Page 69 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

That ghost of a smile appeared on his lips again.

“In a way, I’ve been teaching you all along, little bird. The strategy of War of Kings is very similar to real life. And the intrigues often mirror life in the royal court.”

True, he had been teaching me already. Almost every time we spoke, he’d have some kind of advice for me. And all of that had proven useful, whether I wished to admit it or not.

“Will you show me the game, too?”

He strolled around me, the hem of his robe trailing behind him. Tilting his head, he peered at me from under his black-and-white strands.

“How about a daily lesson? One hour? Starting at about this time?” He glanced at the large, round clock over the mantle of the fireplace.

My heart beat with excitement. This was exactly what I was hoping for. But I had to be cautious when dealing with fae—that was one of the first things Voron had taught me.

“What will your lessons cost me?” I clarified.

“You’ve already paid.”

He stuck a finger into the wave of the whipped cream, making the meringue swan tilt atop it. Hooking a blob of cream on his finger, he put it into his mouth. The gesture brought back the sensation of his finger inmymouth. I could almost taste the salt on my tongue again, feel the warmth of his body close to mine.

This was a dangerous game I chose to play. Seeing him daily wouldn’t be easy, considering the effect his proximity had on my body.

He lifted the plate and took the meringue from it.

“I’ll teach you how to play War of Kings, Sparrow. Brebie is right. I am good at it. I also know you’re smart enough to make a great student. In a few weeks, you’ll be able to beat the king. And in a few months more, you’ll play well enough to let him win in a way he would never suspect that you let him win it. Deal?”

“What will you get in return?”

“This swan.” He glared at the meringue bird before taking a huge bite out of it. “And the pleasure of your company,” he continued after swallowing. “One hour a day, every day, until you no longer need me.”

ChapterSeventeen

VORON

It was a mistake. One that a man of his age and experience should not have made. Yet he did it. He agreed to see Sparrow every day and spend an entire hour in her company.

The woman looked sweet, but he knew she could be dangerous. At first, he simply felt sympathetic to her situation. But somehow, she’d managed to get under his skin in ways no one had ever been able to do before.

She made his blood boil without even trying. He’d love to say all that boiling was happening due to anger, or annoyance, or something else equally benign, but he’d be lying.

There were other, far more risky reasons for his blood heating and his pulse speeding up when Sparrow was near. The same reasons that made his cock hard like marble with one look at her delectable curves or a whiff of her sweet, earthy scent.

The only way he could keep his full composure wasnotto be around her. Yet he now was destined to endure an hour in the same room with Sparrow. On a daily basis.

And he’d agreed to that.

Clearly, he’d gone insane.

He couldn’t even accuse the little vixen of putting a spell on him. The poor thing had less magic in her than a doorknob.

The smart thing to do about it now would be to cancel the whole thing. Only that was the last thing he wished to do. On the contrary, he had lost his mind completely, as he was actually looking forward to the torture these lessons would undeniably be for him.

His heart—that old, dried out thing he’d kept permanently frozen in his chest for almost his entire life—suddenly started showing signs of life recently. His curiosity compelled him to go ahead with the lessons, if only to see how far he could let it go before caution dictated he put an end to them.

Besides, he’d already eaten the fucking meringue swan she’d brought as a payment. Now, he had no choice but to uphold his end of the bargain.

Backing out of a deal didn’t carry the same consequence as breaking a promise. Sparrow had no power to enforce it, anyway. But his reputation was on the line. He hadn’t backed out of a deal before, and he wouldn’t do it now just because he wished to fuck the little human more than he ever wanted to fuck anyone in his life.

As the arms of the clock approached the time of the start of their first lesson, Voron found his pulse racing.

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