Page 59 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

She shook her head.I’m not leaving without you.Then she touched Eiric’s arms. “Can you help Finnian fly while I help Tavish? They’ve been starved and bound and fear trying to fly.”

“I don’t fearflying,” Finnian scoffed. “I fear falling. There is a huge difference, and I wouldn’t hesitate if I were at my best.”

“Oh god.” Eiric snorted and quickly removed the smile from her face. “You sound like Lira.” She landed beside him and placed an arm around his waist. “Time your wings with mine so we don’t get tangled.”

He sighed. “Got it.”

The two of them stepped off the cliff, and thankfully, they worked well together, hovering a few feet away from us. Eiric’s forehead lined with strain, but other than that, her hold on him was steady.

Then Lira flew to me.

Go, I’ll slow you down. I—

“Stop it,” she snarled at me. “I won’t leave you. We’re in this together. So do you want to get out of here or waste time moaning like a little thornling?”

“Lira, he didn’t say anything,” Eiric gritted out, revealing her strain.

“Oh, they can speak to each other through their minds,” Finnian answered. “The fated-mate link is peculiar and also mind-melding.”

“I hear them!” the king shouted. He was closing in on us.

Knowing she was as stubborn as the night was long, I wrapped an arm around Lira as she did me, and we took off.

As soon as we stepped off the ledge, we dropped several feet, but Eiric and Finnian moved beside us as we descended toward the ground.

Sweet, fresh air rushed past us, smelling nothing like the ash and brimstone of the land the Unseelie had been forced to live on.

“There they are! Make sure the princess remains unharmed,” a male shouted above us.

I turned my head to see ten royal guards charging after us.

There was no way we’d lose them unless I used the magic of darkness to hide us, but when I tugged on my magic, it didn’t respond.

18

LIRA

For some asinine reason, after the close call with Eiric and the guard, I’d expected that we’d come out of this unscathed. I should’ve known that, with my luck, something else would happen. I figured Fate would give us a break. Boy, had I been wrong.

I could use water against the guards, but at least one, if not more, would have the same affinity as me. We’d wind up canceling out each other’s magic, and I’d be wasting time and slowing us down.

I assume you don’t have the power to cloak us in darkness?I asked Tavish. If we could move close enough to the cliff’s edge, we might have a chance of blending in with the surrounding darkness.

Thewhooshingof the guards’ wings drew closer. They wouldn’t risk harming me or Eiric, which was our only salvation because I was certain that at least one archer was part of their party.

Tavish’s guilt and disgust with himself made our connection feel icky.I’m trying, but I can barely feel it. Your healing helped, but I drained everything I had with my light illusion.

That’s when it hit me.Why did everyone believe you were dead when you arrived?

I should’ve been.I could feel his confusion as he answered.But our fated-mate bond flared to life, and I felt something coming through it…He trailed off, and warmth replaced the horrible sensations.You shared your strength and magic with me.

Exactly.I wasn’t sure if he’d initiated it or I had, but if he could use my strength, I’d gladly let him. We had to get away, and his magic was the best option.We need to try.

“They’re going to be on us in less than a minute,” Eiric gritted out. “If anyone has a plan, now would be the time. Until then, we need to fall as far as possible.”

She was right. Though stopping ourselves in time from that sort of drop was risky, we had to buy time. “Fall halfway, then pull back,” I whispered, hoping the fast drop would prevent the guards from hearing our plan. “We can’t risk splatting on the ground.”

“I don’t know what splatting is, but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to learn,” Finnian added as Eiric and I nodded at each other.

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