Page 42 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

Her friend yanked on my arm to get my attention. “The king adored her. But no one can stand in the way of the magic bond, not even the king.”

“Is it like marriage?” I asked.

Libelle huffed. “Much more than that. A magic bond happens when two halves of the same soul find each other.”

“It’s very rare,” Dove sighed.

“Was the king heartbroken when you bonded with another?” I asked Libelle. “Is that why he’s been sad and there hasn’t been any sun in the kingdom?”

The women exchanged an amused look before breaking into a laugh.

“You’re funny!” Dove blew her white curls away from her large violet eyes. “I can see why King Tiane likes you.”

I hadn’t tried to be funny. I blinked at them both, hoping for an explanation.

Libelle waved her hands in front of her face, fanning herself while trying to speak through her laughter.

“As much as I’d like to say the Sky King wasinconsolableafter losing me to Faisan, he was not. Sure, his lap was free for a little while until you came along. But he didn’t have to miss out on anything else.”

“What do you mean?”

“She means his cock could be well taken care of if he so wished,” Dove stated bluntly. “The king is the most coveted man in the entire kingdom. He isn’t bonded. He can have as many lovers as he wants.”

That had to be expected. I’d seen the fun-loving company in which the king spent his time. He hadn’t pledged me his undying love and loyalty, and it was safe to assume he never would. I might be the only human in the entire kingdom, which automatically got me the place on his lap. But it didn’t put me into his heart or give me exclusive ownership of his body.

“I see.” It was best to know these things as early as possible. It would make it easier for me to manage my expectations. “So, unless people are a bonded couple, there is no monogamy?”

“Exactly,” Libelle confirmed.

I thought about Kanbor and Brebie. They weren’t bonded. They didn’t even belong to the same kind of sky fae. But their relationship appeared to be solid. Maybe monogamy just wasn’t for highborn? Or specifically for the highborn of the Elaros Court?

Frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted the king’s undivided attention, anyway. From what I’d seen, it might be exhausting. King Tiane both fascinated and intimidated me. I feared he might be overwhelming in large doses.

“The bond is boring.” Dove formed her plump lips into an adorable pout as we reached the gardens, then continued to stroll between the flower beds. “All you have is your bonded mate, for the rest of your life. It’s more fun without it.”

“Unless you’re the High General,” Libelle laughed. “The man has no bonds tying him to anyone, yet he has no fun at all. Such a prude. He doesn’t even party.”

Dove giggled.

“To be fair, he has no wings. It couldn’t be fun without them.” She glanced my way and added quickly, “No offence.”

I didn’t feel offended. I felt shocked.

“Did you just say Voron doesn’t have wings?”

It wasn’t easy to tell just by looking at him. People hid and displayed their wings at will. But I assumed all highborn had them and since Voron was a highborn, he would have them, too.

Then I remembered that he was the only one riding a horse on the day of my arrival. The rest of his people flew. He didn’t just come on horseback for my sake, to pick me up. That must be his usual mode of transportation, since he couldn’t fly.

Voron had no wings.

Could that fact be at least partially responsible for his moods that oscillated between somber and grumpy? It surely couldn’t be fun to be the only wingless one in the king’s court.

“Why doesn’t he have wings?”

Dove shrugged. “I don’t know. He never had them.”

“Is it common for highborn?” I wondered.

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