Page 33 of A Crown of Tears and Treason (The Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows #1)

Chapter

Thirty-Three

EVIE

P hoenix Peak was silent in the first hours of night. The moon slowly crawled over the treetops as we neared the imposing wall.

“Did something happen to Adara while I was gone?” Zandyr asked, the first words he’d said since we’d left his tower. We timed our exit with the changing of the palace guards, two shadows hidden by the statues and trees.

Neither of us had mentioned whatever had almost happened back in his room. I wasn’t about to be the first, though I could still feel his warm breaths across my cheeks.

“She’s been acting strange for a few days.” Right after she’d heard those whispers in the bar. “More protective.”

“That’s her duty.”

I shook my head. “There’s an edge there. Like she’s expecting something truly sinister to happen.”

“That’s always a probability in Clans.” Zandyr stopped in front of a jagged brick in the wall and placed his palm on it.

“She told me to ask you about it.”

“Me?” He frowned his mighty brows. “I can’t imagine how I could’ve upset her while hundreds of miles away.”

“Maybe she was upset that I didn't know about the advisors,” I whispered. It was endearing that she worried about me, but the way she went about it only rattled me more. “She kept saying I needed to be more powerful to face what was coming.”

“Perhaps,” Zandyr said slowly, as if not quite convinced. His frown only deepened. “Imminent death can rattle people in ways nobody can anticipate.”

“How come we always end up talking about death?”

A corner of his mouth ticked up. I tried to ignore just how close that mouth had been to mine. “Are my conversational skills not up to your standards, precious Protectorate Daughter?”

The opposite. They were sharp and, damn him, I’d missed them. “We’re getting married in a few weeks. What do fiances usually talk about so close to the wedding?”

“Parties, flowers, and jewels, most likely.”

“If you don’t count my first wedding–” Honestly, nobody should. Ever. “–I’ve never been to a party. I’ll come in style this time around, though. The crown Leesa showed me was spectacular. I never knew pearls could look so good.”

“They will look even better on your head.” Zandyr gazed down at me, a smile playing on his lips.

I was grateful for the darkness hiding my reddening face. I really needed to find a spell or a concoction to keep me from blushing around him.

Zandyr touched the massive wall in front of us. It began to unstitch with a groan, brick by brick. The show of magic amazed me now just as much as it had that first day in Phoenix Peak, which felt like a lifetime ago.

“How can it do that?” I asked.

“It recognizes royal touch. Unless they go through the gates, nobody can get in without us or the advisors knowing about it.”

“And nobody can get out,” I whispered just as I stepped through the small passage.

This wasn’t the road the carriage had rattled on. There was no road. Only a small path wound to a set of narrow stone stairs, hidden between the thick bushes.

If it weren’t for the metal lantern waiting at the end, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it. Zandyr picked it up and raised his open palm toward me. “Do you trust me?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“There’s always a choice, menace. You can always run back behind the walls, to the safety of Phoenix Peak.”

Ironically, I was probably safest with him. I took his hand, his warmth instantly searing into my veins. We walked in silence, our heartbeats a steady drum where our fingers touched. The stairs were jagged and sleek with evening dew. At some points, they were narrow enough for only one foot. Zandyr and I navigated the path with ease, holding on tightly to each other as our feet darted to the safest parts of the stairs.

Finally, we reached the clearing down below. Phoenix Peak and the jungle towered above us on top of the cliffs. A beautiful beach stretched out, bordered by two boulder formations that came alive with the splash of the waves.

The white sand was fine and soft as flour, with turquoise pebbles strewn through it. Small, colorful shells glowed, like they’d stolen the stars’ shine, competing with the moon’s glimmer.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured.

“It’s also a carefully kept secret,” Zandyr whispered from behind me. My body ached to lean back into him. “It only appears once a year, when the waves retreat enough to allow passage. We have about one hour left until the moon reaches its zenith and the beach vanishes.”

