Page 135 of Cursed Evermore

“Hold on tight,” Wolfe whispered over my nose.

“What are you going to do?”

“Just hold on to me, Ziyka.” He gave me a wicked grin, then suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the wings on his back appeared, massive and deadly with their talons breathing shadows against the sun.

I just about managed to catch my breath when he held me closer and soared up into the heavens like a daunting dragon.

He’d flown with me last night, but I was so out of it I couldn’t think past the terror of the Ruskiel’s attack.

I held on to him now, gasping as we flew up and up and up until it felt like we were in between the soulful sun and the menacing moon. We were so high I couldn’t even see the ship anymore.

Wolfe slowed his flight, and we hovered by a wispy cloud. There he stayed airborne, wings outstretched with me pressed against him.

Each powerful beat of his wings made his muscles flex against my body, a reminder of the predator who held me.

Terror should have consumed me. I was suspended hundreds of feet above the earth with nothing but Wolfe’s arms keeping me from plummeting to my death. But the exhilaration of flying overwhelmed my fear, leaving me breathless with wonder.

I looked down and around us at the vast beauty of a land plucked from dreams.

Beyond the sea, sparkling spires pierced the clouds, their surfaces reflecting purple-tinged light. Forests of silver-leafed trees stretched toward the horizon, their canopy occasionally broken by ruins of ancient marble structures. Rivers wound through the landscape, their waters glowing with an inner luminescence that pulsed like a heartbeat.

I held my breath absorbing it all, wanting to see it up close.

“This is Vaelthorne, my Lady. The magical realm.” The awe in Wolfe’s voice spoke straight to my soul. And I allowed myself the selfishness to enjoy this moment.

It was another danger I couldn’t afford, yet here I was indulging anyway.

One more temptation I couldn't resist. Just like him and whatever was blooming between us in the space where captor met savior and hatred blurred into something that tasted like forbidden dreams.

Part Two

Of Shadows and Dragons

Chapter 26

Elariya

“Vyrenth Hollow Awaits”

Wolfe and I roamed the skies for one blissful hour.

I wished we could have stayed suspended in that ethereal space forever, but he decided to take me back to the ship when a light rain began to fall.

Although we'd breached the Veil, we still had a little while yet until we arrived in Galaythia.

At least I was feeling a hundred times better. There was still weakness threading through my body, but absorbing the magic had restored and rejuvenated me. I was even able to walk when Wolfe placed me back in my room.

He left me with the order to rest, so I did, and I fell asleep again. When I woke, which couldn't have been too long after, Arielle and Sirril stood at my bedside like gentle guardians.

Arielle had brought a beautiful royal-blue dress for me to wear, and Sirril made me that cinnamon porridge I loved.

“How are you feeling?” Arielle asked, her eyes scanning me with practiced concern.

I sat up straighter and rested against the bedframe. “I feel a lot better.” The extra sleep seemed to have given me an added boost.

“You'll start to feel even better as the day wears on.”

“The color has already returned to your cheeks,” Sirril chirped in his hearty voice, setting the porridge on the nightstand with careful precision. “I'll see you both once we dock.”