Page 156

“Bullshit. Why won’t you sleep?”

Those muddy brown eyes bore into her jade ones, and she glared at him. In a venomous whisper she hissed, “Because my dreams are not pleasant, and I fear they are not dreams at all.”

Azrael pulled her to him, and she stiffened at the closeness. He began rubbing up and down her back, and seconds later she found herself relaxing into him. Her eyes grew heavy. “You will stay?” she asked softly after a moment.

“I shall not leave your side,” Azrael replied, leading her to the bed. She was wearing black pants and her usual white tunic. As she crawled onto the bed, Azrael kicked his boots off and slid onto the other side of the bed, propping pillows behind his back. He pulled a book from a swirl of sand, then he said, “And when you wake, if you still need a distraction, I will be happy to oblige.”

“Idiot,” she muttered as he settled himself beside her. She was quite certain the otherwise always serious male only made jokes around her.

After a long silence, she said, “Sorin will keep her safe, right?”

“Sorin will give his life to keep her from harm, Talwyn. He is her twin flame,” Azrael replied, his tone steely and tight.

“That’s what I am afraid of,” she replied.

She felt Azrael’s fingers on her forehead as he began making long, relaxing strokes down her cheek, through her hair. “That Sorin will give his life for her?”

“That she will give her life for his,” Talwyn whispered back as she closed her eyes and entered her dreams.

CHAPTER 49

SCARLETT

Scarlett awoke in her chambers to find Sorin still sleeping peacefully, his arm draped protectively over her waist as it was nearly every night he slept beside her. She had fallen asleep quickly last night to Sorin making long soothing strokes down her back and side. Despite the uneventful and deep sleep she’d had that night, she still felt utterly exhausted. She could have slept for the entire day. She studied the sleeping male beside her. His face was softened in sleep, and for just a moment she let herself wonder what it would have been like to be just two ordinary people. To wake up like this every morning and not have a million responsibilities demanding their attention. To wake up and eat breakfast in their bedclothes and not have meetings and people to kill and children to save, but…

Queen.

Prince.

Mortal kings.

Fucking Mikale.

Careful to not wake Sorin, Scarlett sat up thinking she would sneak down to the chamber beneath the library and gather some books to bring with her to Baylorin.She’d need to be fast. Sorin would wake soon.

Silently, she set her feet on the marble floor and hissed at the cold. Fire Prince indeed. A dark shadow drew her attention to the corner where Shirina was sitting, her tail switching behind her, those silver eyes glowing.

Scarlett closed her eyes, inwardly groaning. After the secret chamber, she had planned to meet with Callan this morning to explain everything, and let him know he was going home. She slid gracefully from the bed, grabbing a silk robe from the end and putting it on over her nightgown. She padded silently to the panther, coming to a stop in front of her and crossing her arms. “If I touch you, you’re taking me somewhere, aren’t you?” she whispered to the giant feline. She had to be nearly twice the size of a normal panther. Shirina just cocked her head to the side as all felines had a tendency to do. “I’m changing first this time, you overgrown cat.”

Scarlett quickly changed into some charcoal gray pants and a tunic of the same color with fine silver thread throughout it. She slid on her witch-boots and witch-leathers, strapping various weapons to herself. She slid the Spirit Sword down her back as she came back into the bedroom. Shirina stood when she entered.

Scarlett glanced at Sorin, who was stirring. Oh, he would be livid when he woke and found her gone. Shirina gave a growl, and Scarlett knew it for what it was— a warning that he could not come. At the sound of the growl, though, Sorin’s eyes flew open.

“I’m sorry,” was all Scarlett had time to say as she reached for the panther.

“No!” Sorin roared, his eyes wide with fury and terror, as Scarlett was pulled through a rip in the world.

SORIN

He couldn’t feel her. He threw himself down that bridge farther and farther, but he couldn’t find her.

Scarlett!

He screamed her name over and over down the connection. He stormed from their chambers, flames licking at his body as his leathers and weapons appeared on him.

How could he not feel her?

A fire portal appeared before him, and he stepped through directly into the White Halls, right outside the doors to Talwyn’s private chambers. Flames wreathed his wrists and trailed behind him. He pounded on the door, yelling her name.