“Amazing.” Even the breeze smelled sweeter, with a flowery scent that couldn’t have come from the ocean itself. “Pity we can’t get married here.”

Zandyr’s sigh mixed with mine. “We need to put on the spectacle every Blood Brotherhood member is waiting for.”

A comfortable silence fell between us, punctured only by the angry waves.

“I was right.” I stared at the infinite dark blue ocean before me, with only rough cliffs tufted with small bushes daring to break its angry surface. It was so different than Marea Luminaria’s serenity. This sea was as violent as the Clan that ruled it. “I’m a long way from home.”

“Perhaps the surprise will help ease the longing,” Zandyr said.

I frowned. There was nothing and nobody here.

Then I heard it.

The sound of hooves hitting the ground at a maddening pace. My head whipped to the rocky edge of the beach.

Clouds crowded the moon, a rumble of thunder in the distance. But I could recognize that wild golden mane blowing in the wind anywhere.

“Zorin!” I cried, uncaring who heard me. I tore my hand from Zandyr’s and raced to meet him, sand and shells flinging behind me.

Zorin ran next to the black horse that had pulled my carriage on that first day. They both had long, luscious hair, and their chests held up proudly.

With adrenaline pushing my feet to their limits, Zorin and I met in the middle of the beach. He gently nudged his head against mine, neighing. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his coat.

“You’re alive.” I stared into his eyes. That beautiful, patient gaze that had kept me sane all those long years. “Gods above, you’re alive.”

Zandyr approached, patting the black horse’s neck. A mare with an attitude, raising her muzzle at my gorgeous Zorin as if looking down her nose at him. Her coat was the exact opposite of his, dark and shadowy like the night itself, with flecks of silver running through it.

“Don’t mind Madrya, she’s territorial,” Zandyr said.

Zorin huffed a neigh at her. Proud as ever, my sweet, beloved, pompous Zorin.

“How did you find him?” I asked, voice choking with the tears I didn’t let fall; old habits died hard.

“Let’s say we met in the middle. He was already on his way to you, halfway across the continent, trying to get into our territory.” Zandyr nodded at Zorin. The stallion bared his teeth. “He refuses to go beyond Phoenix Peak’s wall, though. Madrya knows these lands, she can guide him.”

Zorin stomped the ground with one mighty hoof. Madrya did the same. They were having an argument if I ever saw one.

I palmed Zorin’s cheeks, gently caressing him. “How, in all of Malhaven, did you discover my location?”

Zandyr stepped closer. Zorin eyed him suspiciously.

“I suspect the same way he did it the first time,” Zandyr said. “This is no ordinary horse. Neither is Madrya.”

I wasn’t surprised. No stallion I’d ever come across in grandpa Constantine’s stables had held so much wisdom in their eyes or looked like they had galloped straight out of a fairytale.

“They’re nazdrans, rare magical horses that stay hidden from us mortals. Rumors say their society is growing near the Bone Bridge, protected by the dragons. Though Madrya refuses to confirm that.” Zandyr scratched his mare behind the ears. “One arrives for the most powerful Clans every other generation, attracted by our magic. Madrya came for me. Zorin came for you.”

“But…it doesn’t make sense. Why didn’t he go to Allie? She’s the heir.”

“Nazdrans don’t care about our Code. Perhaps he felt something in you that called to him. We don’t understand their magic–and they are not sharing.”

Madrya and Zorin exchanged a quick glance.

“Are you laughing at us?” I asked with a big, toothy grin. I couldn’t help it. Zorin was alive. He was here. Nobody would put him in danger again.

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Zandyr said. “Tricksters, all of them.”

Madrya nudged his face; she did not appreciate the joke.

“Alright, alright, you’re saints. All of you.” Zandyr laughed, before his gaze found mine. There was a mischievous twinkle there. “Care for a race?”

I wanted nothing more, but–“If Zorin agrees.”

I got an excited neigh in response.

Zaryn turned toward the jungle. “There’s a stable nearby, we can–”

By the time he’d turned, I was already climbing on Zorin’s back, the movements fast and fluid.

