Page 17 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

Eliza

T hey appeared on the edges of the Springs, the surroundings falling silent at their sudden appearance. She immediately dropped Razik’s hand, stepping away from him. Eliza scanned the area out of instinct, breathing deep. Home. Or closer to it. Back on their own continent anyway.

She’d only been to Anahita’s Springs one other time—when Sorin had arrows imbued as a gift for her when she had agreed to become the Fire Court General.

The same arrows Cyrus had begged her to take with him on the last mission to this continent.

She’d argued with him because she’d been bitter about not being able to go.

They obviously hadn’t helped anyway. He was stuck here until Scarlett brought Talwyn back to trade for him and Neve.

If she had been with them, would she have found a way to keep this from being the outcome?

She and Nakoa had always had an agreement that they would take care of each other’s people, and not only had Cyrus been left there, so had Neve.

It was a failure, no matter how logical the argument was that she needed to heal. It was a failure nonetheless.

“Where are they?” Eliza asked, scanning the area again. Unease was growing in her gut. It was too …something. Quiet. Calm. As if the land itself was holding its breath.

“Sawyer indicated they would meet us here,” Azrael answered, fingers flexing. He was feeling it too. She could tell by the way the grass was vibrating at his feet.

“You think something is wrong?” Callan asked.

She was glad to see his sword in hand. He never used to be prepared for an ambush.

Always had the thing sheathed at his side.

It took her a good week to break him of that habit, constantly reminding him it was more than an ornament for a pampered prince.

“Something certainly does not feel right,” she replied, calling flames to her other hand, casting a soft glow around them. “Stay close to the others, Callan.”

“Nothing is amiss,” Rayner said, appearing from ashes. “But I also did not find Briar, Sawyer, or the Tyndells.”

“Let’s make our way into the Springs,” Azrael said. “We will be a little more hidden there.”

Eliza nodded, herding Callan in front of her.

Azrael and Rayner led the way, while Razik fell into step beside her.

She said nothing to him, but her skin buzzed at his closeness.

It was godsdamn distracting. Ever since he’d given her this Mark, it’d gotten harder to ignore the bond that was trying to form.

He’d warned her the Source Mark would intensify things; she just hadn’t realized quite how much.

She’d told herself she’d be strong enough to handle it.

That’s what she’d spent her entire life doing.

Making herself strong enough to face whatever the Fates threw at her— whether it be a father who disowned her, males who didn’t believe she belonged in their army, or a Curse Mark she would never be able to dispel.

She could deal with the intensity of this too.

They reached the center of the Springs a short time later, and Eliza pushed out a harsh breath at the sound and smell of the water. They immediately spread out some, and she put space between her and the dragon shifter, moving closer to Rayner. He glanced down at her, his brows pulling together.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You are acting out of character.”

“I am not.”

He studied her a moment longer, but before he could say anything else, Callan’s voice drifted over.

“Do you think there will be a significant impact if a new insect is introduced to this environment?”

What in the actual fuck was he talking about?

She ran her thumb and forefinger across her brow before turning to the mortal king. “What is this about, Callan?” He held up his hand, a blue and yellow wingless insect crawling along his finger. “Why would an insect affect anything?”

“It is a valid concern,” Razik said from atop a rock he’d climbed and where he now sat leaning back on his palms, casual as fuck. “Transplanting different species of animals or plants can have drastic impacts.”

“Why do you know anything about that?” Eliza asked in annoyance.

Razik shrugged. “One would think any time a new being is introduced to an established environment, it would have the potential to cause havoc.”

She ground her molars together. “It’s just an insect. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“The color is unique. Blue and gold. I have only ever seen one like it in Avonleya.”

“What?”

The growl came from Rayner, who came stalking over.

His grey eyes were swirling faster than normal, and Eliza tensed.

The Ash Rider was pissed about …an insect?

This was turning into one of the most bizarre missions she’d ever been on, and she’d once accompanied Cyrus on a rather outrageous outing to the Shifter territory.

“What is wrong with you?” Eliza demanded, stepping closer to Callan.

