Page 539 of Flirting with Darkness

The Olathana shore was far below us now. The Summit Peak shrunk to the size of a boulder. I couldn’t even tell which one of the tiny figures of fighting gargoyles and sky fae was my Kyllen.

“It’d be a long fall, my queen.” He twined his arms around my waist, holding me tightly against him.

Terrified, I didn’t fight him.

5

AMIRA

The white puffy clouds above us parted, their mist swirling under the powerful black wings of King Aigel. Solid ground came into view. Up here in the sky, a land floated in the air, supported by nothing.

For the briefest moment, I forgot all about the attack, the murder, and my kidnapping. The miracle of this world overtook me.

“How is it possible?” I gaped at the mountainous islands floating around us.

“The Sky Kingdom’s magic is superior to anything found in the Below,” King Aigel replied haughtily. He clearly considered his species superior to any other and thought himself superior to anyone else.

As he took me higher the islands grew bigger. Until we flew over the land of green, rolling hills with shimmering streams of milky rivers. Atop a high, forested hill, a castle stood. Open and airy, it appeared to be a natural extension of the nature around it. Its walls were woven from green vines and flexible reeds with plenty of open terraces and balconies that allowed one to see the sky from every vantage point, I imagined.

King Aigel flew toward the tallest tower and into a room that was open from all sides. Gauzy curtains billowed in the breeze around the supporting columns of the walls. Releasing me from his arms, he put me on the floor inlaid with wood and covered with feather-soft rugs.

He ripped off the strip of silk tied around his eyes and tossed it aside. “Welcome to my palace, my queen.”

“I’m not your queen.” I looked around, searching for stairs, a door, or a ladder that could be my escape route. There wasn’t any. The sky king didn’t need stairs to get in and out of this room.

“Well, you might not be myqueen, I already have a queen consort. But you aremine. You belong to me now.”

This couldn’t be real.

“Ha! That’s not how it works. You can’t just fly around snatching people at will.”

He smirked. “Oh, but I can. And I did.”

Hot anger bubbled inside me. The times when I cowered in fear from the likes of him were long gone. I was a queen in my own right.

“Listen to me, you insufferable, arrogant…” I fisted my hands, unable to find a word strong enough to express my rage. “I have a husband, an army, and a kingdom of my own. No one can take me without facing some very grim consequences. I promise you that.”

The king appeared completely unfazed either by my words or my temper. He circled me, the tips of his wings dragging on the floor like a cape.

“A human…” His gaze slithered up and down my body, almost as tangible as a touch. My gown was very appropriate for Lorsan customs and weather, but right now, I wished it covered far more than it did with its two vertical stripes instead of a bodice.

I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked a hip. “I take it you’ve never seen a human before.”

“Which is a shame, don’t you think?”

“Not really. Personally, I don’t feel like I’ve been missing anything at all, not knowingyoubefore.”

He shrugged, looking unaffected by my opinions. His wings grew smaller, lifting off the floor. As he turned with his back to me, I saw them shrink even more, until they completely disappeared into his tunic on his back.

He sauntered to a small round table next to the unlit fireplace in the middle of the room. Lifting a crystal decanter with blue liquid inside, he poured a glass, then offered it to me.

“Some wine, my queen? It’s from Lorsan, made with your bizarre blue oranges and blueberries. I’ve recently acquired a taste for it.”

“I’m not in the mood.” I didn’t unfold my arms and didn’t accept the glass. “Did you plan to kidnap me? Is that why you summoned me?”

“Kidnap?” With another shrug, he took a drink himself. “That’s a rather strong word, isn’t it?”

“It’s the most accurate, though. Or what other word would you prefer?Acquired?Like you did with this wine?”

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