Page 537 of Flirting with Darkness

On the flat platform at the very top, our flying device came to a stop. The sky king was already there. I knew immediately who he was. He didn’t need an introduction. As I stepped off the flying board, my eyes locked with his, hidden behind a strip of spider silk.

As tall as Kyllen, King Aigel appeared larger because of the pair of massive, jet-black wings he had spread wide behind him. Their inky feathers shimmered with purple in the sunlight. I was sure, the king held them open that wide intentionally, to impress and intimidate.

I was most certainly impressed, but I refused to feel intimidated.

With only us present, there was no one to do the formal introductions.

“Your Majesty,” I inclined my head in a polite bow. “I’m Amira, Queen of Lorsan Wetlands.”

“Queen Amira,” the king drawled, heading my way.

Dressed in black pants and a white, sleeveless tunic stitched with swirls of black and silver stars, the king wore his long black hair unbound. His crown was a circle of golden spikes. Shorter in the front, they rose high at the back, twinning and branching out like a pair of antlers.

His open wings swayed and billowed like the black sails of a pirate ship as he approached us.

“The human queen.” He slid his gaze down my body, leaving the unsettling sensation of an invasive touch in its wake. “So, the rumors are true. The King of Lorsan took himself a human wife.”

Apparently, the news from our Below had reached all the way up and above the clouds.

“Not exactly.” Kyllen stepped forward. “It was the Queen of Lorsan, who happened to be a human, who took herself a gorgonian husband by marrying a High Lord.”

King Aigel appeared reluctant to tear his gaze from me, but he moved it over to my husband. “And you are?”

“Kyllen, The King of Lorsan Wetlands and my consort.” I introduced him, hiking my chin high. I was not at all impressed by the king’s dismissive tone when speaking to my bonded mate.

King Aigel’s thin lips curved into a semblance of a smile.

“Interesting. Well, greetings,KingConsort.”

His derisive tone scraped on my nerves.

“I hope you have a reason for summoning us all here. Other than meet and greet,” I snapped.

Interest sharpened in the king’s steely eyes as he glanced my way again.

“Of course. I never do anything without a reason, my queen. But let us wait until all have gathered.”

King Galan landed on the platform next to us. The gargoyle king’s calm greeting was met just as coolly by the sky king. King Aigel’s gaze flicked over the gargoyle king’s shoulder and into the open ocean beyond.

“And there she is,” he murmured.

The water in the ocean swelled on the horizon, bulging in the middle. It rolled toward the shore, sparkling under the sun. The power of the entire ocean appeared to be concentrated in that one unnatural swell. It rolled without making a sound, which somehow was only more intimidating.

I gripped Kyllen’s hand, watching it approach.

The water rose higher and higher, until it reached the top of Summit Peak. A lone figure was held upright, surrounded by the foamy crest like a flower—Queen Relorna.

The pearly glow shimmered over her inky black skin and her long, turquoise hair decorated with vines of flowering seaweed.

King Aigel tilted his head. “You’re late, my queen.”

The siren didn’t cower under his heavy glare.

“I simply gave everyone a chance to meet and get acquainted.” The queen flicked her wet hair over her shoulder. A spray of the ocean water fanned out at the touch of her hand. When the wavy turquoise strands draped down her back again, they were perfectly dry.

She strolled to the center of the platform, leaving a dark trail of water on the dry stone. Skimming her curvy hips with her hands, she sent a rush of water out of her dolphin-gray long dress, drying her clothes in an instant.

“Queen Amira.” She turned to me after the introductions. “Let me use this chance to thank you in person for your generous gifts for my coronation.”

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