Page 27 of Wings of Cruelty and Flame

“Two days at the most.”

Two days! I thought he’d be gone all today, nottwo.

When Varidian began to rise from the seat, impulsiveness made me blurt, “Take me with you.”

Varidian blinked, settling back in the chair, staring at me. “You… want to come with me? To war?”

“I want to go with you,” I agreed, my heart rushing into a gallop. Not necessary to war, but… I didn’t want to be left behind, didn’t want to be forgotten.

“Menace…” he began softly, a refusal forming. Calloused fingers rubbed his jaw.

“Please,” I whispered, locking eyes with him.

I saw him cave, watched his chest rise and fall with a sigh. “You do realise having you so close to danger will drive me crazy?”

“Staying behind will drivemecrazy,” I countered, getting to my feet. I’d run and mount Makrukh now if that was what it took. I refused to be left behind. And the part of me that cried out for adventures was singing in joy.

“If anyone comes close,” Rawiya said, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the counter, watching us, “just stab them in the eye with those deadly fingers of yours.”

My eyes widened. She was encouraging me to kill?

“It’s never wrong to do what it takes to survive. Survival is nothing to feel shame for. Use all the weapons at your disposal, daughter.”

Varidian’s face split in a smile, making him so handsome it hurt to look at him. I still didn’t believe he was mine.

When I got to my feet, he joined me, something fierce and proud in his eyes alongside the haunted sadness.

“You’ll need armour,” he said, considering me. “And small, lightweight weapons, nothing to weigh you down. Nothing too difficult to handle.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rawiya approach, but I jumped when she cuffed his ear and then gave me a stern look. “Prayer first, warring later.”

And there was no arguing with that.

CHAPTER TWELVE

AMEIRAH

Varidian’s hair was a glorious waterfall of black waves when it was down, but there was just something about watching him pull it back from his face and put it up in a bun, his movements quick and efficient. His biceps strained against the black leather of his coat, his head lifted, his strong, graceful neck exposed. I tried not to make my admirationtooobvious, but it was hard to draw my eyes away.

Makrukh snorted, watching us a few metres away, his head pillowed on the grass. When I glanced over, I found him watching me. I discreetly slipped my hand into the pocket of the leathers Varidian had presented me with this morning—three sets in differing sizes, so I could find one that fit perfectly. The deep crimson leather rustled when I moved, and it was strange to wear trousers, but I liked the weight. I felt like a swashbuckling heroine off on a grand adventure. I would see more of the kingdom, see the Wall of Hydaran for the first time in my life.

The wall stretched across the whole continent from top to bottom, so thick it could carry a dozen wagons side by side, interrupted only by the Fallow Gate and Reaper’s Pass that allowed a select few merchants and dignitaries to travel between the two kingdoms every few months. Sometimes the dignitaries came back. Others they didn’t.

I closed my fingers around the polished piece of amethyst in my pocket and made sure my husband was still occupied finessing his hair as I flashed Makrukh a glance at the glittering gemstone. His red eyes sharpened, glowing from within, and he lunged closer.

“Mak, personal space,” Varidian chided, walking over to the bags he’d packed and checking their contents.

“He’s fine,” I assured him, smirking when Makrukh scooped the egg-sized gem into his mouth. He got to his feet with a feline stretch, those eerie red eyes still glowing, and shook the lawn when he trundled happily away from the house.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Varidian demanded, stepping up beside me.

Makrukh rumbled his reply, walking faster, disappearing around the side of the house. Uh-oh. I hoped he came back.

“Maybe he forgot something,” I said, giving my husband a wide-eyed innocent look.

“Like his sanity,” Varidian muttered, shaking his head. Makrukh’s footsteps could be heard again seconds before he reappeared, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a bounce in his step. I tried not to smile as he came to stand in front of us, then dropped to his belly in the grass to help us mount.

But even lying, he was over ten feet tall, an insurmountable height.

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