Page 21 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

With any luck, I wouldn’t stay here long enough for his advice to be useful. I’d leave, with or without his help.

He captured my chin in his hand and forced me to look at him again.

“Think carefully before making deals with fae, Sparrow,” he said slowly, measuring every word. “You risk to lose, with potentially dire consequences for yourself. We always come for what’s owed to us.”

The only deal I wished to make was for my freedom. Then, I’d be far away from this place for anyone to come for me, anyway.

Dreading to meet his eyes, I stared at his mouth instead. He had perfectly shaped, sensual lips.

“Made for kissing,”flashed through my mind unexpectedly. Clearly, looking at his lips carried a risk, too.

I blinked slowly, regaining my focus.

“Is that your advice?” I bit out.

“Some of it.”

“There’s more?”

He shrugged, unfazed. “I’m in a generous mood today.”

I huffed, trying to ignore the warm sensation of his fingers on my face. He held my chin for control. This wasn’t a caress, even if it inexplicably felt like one.

“Generous? You simply trapped me, and now I have no choice but to listen to you imparting your wisdom to me.” I instilled as much sarcasm into my words as I could muster.

A glimmer appeared in his eyes, as if he found my talking back exciting. Life as the High General must be a dull one if my snapping at him excited him.

He let go of my chin and stepped back. “Like I said, you need every piece of ‘wisdom’ you can get if you want to make it in Elaros.”

“What if I don’t? What if I’m not interested inmakingit here?”

“You don’t have a choice, Sparrow.” There was an echo of regret in his voice, the same regret I’d glimpsed in his eyes yesterday.

But if he regretted having me here, maybe he’d be glad to get rid of me?

“Help me, then,” I pleaded. “Give me my memories back and let me leave. I won’t even ask you to take me back to the river. They say you’re a powerful man, that you practically run this place. Tell the guards to open the gate, and I’ll walk away. That’s all you have to do, and I promise, you’ll never see me again.”

He regarded me with an expression that bordered on pity. “Where would you go, little bird?”

“Home.”

“Where is home?”

I refused to falter under his stare, holding my head high.

“I don’trememberthat. Because of you. But I’ll follow the same path that brought me here—”

“And you will never return to the same place or time,” he finished for me.

I shook my head vehemently, refusing to let him weaken my determination. “I’ll end up back in my world. Away from you. From this place. Back where I belong.”

The muscles in his jaw ticked as he pressed those kissable lips of his into a sharp line.

“I can’t let you leave, Sparrow,” he said firmly.

My heart squeezed tightly at his words, crushing the hope inside.

“Why not?”

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