This.

This felt like home. The feel of his powerful body underneath me, ready to take on the wind itself.

“Couldn’t spare the leather for a saddle back at the cabin, now could we?” I eagerly dug my fingers in Zorin’s mane.

“Of course.” Zaryn bit his smiling lip and shook his head, before climbing onto Madrya’s back in one elegant motion. “Bareback it is.”

Madrya tilted her head up like the princess she was and came to stand right next to Zorin.

Then we were off.

Zorin raced at a maddening speed, galloping across the beach with all his might. His white-golden mane swelled in the breeze, enveloping me with that comforting, earthy scent that reminded me of simpler, more restrained times.

The only thing I felt now was freedom.

The wind hit my face with the first drops of warm rain. The sky rumbled above us, the sound of the crashing waves almost drowning out Zorin and Madrya’s frantic gallops.

They ran so closely together, Madrya’s mane almost whipped my face. Neither nazdran let up, running wildly.

Zorin’s powerful muscles thundered under me; I didn’t even need to guide him. He was as stubborn as me.

He wanted to win. Maybe he had something to prove, too.

The rocks in the distance, which had barely been visible a few seconds ago, became massive and threatening.

Madrya neighed and slowed down. Zaryn didn’t push her.

“Do you want to stop?” I yelled over the crashing waves.

I only got a testy neigh in response. Zorin pivoted toward the narrow opening in the rocks. I dug my fingers deeper into his mane.

“Evie!” Zandyr’s roar ghosted after me.

But I wasn’t listening. He saw danger where I and Zorin sensed possibility.

With a great jump, Zorin soared through the gap. The moon winked from between the clouds as we flew, the waves splashing to our left. I was weightless and unrestricted.

In this moment, I felt infinite.

Then Zorin’s hooves hit the ground with a grace that proved he wasn’t a mere stallion.

“We did it!” I threw my arms around his neck, stroking my cheek against his neck. My heart beat too fast, too excited.

This moment was almost perfect.

I never thought I’d get to see him again. The stench of smoke from that night invaded my senses.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” I whispered.

Zorin stomped the ground, as if trying to tell me to shut up.

I didn’t.

“I am. I didn’t know what else to do,” I went. The tears threatened to spill again. I looked up at the darkening sky, letting the rain wash away my frown. The hurt I had inside would probably never heal. Not fully. But it could diminish. Lessen until it would become nothing more than a lesson I would carry with me like an old scar.

We returned at a steady pace, circling the boulders. By the time we passed the rocks again, Zaryn had dismounted. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest, the rain making him look even more sleek and lethal.

“I won,” I said as I hopped off Zorin. He had a proud sway to him now, flicking his tail toward Madrya. “Should have placed a bet while we were at it.”

“You have a death wish,” Zaryn grumbled.

“I knew I’d make the jump.”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous.”

“Let it.” I faced him, feeling stronger than ever. “Let it seem risky and insane and let me decide if it’s worth it. I’ve been caged in apparent safety all my life. I’m not the Evie you twirled around the tree. I’m not even the same Evie who stepped foot in Phoenix Peak.”

“I know.” Zandyr came closer, until the drops of rain that ricocheted off my face landed on his shirt. “I want you to spread your wings as far as you want.”

“Thank you,” I said to him, finally. I didn’t even hesitate.

“I will watch you soar and I will be there waiting when you want to land.” With every word he spoke, I tuned out the world. All that mattered now was this moment between us, filled with possibilities and promises that made my traitorous heart tremble. “I worry. It’s who I am. I will always carry the weight of others’ safety on my shoulders. I have seen and done enough to know how unkind this world is. And I will not let it be unkind to you. Not anymore.”

I wanted to hope. Gods above, every part of this frail body of mine, every scared and scattered thought, every trembling emotion, they all wanted to believe.

“We will marry,” he went on. “I want to lay my head down at night knowing you can count on me.”

