Page 61 of Tortured Royals

“I’m just… I think I’ve been poisoned, my mate,” Mason replies, still making gagging sounds from the other side of the van.

I move away from Prince Callan and slowly step toward where I remember Mason being. I think I’m almost there when Nate turns another corner. Instinctively, I go to flare out my wings and correct my balance, but then I remember I don’t have them. Before I topple, two large, strong hands are holding me in place.Alaric.

The van straightens again, and I pat the assassin’s hand. “Thanks,” I tell him. He grunts and releases me, and I take the final steps toward Mason with my hands out.

Nate slows the van abruptly and I fall forward, my fingers jabbing into something mushy. Mason curses, and I jerk back. “Fuck, I just touched something sticky. Please tell me that wasn’t your nose.” There’s moist residue on my finger, and I make a face as I wipe it on my dress. “I swear if it’s a booger I might just start gagging, too.”

“Only my eye, my mate,” Mason replies, no doubt cradling his injured eye.

“Oh, good,” I reply, and I reach out again, my hands sliding down Mason’s arms. Carefully, I sit down beside him, and I almost regret my decision when my mate starts dry heaving again.

“Focus on the buildings outside,” I tell him. “You’re not poisoned. Your body is simply confused. Because we’re moving and yet you’re not walking, your body is acting like you’re poisoned.”

“It’s called motion sickness,”Shade adds sympathetically.“It’s pretty common unfortunately.”

“Then why aren’t any of you having the same reaction?” Mason asks.

Using one hand, I rub his broad back soothingly. “Many grow out of it as they get older. Some are luckier than others.”

Mason takes a few more gasping breaths, and he lifts his head, staring out the front window. Following his gaze, I peer at the buildings soaring past us—tall structures of black stone, with narrow arched windows and gray tiles covering the rooftops like dragon scales. The streets are mostly bare, the city flooded with light, and it’s quiet, with most of the demons likely in their beds.

A cawing noise draws my attention, and I lift my gaze as a crow flies overhead, soaring past our vehicle.

“Your crows miss you,”Shade says softly in my mind.

I stay silent as the memory of the birds in Toralyn resurfaces, and I can feel it again. Their ashes. The thought makes my chest ache.

Mason takes my hand in his. “What happened to the birds in the angel realm wasn’t your fault, my mate. The burden of guilt is heavy to carry, and not one you deserve.”

When I still don’t answer, we sit in silence.

It’s not like Toralyn was the first time for me to lose a bird. That’s the thing with battle. There are always losses, and I don’t command the birds. I make a request. I ask them to come, andthey trust me enough to follow. But to lose so many… It still bothers me.

Mason’s breathing is even now as he stares out the window, and he speaks up again. “It is beautiful, you know. Your city.”

“It’s not mine,” I say softly, though the statement feels false.

“Oh, screw that,”Shade counters.“Whether you become queen or not, this isyour city, Blake. No one knows this place better than you.”

She’s right, of course. Because of my crows, I’ve seen parts of this city that I never would have seen otherwise. I’ve been training to rule my whole life, but now that Dad’s wanting to step down, now that the clans are unsettled and the witches are mobilizing, everything feels wrong. Once I had my mates, everything was supposed to slot into place, but I still can’t help but wonder if we’ll be enough.

“Let’s just focus on discovering Ivar’s assassin,” I reply, my voice devoid of emotion.

No one says anything else for a long while as we follow Ivar through the city, to one of the outer districts. The road changes, the dark stones changing to compact earth, and the scent of the sea drifts through Nate’s smashed window as we near the harbor. I’m lost in thought when the van curves, and Nate speaks up. “Ivar is stopping up ahead. Looks like some kind of warehouse.”

I jerk my head up as Ivar’s car is parked out the front of an abandoned warehouse, and the clan leader exits the vehicle along with three of his guards.

I scan the building. At least half of the frosted glass windows are broken, and it looks almost the same as the last time I saw it years ago. Almost, because unlike last time, there are now numerous guards patrolling the perimeter.

Nate stops the van behind a wall of old machinery and scrap metal that’s been stacked a few yards from one side of thebuilding, and we all pop back into view. I roll my shoulders as tingles race through me, and the walls of the van appear around us again.

“Can we not do that again anytime soon?”Shade says, fluttering her wings.“It makes me feel all kinds of weird.”

Dante opens the back doors of the van, and we all file out.

Nate cracks his neck and stretches his arms.“So, are we allowed to use our powers now?”Moving quietly, he peers around a broken-down truck, scouring the warehouse.“That’s still some distance to cover.”

“We stay in our disguises for now,”I tell him.“Only change if you need to.”

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