Page 126 of The Unbound Witch
“I don’t make the rules, Wish. Just follow directions. We get the books and meet at the northern tip of the Fire Coven, heading to Moss.” He paused, studying my face. “We could invite your witch, if you want. She’s fast enough on the tiger.”
His way of asking without asking. I shook away the sadness, unsure of anything anymore.
“It’ll be quicker with just the two of us.” I looked up at the moon, sighing. “Think we can make it there by morning?”
“As long as you don’t slow us down again with your whining.”
I lifted from the ground, closing all my feelings into a box as I looked over my shoulder with a wicked grin, so thankful for the playful heart of the wolf and the part of him that always knew what my soul needed. “I beat you last time. Don’t pretend like you didn’t stop to chase that squirrel.”
“It’s my nature, asshole.”
52
RAVEN
Physically and mentally exhausted, we followed the tail of the strix. Lit by glistening starlight, he soared overhead, watching for any sign of danger while Nym, Bastian and I walked along the road, with Talon keeping watch in the back. I could feel the broken spirits of my somber company, knowing I wasn’t contributing to any level of joy as I continued to mourn the life I’d once had.
Eventually, the magical bird landed, shifting into the towering man just before he touched the ground. We’d entered the Fire Coven over an hour ago and agreed the charred ground would not be a welcomed place to stop for the night. But Bastian had known of an old soldier's outpost near the border. It wasn’t fancy, but I’d never needed that. Several cots in a dusty room and a lookout tower. Remnants of a brutal war that never truly ended.
Nym cast a barrier spell, warning that it would only alarm us if anyone entered, not prevent it from happening. Every part of my body screamed for sleep. The blankets were so dusty I opted to go without, knowing that if I’d breathed the dust in all night, I’d likely wake sicker than I already felt and I couldn’t raise any more red flags with everyone on edge.
Bastian had hardly said anything at all since losing his magic. He’d been the hero when the witches had needed him, but that was only surface deep. Beneath all that, the wheels of his mind kept him so occupied he’d hardly been there at all, though we’d walked side by side.
When he snuck out of the hut, I followed quietly. He knew I was there, of course. He always knew. But he didn’t stop me as he climbed the lookout tower. Only gave me a hand to step over the ledge so I could join him. The silvery moonlight lit the sharp planes of his face, the tips of his lashes, even the sorrow in his eyes.
“Want to talk about it?”
He shook his head, wrapping an arm around me as he studied the sky above instead of the world below. I was grateful for that warm arm on the cold fall night. The Fire Coven always smelled like a campfire and summer, even when it was chilly. But being here, wrapped in Bastian’s arms, seeking warmth was far from cozy when everything else was so scarred.
“I think I am no longer the king of this world.”
“Of course you are the king, Bastian. What are you saying?”
“What good is a shifter that can only turn to man. Cannot protect his family in one form or the other. What good is a witch with no magic? How will I stand before Endora with anything more than a prayer to end this? I am not supposed to be the weak one. I was the Dark King, but now, maybe I am nothing at all. Just a man.”
I could have sworn I heard the tiny crack that grew in his heart as he spoke the words that must have circled his mind the entire journey here.
Holding my hand before him, I let a stroke of light dance across my skin before turning it to fire and then a vine. “Your strength has not gone. The first time I really felt the depth of your power, I was enraptured by it. I thought it was your vast power that seduced me. But it wasn’t. It was always only you. Your heart has not changed. You are still a force to be reckoned with, and we will see this through together. It was never just going to be you standing there against her and her coven.”
He placed both of his hands on the sides of my face, staring into my eyes. “You are not well, and I can see it.” He kissed the tip of nose. “It’s my job to protect you. Always.”
“In case you’ve forgotten who you are speaking to, I’ve never needed you to protect me or save me. I’ve wanted nothing from you. Demanded nothing but fairness when I thought you to be a cruel man. It will take me a single second to put Endora in the ground. We just have to get there. Together.”
He slid his hand down my body, gripping my throat with the other as I looked away. “My Dark Queen.”
His rumbling voice brought my skin to life in a way only he could. He was vulnerable and lost and I knew that feeling.
“If you need to use me to feel something, then use me, King. I am yours.”
He smirked, recognizing his own words before leaning over and brushing his teeth along my neck, biting only hard enough to send a flicker of pain and bliss through me. “I cannot wait to go back to the times when we can just be alone without the world ending.”
I laughed before my heated lips found his. “What’s the fun in that?”
“The fact that you said that with a straight face concerns me, Miss Moonstone.”
I brought another flicker of lightening to my fingertips and ran them down his chest. “It’s called balance. A little chaos and murder mixed with magic and pleasure.”
He gripped my arm, spinning me to face him. The king kissed me with so much tenderness, so much love, I thought I’d break.