Page 28 of The Unbound Witch

“The night of the ball, do you remember what the ceiling looked like?”

Kirsi didn’t answer, and for good reason. The night before she died, she’d been enraptured by Nym. Distracted in the best way.

“The blood moon sky,” I whispered, running my fingers along the painting to feel the rough texture of the artist’s work.

“I have a spell that allows me to create illusions.”

“He was never really there, then,” Kirsi said. “That’s why he always seemed so dull and lifeless when you were around. Not because he was afraid of your wrath, but because you simply needed him to be seen and nothing more.”

“Correct.”

“And everyday you’d go down to the Chosen’s hall as Grey?”

“I wanted to get to know the Chosen without fear. I wanted to see who you were when not under the nose of theevilking.”

“And the day we flew together?” I managed, hardly more than a whisper.

He waited so long to answer, I wasn’t sure he heard me at all. The air grew thick, my heart pounding as I felt him before I saw him move. I spun, and he was there, towering over me.My heart stopped. I wanted to reach for him. To end this and feel the comfort his dark strength had always given me. I pushed away that feeling, if only to live in my own fury a little longer.

“I was wrong to lie, but there is nothing about that night I regret. I have a spell that allows me to cast the wings. They are either a conjuring or an illusion. Whatever I choose them to be. When my father and I built the cabin, it was right after I received that spell. He was a lammergeier shifter. That cabin is where he taught me how to fly.” He paused for a moment, brushing his thumb across my cheek as I stood frozen. “That cabin will always be the most precious place in the world to me.”

Kirsi cleared her throat, breaking the spell between us, and I stepped away, the lack of his warmth notable as I slipped past. Taking my seat on an empty chair, I watched Eden move back and forth through the home, selecting small items to fill the single bag she packed.

“There is a spring with hot water close by. I’m sure a washing will help you feel better,” Eden offered. “I’ve several things you can wear that will otherwise be left behind. Torryn and Atlas will not be back with my—our shipmaster until late into the night, if he hasn’t been in his cups.”

I thought of the stinging wounds on my thighs and the small bit of attention I’d paid to them as we traveled. “A wash would be amazing,” I admitted.

“I have some drying towels there.” She pointed. “And I use my own crafted soaps.”

“No more saffron?” I asked, an eyebrow raised.

She smiled, so beautifully genuine, the trace of her mother I’d been haunted by in that stare completely vanished. “Just lavender, honey, and sage, my dear.”

The small pool of turquoise water was nearly invisible beneath the steam that rolled from the top of it. Hugging all the items Eden sent with me, I carefully slipped out of my boots. The spring hadn’t been far from the cottage at all, but Kirsi still insisted on coming.

“I’ve never been so jealous of you in my whole life,” she mused. “Or death, I guess I should say.”

“Can you feel nothing at all?” I asked, reaching for the low hem of the stolen gown I’d been wearing for two days.

“It’s like my entire being is numb to the— Holy shit.”

I lifted the dress over my head, standing freezing and bare in the wild. Slamming my hands over my body, I whipped around, assuming she’d seen something nearby.

“Your legs. Why haven’t you said anything?”

The wounds I’d suffered at the final Trial had hardly gotten better. Fire hot and splotchy red skin gave way to the deep gashes upon my thighs. The wound from Willow’s magical arrow was smaller, while the other, a gash the length of my palm, looked far worse. Purple veins spider-webbed out from the slice that hadn’t begun to scab.

“You need something for those,” Kirsi breathed. “No wonder you’re so fucking sick.”

“When was the last time you got a bloody nose from a stab in your leg? I’m not sick because of these wounds.”

“You need to go back and have Eden look at them.”

“I’m fine. Really. There are far bigger things to worry about.”

“For fuck’s sake, Raven. We have to travel again today, and you already move at a slug’s pace. They took the horse back to the drunk in town. You’re going to have to walk down this mountain. Don’t be ridiculous or difficult.”

I blew out a breath, trying not to grit my teeth as I stepped into the water, the heat reaching my calves. “I need five minutes of people not telling me what to do. I want to sit here and let my brain stop. Just leave me be.”