The mortal king may have insisted on coming of his own foolish volition, but she would still protect him when she could.

She’d promised Scarlett as much, and being on the receiving end of Rayner losing control was something few would survive.

“Where is she?” Rayner said, his features a mask of anger.

Eliza stared at him for a long moment before saying, “She? As in the insect?”

“Tula. Shift back. Now.” His tone left no room for argument, but Eliza was more focused on the little girl that had appeared amid a soft flash of golden light. Her head hung down, blonde curls shielding her face as she shuffled her feet. “Look at me, Tula.”

The child shook her head, but she spoke.

“I’m sorry, Rayner. I heard King Callan tell Princess Eva you were coming back, and I didn’t want to be away from you.

The bad men always come when you’re gone.

” Eliza could hear the wobble in her voice, and when she finally lifted her chin, there were tears pooling in her baby blue eyes.

“The dark is scarier when you’re gone,” she added in a whisper.

Rayner sighed, his anger almost immediately dissipating as he scooped her up.

She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, and he brought his brow to hers.

He murmured something Eliza couldn’t hear, even with her Fae hearing, but the little girl nodded earnestly before burying her face in Rayner’s neck.

He sighed again. “Can you take her back?” he asked, turning to Razik.

“I can, but I cannot guarantee when I will be back,” Razik answered. “I will have to track down Cethin for more blood and find Scarlett to get me back out of the Wards.”

“I don’t want to go with him, Rayner,” Tula cried into his neck.

“Shh,” Rayner soothed, murmuring low into the child’s ear again, his hand running up and down her back in calming strokes.

“Her other form is an insect?” Eliza asked, studying the Shifter child.

“It is any form she chooses,” Rayner replied. “She is a Power Shifter.”

“So she caught a ride on the mortal king to go with you?” Razik said.

“It appears that way,” Rayner muttered.

Razik seemed rather impressed when he said, “Clever.”

“How long has she been Shifting?” Eliza asked.

“We have been practicing with it for a while.”

“How long is a while, Rayner?”

Rayner held her stare, and she heard Razik jump down from the rock. “Shortly after the ball that introduced Scarlett to Avonleya.”

Her mouth dropped open. “And you didn’t think to say anything to anyone?”

“I have been working with her.”

“Rayner.” And she didn’t know what else to say to him.

She knew why he was overprotective of the child.

So did Sorin and Cyrus. The fact that Tula was clearly powerful didn’t help matters.

It would bring up a lot of unwanted memories for the Ash Rider.

She finally added, “You should have said something.”

Rayner’s eyes flicked to Razik before coming back to her. “We have been constantly running interference for Scarlett and Sorin. I did not want Tula put in unnecessary danger because of what she can do.”

“You cannot honestly believe Scarlett would use her like that,” Eliza argued.

“Scarlett? No. But our supposed allies? I trust few and even less when it comes to her.”

Eliza glanced at Razik, who was staring back at Rayner, his features hard. “Cethin and Kailia would never use a child for such purposes.”

Rayner barked a harsh, humorless laugh. “Your king has been using Scarlett, and she is scarcely out of childhood.”

“Their mother has been using her. Not my king,” Razik snarled, baring his teeth.

“Your king has been going along with everything their mother demands,” Rayner countered. “You cannot tell me if Saylah demanded this of him, he would deny her.”

“And you think it is easy to deny a goddess?” Razik asked.

“When it comes to this child? I would deny Arius himself to my dying breath.”

“Okay, let’s just take a step back,” Eliza said, sliding further in between the two when smoke started drifting from Razik’s nostrils and ashes were flitting off of Rayner.

“No one is going to use Tula. We are here to get Ashtine. Tula should be fine to stay with us, right? We can take her to the House of Water or something during the exchange.”

“Probably not the best idea,” Azrael cut in. He was leaning against a tree, watching them all with a bored expression, Callan having moved to his side. “With Alaric having infiltrated all the Courts, I wouldn’t trust any of the capital cities right now.”

“That’s a good point,” Eliza muttered.

“Siofra would be a better choice,” Azrael added.

“Maybe. Can you make us a—”