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Time ceased to matter as Mer clung to her enemy like her life depended on it.

Because it did.

The wind howled and clawed at her until she pressed her face into the king’s neck, her eyes closing.

This was not in the plan.

Her temper had gotten them there.

Her stomach lurched as thefiileedescended, its speed picking up. Her eyes popped open as the beast’s wings snapped open. She caught a glimpse of a city, and then the flight stopped abruptly. Mer swallowed as she glanced to the left. They’d landed on a wide black stone balcony, big enough to be a landing pad for thefiilee.

Her stomach rolled at the sheer cliff face it was built into. The world tipped and she swayed slightly.

All you have to do is get away from him without being tossed over the edge or stabbed.

In one smooth motion, she released his neck, whipped her chains over his head, unlocked her ankles, and rolled backward off the feline. Her head spun, and the drop was farther than she expected. Mer’s right ankle wobbled with the impact, and agony shot up her heels and calves, but she’d managed to stay on her feet.

The king caught the chain of her manacles and hauled her against thefiilee.

He sneered down at her, looking every part the villain of her nightmares. “You will pay for what you’ve done.”

Mer laughed, the world tipping slightly. “And you will...” Her stomach rebelled, and she vomited all over his lap and leg. The king cursed and released her, while thefiileehissed, raising the scales along her forearms.

She stumbled away from the feline and its horrible owner, making it to the glass door. She yanked it open and limped inside. The king slowly lifted his head, his face a mask of disgust.

“Do you think a little glass would keep me from you?”

“You’re demented,” she spat, the words coming out slurred.

“You struck first. I strike back harder.”

Mer cackled, grinning at his slightly crooked nose and the black eyes that were already forming. The king was in rough shape. “And yet here I stand.”

His lips thinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll rectify that soon.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“I’ll be seeing you soon, wife. You started this little game, but I always finish it.”

Chapter Thirteen

RAZIEL

“You goingto tell me the story of how you got these wounds?” Levay, the middle-aged healer, asked.

Raziel grunted and continued to stare into the fireplace, shifting slightly on the clean cot. The scent of herbs, hyssop, and lye filled the air. He’d spent much of his time as a child in the infirmary. First, because he always managed to get hurt. And second, because the Mirror Plague had almost taken his life.

Just like you almost took the Sirenidae’s life.

He hung his head, and the healer hissed.

“Stop moving, or these stitches will be uneven.”

He complied, staring wearily at the clean brown stone floor.

Raziel, the king of Methi, had purposely dropped his new bride two times from Skye’s back. And if she hadn’t stopped him, he might have done it a third time.

Shame curled in his chest as he thought about how she shook in his arms. The way her terrified screams cut through the storm. Even now, he could hear the echo of them in his ears.