second of it. She would melt into the heat of his body, get lost in the rhythm of his hips, and drown in the depths of his smouldering gaze.
And she’d never recuperate.
She wouldn’t come up for air or find her way back.
If they survived this mission, he would return to his position as the crown prince, surrounded by swooning courtiers, bickering politicians, and loaded expectations. He had no time or place for a cormorant messenger in his life. At best, she would be a pleasant memory for him to recall when he was lonely, at worst she would be a shameful mistake.
“Sex won’t help. You would only get more insufferable.”
His gaze darkened and he stepped forward, his large body casting a long shadow over her. “You’re right. A single night of hot sex wouldn’t be enough. I’ve only had a taste and I already want more. If you gave me a night, I’d become insatiable.”
She sucked in a breath and looked away. Be strong. Stay strong. “No, Ronin.”
“That’s the sexiest, breathless ‘no’ I’ve ever heard.”
Hah! That’s funny. Like he’d ever heard that word before. She scowled at him and promised herself that if he tried anything now, no matter how much she wanted it, she’d throw something at him. Like a knife.
“How’s the wing?” she asked. Good. Neutral ground.
“It could use some more healing.” His gaze continued to melt her on the spot.
Nope. Not touching that one. “Did the men have any first aid supplies in their packs?”
He shook his head and fanned his wings out. “It does feel nice to stretch.”
She finally agreed with him on something. She followed suit, stretching her wings out wide. The middle of her wing pinched where the javelin arrow had broken the ulna. The bone still knitted together, frantically trying to mend the damage. The pierced patagium of her other wing had mostly healed, the occasional pain and throb annoying her. And the oldest and trivial of her recent wounds, the nicked shoulder, had completely healed, leaving a thin red line where a scar would eventually appear.
Father had told her aches and pains let her know she was still alive. Not sure she appreciated the life lesson all that much, but right now, even with the complaints of her injuries, the stretching felt great.
The gentle breeze through the trees played with her feathers. The cave hadn’t allowed for a full wing stretch and leaving their wings out while climbing to the waterfall with only the metal bars for support and balance increased the danger of the wind picking them off.
Ronin watched her stretch, the hunger in his gaze lingering. He shuttered his expression and cleared his throat. “What’s the plan?”
25
“Fate has a strange way of making plans.”
David Levithan
The plan was simple—get in, release Ava, and get out. Preferably without raising any alarms or losing a limb or life. Ronin listened to Cora’s plan as they retraced their steps to Alara on the horses. At least Cora didn’t have a martyr complex or grandiose plans of bringing the human with them.
Outside of town and out of sight from the main road, they rested before slathering mud over Ronin’s wings. The mud muted the white of most of his feathers, but as far as camouflaging went, the attempt was rather futile. He kept his mouth shut, though. If Cora wanted to rub him down, he wouldn’t complain.
It had been a heroic effort on his part not to grab her, throw her down in the mud and find an even more enjoyable way to get dirty.
Currently, Cora crouched by his side behind a dense hedge, peering over the edge to watch the town through the trees. Ronin would rather watch Cora, but she’d probably slap him and tell him to focus.
“I just don’t know where she’ll go if her whole village has allowed her captivity and torture.” Cora flicked a small rock with her finger.
“Not with us.” He stretched out his wings, enjoying the freedom of movement without the splint. The swelling around the break had disappeared, leaving only a dull throb in the middle section of his wing if he overused it, or a pinch of pain if he moved the wrong way. Right now, “overuse” involved too much extending and flapping while standing. He wouldn’t risk flying with it yet. If he rebroke the bone now, they’d never get back to the Eyrie.
The minx rolled her eyes. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve already agreed with you the other eight million times you mentioned it.”
“First of all, stop calling me that. The proper way to address me is ‘Your Highness’ or ‘Oh My God.’ Second, you’re exaggerating. We’ve discussed Ava maybe five times, tops.” He liked it when she got all sassy and spoke back to him like this. No one else in the Eyrie dared, except his sister and father. “I don’t particularly care where she goes. I just want to find out what she knows.”
Cora blinked at him.
“What?”
“Just wondering when you were going to mention the bard training.”
Goes and knows. He’d rhymed unintentionally. “Cute.”
She dipped her chin. “If you wanted to get more information, maybe you should’ve let one of the hunters live long enough to question.”
He scowled. The thought had occurred to him, too, but the idea struck him as he hurtled the second man over the cliff’s edge. A little too late to recover that one. He’d been so focused on securing Cora’s safety he hadn’t thought two to three moves ahead. His father would’ve been so disappointed in him.
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