Page 64 of A Court of Fire and Frost

As a bird, I take off, soaring into the sky.

My adrenaline fuels me to follow Elva. For the first time, I taste what it feels like to be entirely in control of my life.

Chapter26

He Is Strong And Resilient

ELVA

We've been flying for over an hour, and I can tell that Nathan is just starting to calm down.

The look on his face when that Fae's lifeblood splattered on his skin keeps replaying in my mind. He was afraid.

Is he afraid of me?

That thought frightens me more than anything else possibly could. He knew what I did for a living... but being faced with something is a lot different from knowing it. I shift on the wind, cawing to make sure he follows, as we fly towards the one place I know no one in their right mind will follow.

Stay with me, Nathan, please.

Glancing behind me, I see his osprey form flapping along. He's gained better control of his bird, making his movements less clunky.

Gods. I hope my staying spell worked on him. Otherwise, he might not last the night, even with a fire. Every moment that we fly brings us deeper into the North. It’s so cold that I am suffering. I have no doubts that, as a Summer Fae, he might die in the biting cold.

The sun is shining all around us, and as we fly over the pine trees, I spot a river running through a clearing. Perfect. I haven't eaten since the diner yesterday, and I'm so hungry.

Cawing, I swoop down and land on a nearby tree. Nathan follows close behind, although I can see confusion in his osprey's eyes.

I look around for a moment before I spot my prey. There. I see a tiny field mouse in the snow, its brown fur a bright spot against the white blanket surrounding us. I swoop down, and a few minutes later, the mouse is gone, and my stomach is happy.

Nathan hasn't moved. His claws are digging into the branch deeply enough to leave a mark. I caw, extending a wing to get him to come down, but he shakes his head vigorously.

I didn't even know birds could do that.

I hiss before flapping my wings and launching vertically into the air. Once on the branch beside him, I nudge him with my wing. He barely moves, seeming frozen to the spot.

The river below us is teeming with fish. I nudge him again, but he doesn’t move.

Gods, if he dies of hunger with a food source right before us, I'll never forgive myself.

Deciding to take matters into my own hands, I fly down to the river and grab the first fish I find in my claws. It flops around, its scales shining in the sunlight, but I manage to bring it up to Nathan’s perch without issue. He stares at the fish, his bird eyes blinking wildly.

I can practically feel the disgust rolling off him in waves, but eventually, his hunger must win out. He eats the fish; slowly at first, but then he picks up speed and devours it until it is all gone.

Refreshed and nourished, I nudge him with a wing once more before we fly back into the skies. The weather is perfect for this activity..

After hours of flying and two more hunting stops, we finally reach our destination. The mountainous peaks are high and snow-covered, and I spot a cave mid-way up one of the steep slopes. I dive towards it, a glance telling me Nathan is following.

We land in the cave, and I instantly return to my Fae form. I hear rustling from behind me and then a whoop of joy.

"Still fully clothed!" Nathan is laughing behind me. The sound warms me as I turn around.

Sure enough, Nathan's outfit is present and accounted for. His tight red flannel shirt displays his lean, muscled arms as he rubs the back of his head.

That's a shame,I think, before blood rushes to my cheeks.

"I'm glad it worked," I say instead, turning slowly on my feet to take in my surroundings.

The cave isn't deep, and it’s very dark. Without being asked, Nathan ignites a light in front of me that moves alongside me.

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