Page 24 of Claws of Death

I run through the many conversations I’ve had with Tori, all the times he might have triggered more thoughts with hisquestions than I’d been willing to answer … then decide it doesn’t matter.

“You should have told me anyway.” I don’t know why I’m disappointed or why I think he would have revealed such a weapon to an enemy. “At least, since we got out of the dungeon and didn’t kill each other over any disagreement.”

Tori flashes a smile. “Am I hearing the sweet sounds of friendship, King Myron?” His tone is mocking, but something tells me he’s not.

“I wouldn’t feel betrayed if I hadn’t come to trust you, Astorian.”

Instead of readying for a new strike, I place the point of my sword in front of me, closing my eyes and soaking up the autumn sun. The leaves rustle their melody, and in the distance, the pond lashes soft waves against its shore. Ayna’s voice weaves into the background like a silver thread leading right to my heart.

“We were captured together, suffered together, almost died together.” I don’t need to go into details to recover all those memories that run like scars through our selves. “We are about to fight a war together, for fuck’s sake.”

Tori sheathes his own sword and marches up to me. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve always kept it a secret. Only my closest circle knows. Clio, her brother, and his mate. And now you do, too.”

“And Royad, Silas, Herinor—whom we still don’t know how to fully trust—Ayna, Kaira, and the humans.” I give him a pointed glare. “It’s becoming a long list, Tori.”

“Too long,” he agrees. “But I’d really hate to kill any of our allies off. At least, for now.” The joking tone is back, but he means what he says. He’d do it—end someone for knowing such a secret. I might do the same thing were it my ability.

“We can’t afford to lose any of them.” Not to mention that I’d personally see to making his own end long and painful if he as much as considered hurting Ayna.

“I know. We’ll need all the forces we can get, human or magical, to win this war.” The way he speaks about war when we haven’t seen any armies makes me acutely aware that this isn’t just Tori, the smirking male, but Astorian Remanier Alves DeLoor, the Fairy King’s general and chief strategist. Nothing he does is without purpose, nothing he says, no matter how well packaged in laughs and teases, a wasted word. This male might be the smartest, most loyal one I’ve ever met—apart from Royad, of course. I should feel honored to call him a friend.

“I am honored to call you mine,” Tori responds to my thoughts, and I realize I forgot to pull up my shield after lashing out at him. “It’s all right,” he adds. “It’s nice to know you still consider me a friend after all the deception.”

Pulling up my shield, I march a few paces closer to him, studying the dirt on his features, the sweat from the strain of an even-matched fight. I’ve been deceived too many times, burned by Ephegos then Herinor. I should know better than to trust anyone, yet Astorian is the one creature I want to forgive. With every horrible encounter in our past, the wars raging between our people for centuries and centuries, theway his king kept me trapped in a forest… It doesn’t matter. He’s proven loyal, not only to his own king but to his mate, to his word, and to all creatures of magic by being willing to fight Erina and Ephegos in their endeavor to take Askarea.

“I might try to stab you in your sleep in retaliation,” I quip, earning a broad grin from the male. His hair is bound back, strands of auburn dancing in the breeze, and his eyes sparkle.

“I would expect nothing less,my friend.”

When we return to the cave, Kaira and Ayna are deep in conversation with Andraya and Pouly. Royad, Herinor, and Silas returned before us and are cleaning their weapons near the rebels. The sight of them huddled around the fire brings a foreign sense of family to my stomach.

Odd as it may seem to call so many different species a family, that’s what they’ve become, each of them unique in the role they played in reuniting me with my mate. I owe them all, even if Royad will never hear it, Silas is too cynical to believe it, and Herinor… I don’t owe him anything with his most recent show of side-handed loyalty. But Kaira, Pouly, and Andraya—them, I owe.

When she notices us, Ayna’s head whips around, and she meets my gaze for a few short heartbeats, a smile spreading on her lips, and warmth originating in the mate mark runs through my entire body. No matter how much I appreciate my patched-together family, I’d rather have a moment alonewith Ayna so I can thoroughly show her how much I’ve missed her since she slipped out of my arms this morning.

Tori rolls his eyes and stalks right over to the Flame and my Crow Queen, engaging them in conversation about mind reading. With everything he kept hiding from me, he’s now doing his best to help the two of them with their abilities.

Of course, Ayna is still skeptical that she can read minds, too. She believes it’s a projection from Kaira’s mind to hers only, but mind readers come in different tastes and variations. Some can read only, some can project, some can do both, and some aren’t even aware of what they’re doing.

Perhaps her ability isn’t one of picking words from people’s minds, but she can sure as Hel’s realm detect all the moods I’m going through. That, however, Silas has explained, is a mate thing with Crows. He’s old enough to remember what a mated Crow is.

Though, all of this doesn’t change that we can’t stay in this hideout forever. Erina surely has noticed his intended queen’s absence by now. I bet my non-existent kingdom on it he’s already scouring his entire realm for her. We’re close to the Askarean border, but not out of Tavras yet, which makes this place more vulnerable to discovery.

Wiping the sweat from training off my brow, I settle next to the group, back against the cave wall, and allow Royad to pick my sword from my hand to clean it.

“We need to make a decision.” Trying not to flinch as all eyes turn to me like I just announced the end of the world, I bring up the topic we’ve all been dancing around. “Erina andEphegos both won’t rest until they find her, and the gods know what they’ll do next.”

Ayna’s throat bobs as I meet her gaze. She knows I’m right. They all do, but we haven’t made a choice about how to proceed.

“Clio alerting King Recienne was the first step, but will he be ready to fight?” My eyes wander to Tori, who’s straightened into the posture of the general, features tight as if calculating all possible moves and their outcome. “Will he help us?”

“He won’t doubt you, and that’s not just because you strange creatures can’t lie.” On instinct, my magic races out to pin the female with copper hair who just popped up out of thin air to the spot where she stands. Ice crackles in the air, sneaking along the invisible thread binding her. Instantly, Tori is by her side, hand raised in reflex to protect his mate when Cliophera doesn’t need anyone’s help. Royad and Silas are on their feet, blades raised and magic at the ready.

But Clio merely rolls her eyes, continuing where she left off. “It’s becauseItold him the whole story, and he believes hissister. So, get your shit together, Crow King, and reel your power back in before you hurt yourself.”

Before I can snap a harsh comment at her, Ayna is darting toward the female, shoving Tori aside as she throws her arms around the princess. A laugh bubbles from her throat, and Clio smirks at me over Ayna’s shoulder the way she used to when she showed up at the Crow Palace in the Seeing Forest to disrupt my assemblies. “Unfortunately, Ayna seems to be the only one who remembers how to welcome me back.”She untangles from the embrace, winding an arm around Ayna’s shoulder and grabbing Tori’s hand with the other, pouting at the male. “I thought at least you’d remember.”

The shocked expression on Astorian’s face reminds me he never truly told me much about his relationship with Clio. I know she’s his mate; they both know about it and seem ready to destroy the world for each other. But I have never seen them kiss.

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