Page 82 of King of Fire and Flames

“One floor below yours. Our rooms are an exact match.” She leaned on the sill and studied the whitecaps crashing against jagged rocks. “Azarn is aware of your reputation as an escape artist.”

I laughed, squeezing her in a tight hug before sitting on the bed. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“Arrow tells me that you thought he orchestrated your abduction, and he’s worried part of you still believes it.”

“Oh, Ari, I’m an idiot. I should never have doubted his loyalty, but when Esen and the fire fae who’d transformed his face into Raiden’s arrested me, doubting Arrow was the only thing that made sense. Is that why he hasn’t visited me and renewed the Aldara bond the last two nights?”

“No. It’s because he doesn’t want to weaken you. But he has told Azarn he’s still subjecting you to the feedings.”

Subjecting me? Whenever Arrow sank his fangs into my flesh, it was hardly an ordeal. I had begged him to drink from me on more than one occasion, possibly hundreds of times.

“Moving on to more important topics,” I said, waggling my brows. “How was your trip? It must have been very nice to finally have Raiden all to yourself.”

Ari pushed shining curls behind the long blade of her ear, golden cheeks darkening to russet. “It was… wonderful. Lying with him was everything that you warned me it would be. Astonishing. Blissful. Life changing.”

I pressed my fingers against my mouth. “So why did you two wait so long? Every fae in Coridon knows you’re mad for each other. Nice pendant, by the way,” I added, nodding at the tear-shaped ruby framed by black pearls I’d watched Raiden purchase at Taln market four days ago.

“It’s the loveliest necklace in the realms.” Ari rubbed her fingers over the central jewel. The bed barely dipped as she sat next to me, a glittering smile on her lips. “Reavers only share our bodies with our sworn mates. The Zareen flew to Coridon and made our union official before we left for Taln.”

“Oh, Ari, that’s brilliant.” Gripping her hands, I kissed her cheek. “I’m so happy for you. Raiden must be bursting with joy. I can’t count the times I watched him skulk around Arrow’s chambers, hoping for a glance of you. It was very entertaining. And the Zareen doesn’t mind that he’s not of royal birth?”

“Not at all. Reavers bond for love. Position and power means nothing to us.”

“Who made the leap first? Who finally decided to be brave?”

She blushed again. “It wasn’t me. After you left Mydorian, I received a raven courier from Arrow asking me to return to the Light Realm as quickly as possible. By the time I arrived, he and Raiden had left, leaving word that they’d gone to the Fire Court on urgent business.”

“They didn’t tell you I’d been taken?”

“No. It wouldn’t have been safe. They had to play their parts in Azarn’s game and couldn’t risk giving themselves away.”

“No, I suppose they couldn’t.”

Ari cupped my cheek with her palm. “Dear one, I knew something was terribly wrong. I felt it in my blood. But I also knew Arrowyn would do everything, stop at nothing to fix the problem, and my role was to bide my time, pretend all was well in his kingdom and await further instructions.”

“And so Raiden spoke up when he came to collect you?”

“Yes. It had frightened him to learn that even the king’s Aldara could be stolen from him. Raiden didn’t want to waste a moment more without me knowing how he felt. He got down on his knees in Coridon’s kitchen in front of the staff and declared his undying devotion.”

Clapping my hands, I screeched, and Ari covered her ears, laughing. “Raiden’s a true romantic, then. You’re very fortunate.”

She gave me an odd look. “As are you, Leaf. You’ve been blind to Arrowyn’s love, that is all.”

With a meaningful glance toward my anklet, I held my finger to my lips, remembering we should be careful in case Melaya happened to be listening. Then I focused internally, checking for the tell-tale signs of activate magic and finding none.

Silk rustled as Ari shrugged her cloak off and walked to the window again, stopping with her body half-turned toward me.

“Taln is a horrible city. Fire geysers spew sparks and sulfurous gases day and night, a merciless sun scorches the arid ground, and yet everyone wears cloaks and burns fires in their rooms as if they were in the Ice Realm.”

“The weather is strange,” I agreed. “It’s sweltering one moment, then cool the next.”

“The Fire Court’s magic is mysterious and unstable. But the Zareen knows about the ancient mergelyn anklets and assures me they cannot be used to spy on you. It’s impossible. Queen Estella’s people are capable of such magic, but the fire fae’s skills lie in transformation and dragon control. They’re fast, efficient fighters, but like most power-hungry species, over-confident in their capabilities.”

Relief washing over me, I said, “A passage in an old Taln book hinted that the city’s mages are the key to bringing Azarn down, but Melaya… he seems almost indestructible.”

“No one is unbeatable, Leaf,” she said, fanning herself with the hem of her gold tunic. “I know from experience you pay attention to your enemies. Surely you’ve already learned Melaya’s weaknesses.”

“Yes, his twin, Nukala. Remember how Quin believed if I died, then he would too? That misconception was the only reason he kept me alive instead of having me murdered. I’d bet every auron kanara in Coridon that he heard about the foolish twin-soul idea from his dealings with the Fire Court.”

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