Page 43 of Court of Twisted Angels

She turns to me, and there's a small smile on her face. That's a good start. "Thank you." She bites down on her bottom lip and goes back toward her bed. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Yes, you could have."

She shakes her head, crossing the room to me. "No, Azrael, I couldn't." She reaches for my hand and I let her take it. "And I want you to have these."

She presses something into my palm. The world stops. Three crystalline gems rest in my hand, their surfaces catching the light like frozen starfire. The spire stones. The gemstones I've been after.

I stare at the stones, then at her. The raw power thrumming through them could break my family's curse, restore our grace. Now I understand how she brought that tower down.

My free hand moves of its own accord, cupping her cheek. She leans into the touch, eyes fluttering closed for a moment. The gesture breaks something in my chest.

"Little bird..." The nickname catches in my throat. "You didn't have to-"

"You're welcome." She steps back, swaying slightly with exhaustion. "I can save my family now, and I want you to save yours."

I close my fingers around the spire stones, tucking them into a hidden pocket of my tunic. The weight of them burns against my chest, but not as much as the truth I must speak.

"There's something you need to know." The words taste like ash. Gods, I hope she forgives me for this. "To save you…I had us soul bound."

Kyrie tilts in that curious way of hers. "What do you mean?"

"When you fell, you were nearly killed." I force myself to meet her gaze. "And I…couldn't let that happen. So I had the Nashai soul bind us. It's something that is usually only between xaphan, and it can't be undone. It means…we can't get too far from each other. That our fates, our lives, are tied."

I watch her face carefully. I'm not sure what she remembers, and I fear that this will upset her.

But her features soften.

"Azrael." Kyrie steps closer, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "When I chose to come here, all I wanted was to save my mom. I didn't care about wings, I didn't even want to be near xaphan…and then I met you."

I bet she regrets that.

"And you showed me how different things could be." My heart dares to hope, dares to flip at her words. "I know that you had them soul bond us - and I'm okay with that. I'm really grateful that you saved me. But more than anything, I'm glad I'm bonded with you because… I love you, Azrael."

The words hit me like a physical force. Magic surges through my veins, responding to the sudden rush of emotion. My wings snap open, their feathers trembling, casting shadows across her face.

"What?" The word comes out rough, stripped of my usual careful control.

"I love you." Her hand reaches up, hovering near my face but not quite touching. "Not because you trained me. Not because you're helping save my mother. Because you saw me – really saw me – when everyone else looked through me." She takes in a deep breath. "Because you were patient with the girl who was terrified of you and you were kind to the human that others saw as less than. Because of who you are deep down."

"Little bird..." My voice cracks. I catch her hovering hand in mine, pressing it against my cheek. Her skin is warm, callousedfrom months of training. Real. "You don't know what you're saying. The things I've done-"

"I know enough." Her other hand presses over my heart. The touch sends electricity through my body. "I know you're worth loving."

Something breaks inside me – a wall built over centuries of duty and shame. I pull her closer, until I can feel her heartbeat against my chest. My wings curl forward instinctively, creating a dark cocoon around us both.

For the first time since my family's fall from grace, since the curse began eating away at our bloodline, I feel something dangerous bloom in my chest.

Hope.

25

AZRAEL

My hands tremble as I cup her face, thumbs brushing her cheeks. Magic crackles between us, the spire stones pulsing against my chest in rhythm with my racing heart. The truth I've been fighting breaks free, like a dam finally giving way to the flood.

"I love you too, little bird. Gods help me, I've tried not to." The words pour out, each one lifting a weight I didn't know I carried. "Every time you smiled during training, every moment you refused to give up – you carved yourself into my soul piece by piece."

Her fingers trace the curse mark on my chest, sending waves of electricity through my body. My wings shudder, their obsidian feathers brushing against her skin.

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