Page 21 of Of Flames and Crows

The alarm wokeNikolai up at 6:30 a.m. He rolled over groggily, managed to grab his cell on the third try, and turned off the sound. Feathers fluttered warmly against his cheek.

Nikolai opened his eyes and looked blearily at Alastair where the crow rested on the pillow next to him.

“How come you look as fresh as a daisy and I feel like shit?” he mumbled accusingly.

Alastair squawked softly and nudged him with his beak.

Nikolai sighed, lifted the covers, and climbed out of bed.

He had no one to blame but himself for his fatigue. He’d been working himself even harder to master the skills he’d learned since he’d come to Prague ever since he’d spoken to Mae two nights ago.

Truth be told, he missed New York, far more than he ever thought he would. A grimace twisted his mouth as he headed into the bathroom.

Who are you kidding? The one you really miss isher.

Nikolai’s belly clenched at the emotions swirling inside him.

He’d gone to New York to awaken Mae and to request that she allow him to fight by her side against the Dark Council, so as to stop his father’s mad plans and avenge his mother’s death.

He hadn’t expected to fall in love with the woman destined to rule the world of magic.

The realization that he’d lost his heart to the Witch Queen had come to him not as an epiphany but a slow, growing conviction, like a river molded the pebbles and rocks beneath it, or waves carved an indelible pattern into a coastline.

Living with Mae these past two months had been sweet torture. On the one hand, her apartment felt more like a home to him than anywhere he’d ever lived before. On the other, not being able to tell her how he felt. To kiss her. To touch her. All of it was slowly robbing him of his sanity.

It didn’t help that a predatory incubus who oozed sex appeal was circling her like a vulture.

Nikolai frowned.I should neuter that guy.

He showered, dressed, and left his room to go find breakfast.

His dark thoughts abated as he navigated the corridors of the dormitory of the Council of the Moon, his footsteps echoing quietly on the tiled floor and against imposing, stone walls. He’d shocked Marlena and the other members of her council when he’d insisted on staying at the headquarters instead of the sumptuous Stanisic family mansion in a northwest suburb of the city.

Truth be told, he wasn’t used to luxury. Though his rooms in the Dark Council’s headquarters in Budapest weren’t exactly a pauper’s place, the stark decor adopted by the Sorcerer King and his acolytes in all their domains had always been oppressive rather than welcoming. His father had also never been one to shower opulence on either of his heirs.

There were two reasons why Nikolai had insisted on residing in the dormitory. Though the Stanisics had been more than effusive in welcoming him back into the fold, he couldn’t stop the little voice of doubt at the back of his mind telling him not to trust them. The one that insisted they only wanted to use him for their own goals, especially now that he’d demonstrated his ability to tap into ley lines.

Nikolai clenched his jaw.

He felt like a cad for even questioning Marlena’s affection and that of Klara and his extended family. Deep down inside, he knew they were being sincere. But he couldn’t help himself from keeping his guard up in their presence. From the sad look he sometimes saw Marlena give him, he suspected she was aware of the internal battle being waged inside him. His face tightened.

The Dark Council and my father really did a number on me, huh?

The other reason he’d wanted to stay at the headquarters was because of the private library of the Council of the Moon. He’d spent almost every morning there since he’d first come to Prague, poring over the rare texts few had ever had the privilege to access.

I should ask Marlena if she’ll let Mae read them too.

It dawned on Nikolai that the Witch Queen likely had no use for books on magic. After all, she was Azazel’s daughter, the fallen angel who had taught magic to humankind. His power was engraved in her DNA.

The tantalizing smell of cooked food distracted Nikolai from his musings as he approached the dining room.

It was empty, bar a small group seated at a table. Only half the rooms in the dormitory were ever occupied at any one time and those mainly by the apprentice sorcerers and witches in residence. Not many were up at this hour.

The handful of novices he passed murmured a greeting, their eyes full of respect. Nikolai dipped his head awkwardly in response.

It had been a couple of weeks since Marlena had asked his permission to allow both new recruits and the more established sorcerers and witches of the Council of the Moon to observe their afternoon training sessions. Nikolai hadn’t minded. What he hadn’t taken into account was that demonstrating his ability to access ley lines would make him a star overnight, a status he’d never get used to.

I wonder if this is what Mae feels like when people call her Queen.

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