Page 105 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

Talwyn

T he flight from Hazel’s castle to the Wind Court Citadel took from sunup to after sundown.

It was well into the night before Thorne was landing on the cliffside overlooking Ashtine’s home.

Talwyn had flown with Jetta and a small unit of Witches.

All together there were thirty in their company.

They were the first unit to come this way.

More would follow as they prepared to help in the Court.

There had been no other news from Arantxa about the attack they’d been warned of, but it had been days now.

Knowing what she did of Alaric, he was patient until he wasn’t.

Scarlett was pushing him to an edge, and he’d take out innocent people to punish her.

Talwyn hoped he’d wait until more Witch units could join them, but luck had never been kind to her, so she didn’t count on it.

“This is the place?” Jetta asked, looking around the ledge they’d landed on.

“Down there,” Talwyn answered, pointing to an area of stables near the main building. “But we’ll need to relocate the horses. I doubt they will tolerate griffins.” Thorne twisted his neck around, snapping at her ankle, and she shoved at him with her boot. “I barely tolerate you,” she muttered.

But they had come to some kind of truce.

They flew multiple times a day now, allowing Talwyn to get a feel for being in the air and staying in the saddle when Thorne decided to randomly dive after a rodent or small animal for a snack.

The first time he’d done it, she’d screamed so loudly, Jetta had come running.

She was fairly certain if griffins could laugh that’s what Thorne was doing with the odd trilling sound he made.

But he’d started coming to her without making her chase him all over the aerie, and he’d stopped pecking at her until they were done flying, so she counted it as progress.

She and Jetta flew down to the stables, leaving the other griffins and their riders on the cliff ledge until they had helped move the horses.

Once the griffins were all settled, they started making their way to the Citadel.

Ermir met them at the front entrance hall, a smile on his weathered face as he bowed to Talwyn.

“That is not necessary any longer,” she said, looking around the foyer. Nothing had changed.

“It is my understanding you have been taking care of Princess Ashtine,” Ermir said. “I will certainly bow to you for that.”

“Who told you that?” she asked, distracted by what appeared to be mortals milling about.

“Prince Luan.”

That had her attention snapping back to the Wind Court Second. “You have word from Azrael?”

Ermir smiled. “He is in one of the council rooms with the General formulating defense strategies.”

“Can you show Jetta and the others their accommodations?” Talwyn asked, already striding for the hall that would take her to the meeting rooms.

“Of course,” Ermir replied.

She forced herself not to run, but her steps were hurried as she made her way down the corridors. The first three council rooms were empty, but the fourth—

Everyone’s eyes darted to her when she threw the door open, but her gaze was fixed on the Earth Prince, who was already striding for her.

“I will be back in a moment,” he said to the room.

His black hair was tied up atop his head, and his patented stoic expression was on his face.

But the relief and want and shock she saw glimmering in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat.

She was backing up as he neared, and he pulled the door shut behind him before he had her back against the opposite wall, hands framing her face and lips on hers.

Her hands fisted in his tunic, keeping him close, as his tongue swept against hers greedily.

She let him take control. She always had.

He had always been the place she didn’t need to have control.

This thing between them had always been the one place no one was looking to her to make decisions or have opinions.

She’d always left it all up to Az, taking the momentary freedom it had always offered.

And now, even when she had control over nothing anymore, she still wouldn’t have it any other way.

“What are you doing here?” he murmured against her lips, his tongue delving back in before he let her answer.

She was all but panting when he finally let her come up for air, his fingertips brushing across her brow before tucking stray strands back that had come loose from her braid during flight.

“I am here with the Witches. To fight with them,” she answered breathlessly. “What are you doing here? I thought you were fighting with the mortals.”

One of his forearms was braced above her head. His other hand was settling on her hip, thumb making sweeping circles. “When I was informed that there would be a siege on the Wind Court, I came to help knowing Ashtine was in the Witch Kingdoms.”

“Briar as well,” Talwyn said, realizing her hands were still clenched in his tunic. She quickly released them, arms falling to her sides.

“They know of the coming attack?” Az asked, eyes dipping to her lips again.