“I want the same thing. I know you want to save everyone. I promise I won’t be a dot or a scale you’ll have to carry on your dragon tattoo. I will be your queen. You will be my king. We will share the responsibility.”

“We will. I want–” His palms rose next to my head, as if wanting to touch me. His fingers shook from the strain of holding back. “I want things I shouldn’t. Not right now.”

My heart thumped. Waiting. Anticipating.

“I want…” Things I didn’t even know how to voice. All I knew was that heat crawled up my neck, down my spine, settling in my belly. I stood in the rain, looking up at my former enemy.

The fire inside me told me to lean into him.

He was so beautiful. His face was tense, cheekbones turning more angular. This was a dangerous man. A tempting, formidable man.

His lips were too perfect. His jaw too sharp. Too beautiful and powerful for me. And yet, on this night when everything felt possible, my body ached with the need to touch him.

I closed my eyes to keep him from seeing my blatant desire.

Too raw, too vulnerable. Too dangerous .

Let me decide if it’s worth it , my own words haunted me.

Was it worth it? This moment of insanity? We were alone, fire raged through me, and I wanted to do something reckless. Push the limits.

See how far I could play with fire before getting burned.

Was it worth it?

To feel alive in his arms. For one breath. One touch.

“I want…” I licked my lips and opened my eyes. “I want the same things.”

The ones we shouldn’t.

The ones we didn’t even dare mention.

I truly didn’t know what these sensations stirring in me were or what they demanded. But I knew I hadn’t felt them before and there was only one being who could quench them.

Zandyr.

His arms circled my waist, just like he had on the day we’d met, steadying me close to his chest.

“This is a bad idea,” he murmured into my hair.

He inhaled deeply, as if scenting me. My knees turned weak.

“The worst,” I mumbled, still not opening my eyes.

“We should go back to our rooms.”

We didn’t move. Tension rose, sealing us in our own little bubble. The rain still fell, but I couldn’t hear anything past the rush of my heart trying to beat itself out of my chest and delve into his.

To feel him closer. Feel our breaths mingle.

That’s it.

That’s all I wanted.

Dangerous .

I tilted my head toward him, opening my eyes. I wanted to tell him to leave. To go back and forget about this.

Instead, I licked my lips again as my eyes darted to his mouth. A low murmur vibrated through his throat.

We were so close, I swore I could feel his heart beat underneath his thick armor. That small space, only a breath of distance between us, blazed with so many possibilities.

As if daring us to cave.

His eyes grew darker the longer we stayed there, intertwined and wanting.

My palms splayed on his armor. Whether to push him or pull him closer, I didn’t know. His hold on my waist tightened.

“Horrible idea,” I whispered, leaning forward.

Then his lips claimed mine and I was lost.

Lost in a myriad of sensations I’d never encountered before.

The softness of his mouth on mine, moving with a gentleness that I never thought possible from him.

The leathery, forbidden scent of him, that shouldn’t invade my senses like it did.

It took my full control to remain grounded in the whirlwind of emotions raging through me.

Zandyr’s breaths heated up my already blazing cheeks. His hands roamed on my back, gentle caresses stoking whatever this fire inside me was.

I’d never felt this. This sensation of my entire body going up in flames and wanting more. An unnamed hunger grew with each swipe of his lips against mine, almost pleading to go further.

Deeper.

To places where we shouldn’t venture beyond this fleeting moment, on the magical beach that would disappear from underneath us at any moment.

But Zandyr had already swept me off my feet.

I’d turned into a being driven solely by instinct. Did I know where to place my hands? No, but circling his neck so that I was flush with his body seemed like a good idea. My fingers twisted in his sleek hair, tangling the strands as I’d been craving to touch.

My lips, which had only been used for talking and biting until now? They meshed with his in a maddening rhythm that beat against my chest. The pressure. Gods, the pressure between us was building with a fierceness that took my breath away.

When his tongue slid against my lower lip, I had to open my mouth. The primal part of me dictated every move and sigh.

