Page 85 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

Brebie and she unpacked it, oohing and aahing over each item, while I sat on the bed, huddling into a blanket.

It was tempting to give into the cheerful mood of the others. They viewed last night as something positive, and I wished with all my heart that I could see it as such, too.

If only it wasn’t for the scars and bruises on my body, and no recollection about how they got there.

“Look!” Brebie lifted a tiny jar from the basket.

Glistening with gold and precious stones, the jar looked like a crown jewel, coming straight from the royal treasury.

“Do you know what it is?” Brebie gushed, uncorking it and taking a sniff. “It’s a healing salve. It’s made with werewolf blood and is absolutely priceless. Here.” She handed it to me. “If you ever scratch or hurt yourself, use it. It’ll make your skin heal within days, leaving no scars at all.”

If you ever scratch or hurt yourself…

Only that wasn’t the case here. I didn’t inflict the wounds on my thighs. Someone else did.

“Aww,” Alacine cooed. “The king must really care to send you such a gift.”

How could I tell them what really happened? There was nothing either of them could do about that, anyway. Besides, I had no idea what really happened.

Taking the jar with the precious healing salve, I gave Alacine a smile.

“I guess he does.” I glanced at the pale pink gel in the jar. It had a faint scent of pine and copper. Had it been used on me last night? That would explain why the scars on my thighs looked healed and faint.

“Today, you rest.” Brebie tucked the blanket around me as Alacine and the maids put away the royal gifts. “I’ll get all your favorite foods brought up here. The king won’t bother you today. He has an outing planned with the gentlemen of his court—bow and arrow practice in the gardens, might as well use the great weather. I also think you should cancel your lesson with Voron tomorrow. Relax—”

“Wait, what? Is Voron back?”

“He’s coming back tonight. But if you need more rest—”

“I don’t. Please don’t cancel the lesson. I’ll be fine.”

This was the best news I got in days. Now at least I had something positive to look forward to.

ChapterTwenty-Two

SPARROW

Too excited about resuming our lessons, I didn’t even realize I left my room way too early the next morning and ran to Voron’s apartments way too quickly. Even the look on Alcon’s face when he opened the door didn’t clue me in how early it was.

“Morning.” I flashed him a friendly smile, rushing by to Voron’s sitting room.

I didn’t knock and didn’t wait, thinking he’d be expecting me. Shoving the door open with my shoulder, I just barged right in.

Turned sideways to me, Voron stood in front of the glass doors open to the outside terrace. The morning sun pierced through the perforated cloud cover in the sky, illuminating him from the side.

He wore a long royal-blue robe with silver stars scattered along the hem and on the wide sleeves. The robe was made from silk, a verythinsilk, I realized, glimpsing through it the outline of his tall muscular body backlit by the morning sun.

At the sound of me entering the room, he whipped to face me.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Sparrow?”

I caught him off guard. He clearly wasn’t expecting me yet. And for one beautiful moment, his face remained open for me to read his true emotions. He was just as glad to see me as I was to see him. His arms jerked aside as if ready to hug me.

There was nothing I wouldn’t give for a hug from him. I needed his arms to ground me. For him to tell me that all was going to be okay somehow. I longed to feel his strength, for it to make me stronger, too.

Then, I noticed that Voron was wearing nothing under that robe. Nothing at all.

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