“Yes. Ashtine has not been well. Briar will not leave her side right now, and I do not blame him.”

“Nor do I,” Azrael said.

They stared at each other for several moments before Talwyn cleared her throat. “Did I see mortals here?”

“Yes. I brought them from Rydeon. I have much to fill you in on.”

“Later. You have a meeting to finish, and I have Witches to get settled,” Talwyn said. “I also need to go check on my griffin once more tonight. Make sure he’s not being a pain in the ass.”

Azrael’s brows knitted together. “You have a griffin?”

Talwyn felt her face heat and silently chastised herself. “He is not really mine. I mean, he sort of chose me, but … The whole thing is rather stupid.”

The intensity of his stare made her look away from him. “I do not think it is stupid at all,” he finally said. His hand slid from her hip, and he took a step back from her. “You will stay in my rooms?”

“I did not want to assume—”

“We are past that, Talwyn. I will meet you there in an hour.”

“All right.”

With a last lingering look, he slipped back into the council room. She took a few deep breaths, still trying to get her racing heart rate back under control, before she went to find Jetta and the others.

She was tucked into Azrael’s side when she felt it. It jolted her from sleep, her entire body tensing. She didn’t know what it was, but before she had a chance to sort it out, Azrael was rolling her onto her back and hovering above her.

“They are coming, Talwyn,” he said.

She swiped her hand down her face, trying to wake up fully.

She’d checked in on the Witches after she’d left Azrael at the council room and then gone out to see Thorne.

He’d glared at her, not at all happy with the small and cramped quarters of a horse stable, then he’d tucked his head under his wing and pointedly ignored her.

Every step she’d taken back up to Azrael’s rooms had her stomach doing a weird fluttering thing she wasn’t sure what to do with.

She’d hesitated outside his door. Was she supposed to knock?

Just go in? Knock and then go in without waiting for a greeting?

She’d hated that she suddenly found herself having to evaluate these things.

But she hadn’t had to think on it too long. The door had been wrenched open, Azrael standing there shirtless and barefoot, his hair down from the knot it had been tied in.

“Why are you standing out here?” he’d asked, looking her up and down as if he’d missed something.

She’d pursed her lips, not sure how to explain her thoughts on things.

But he’d known. He’d always just …known.

Which made complete sense now that she knew everything too.

But she hadn’t gotten a chance to say any of that. He’d stepped to the side, holding the door open for her. Then he’d been kicking it shut behind her before he’d all but thrown her over his shoulder and dropped her on the bed.

“Nothing has changed between us,” he’d said.

“You may not have Courts to rule. You may not have any magic. You might not be a queen to anyone else, but you are still my queen, Talwyn Semiria.” He’d methodically removed her boots and her weapons as he spoke.

But then he’d paused, bracing himself above her and holding her stare.

“I am yours, and you are mine. I choose you, above all others. Always.”

The Claiming Rite. Words that would do nothing for a twin flame Mark that she could no longer bear or initiate any Trials, but she still felt the claiming in her soul.

“And if my Staying does not hold?” she’d whispered, feeling a tear leak from the corner of her eye.

“Always, Talwyn. We take it one day at a time,” he’d replied, dipping down to take her mouth with his.

Then they’d claimed each other in other ways.

It had been later, when they’d been sharing a bath, that they had filled each other in on everything. What she had been doing. What he had been doing.

They’d hardly gotten any sleep when they finally went back to bed. A few hours at most. That didn’t really matter for Az, but for her …

Azrael was up, dressing and donning leathers with the same lethal grace and proficiency he had for centuries. She took in a deep breath before she got up, doing the same, albeit much slower. He was handing her a leather band to tie off her braid as she made her way to the door, following him out.

Ermir and the Wind Court General, Sion, met them in the foyer, both dressed for battle.

“The Witches are at the stables,” Ermir said to her.

“Their forces will cross the main wards within the hour,” Sion was saying to Azrael. “We have all the mortals secured below in the catacombs, along with several Fae to keep them comfortable.”

“The forces are in the locations we discussed?” Azrael asked.