Zandyr’s fingers wound in my hair with scorching, assured movements, igniting every inch of skin he touched. I gasped, a small, pleading sound, before his large palm cradled the back of my head like he’d done it a million times before.

His tongue slid gently against mine. Patiently. Coaxing my movements with a composure so at odds with the desperate way I clutched his shoulders. As if the waves would have washed me away into the great big sea if Zandyr hadn’t grounded me.

But he was there, a perfect blend of hard lines, strength, and teasing touches.

He was everything I’d been raised to run away from, and I wanted nothing more than to get even closer to him, until he consumed me and I him. The hunger, the unquenchable need for him, pulsed through me.

As his lips and tongue did terrible, wonderful things to me, I grew more impatient. Braver.

My hands gripped and pulled at his shoulders. He seemed to have the same idea, as his palms settled on my thighs. In one swift motion, he pulled me up, until we were chest to chest. My legs wrapped around his middle of their own accord. I was too focused on the taste and feel of him to notice.

But I definitely heard and felt the low groan that vibrated through his throat, pulling a moan from mine.

He broke the kiss only for a moment, long enough to whisper, “What are you doing to me, menace?”

Then he was upon me again, ravenous and seeking, swallowing whatever reply my frazzled brain could have come up with.

The kiss turned more frantic. Free. Tongues twirling, hands grasping. Everything was harder and faster and I wanted more.

I held onto Zandyr, hands and legs wrapped around him like the vines draped over his tower. And just like back at his tower, my stomach dropped somewhere near my locked ankles as his mouth closed around my lower lip, sucking it into his mouth, and driving me wild.

I learned fast. With Adara, with Allie, and now with him. I did the same thing he had, but my teeth scraped gently over his lip.

He stilled. As I started to doubt myself–too hard, too much, too inexperienced–Zandyr rocked himself against my center, a rumble tearing from his chest.

Lost in a myriad of tastes, sounds, and touches, I wanted this moment to last for an eternity. To endure until we were nothing but a blend of flesh and moans and teeth. To forget who we’d been born to be, what awaited us once we stepped off the beach and went back to the mighty Citadel, to simply exist in this realm of wonder we’d created.

This wasn’t the hollow connection he’d talked about on that first day in Phoenix Peak. It was demanding and desperate.

My legs gripped onto him tighter.

This. Him. All of him.

“Evie,” he whispered against my lips. I leaned toward him, chasing the ghost of that breath.

Zorin’s troubled neigh cut through the haze of desire, startling me.

My stomach dropped. The ocean was threatening to swallow us, ready to reclaim the beach. Zandyr’s ankles were already submerged.

We needed to get away.

I ripped my mouth from Zandyr’s, a spike of fear shrouding my thoughts.

“Evie, are you alright?”

I shook my head. “I’m scared of the water.”

Zandyr tilted his head back, locking his eyes with mine. “Don’t worry, I got you.”

To prove his point, his fingers dug harder into my backside. We both breathed hard and fast, as if we’d fought the battle of our lives. The icy blue in his eyes slowly devoured the shadows of desire with the cold control of The Dragon.

“We should leave,” he whispered against my lips.

We didn’t move.

He didn’t set me down and I didn’t unwind from him, despite the chill of fear in my veins.

“I liked this,” I whispered back. “But we shouldn’t have done it.”

Because an entire world of desire, hidden from me until now, had opened, flooding my senses. I’d never known this was what I’d been missing for twenty-one long years.

Zandyr carried me back to the safety of the path, never wavering, and not questioning my whimpers as the water rose and sloshed around us. We watched as Madrya led Zorin toward the jungle, the both of them trotting at steady pace, before we delved back through the wall.

Neither of us said anything as we walked back to my house, our steps slow, as if trying to squeeze more time out of this night, even as unspoken questions clung between us.

I knew one thing for certain, though. I wanted to be consumed by that euphoric sensation I’d only felt in Zandyr’s arms once more.

Even as all my instincts screamed at me to run.