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“I am not the one who said ‘I can do better than that’ if my recollection serves me.” Zuriel mimicked Liliana’s bubbly voice with surprising accuracy, and we burst into laughter.
“Two thousand years of memories is enough to start getting some confused, Angel,” Liliana bantered, batting her long lashes in his direction.
I huffed a laugh, then sat upright with a groan. My body was sore and worn out, and the restlessness that had plagued me for days melted away with the amount of energy I had expended. Training like this needed to be a daily priority, otherwise my thoughts would continue to spin out of control. The sessions with Zuriel helped tone down the level of my reaction, but they had not completely banished the fear of Kazimir followingme. Strength and skill were important to maintain, especially because only the Goddess knew the next time he would appear unannounced, hidden so that I could only feel him.
The thought sent a chill skittering down my spine.
Ruslan wanted me to tell Kazimir we’d accepted our bond and break my tie to him as Zuriel had suggested initially. I still hadn’t told Ruslan about Immonen’s vision; the dread that had settled in my stomach at the thought of whatever darkness came with it was too much to share with him. We still had to break apart the alliance of the Night, Crystal, and Day Realms and secure the safety of our people. Keeping those thoughts and fears away from him was difficult when I heard his every thought and felt his every emotion down our bond. My extensive practice at mental shields for my empath magic was the only way I was maintaining the box around that information.
Liliana interrupted my thoughts with a giggle, watching Zuriel gather the borrowed weapons and stride off to put them away. “He’s cute.”
“You’re so bad.” I rolled my eyes, but my words were all tease.
Clopping hooves drifted over the barracks and into the training ring, signaling the return of the hunting party, and I hopped to my feet as I sensed Ruslan growing closer. “He’s back!”
“Now who is bad?” Liliana elbowed me in the ribs, causing me to flinch and giggle.
“Hey, at least he’s my mate,” I pointed out, then vaulted over the fence, followed a moment later by Liliana.
Zuriel fell in step beside us as we left the barracks. “How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”
“He left early this morning.” I bit my lip as we rounded the corner and my mate materialized. I couldn’t help myself as Iran to the stables and jumped into his arms the moment he dismounted.
Ruslan spun me around in circles until I pounded on his chest. “Put me down unless you want me to throw up.” The movement ceased, and when my feet hit the ground, I stumbled into him, the world spinning a little too much to remain upright. I giggled anyway, giddy that my mate had finally returned to our citadel.
“I missed you too, my sprite.” He planted a kiss on my forehead. “I have to get this stag inside for dinner, but I promise I will find you shortly.”
Antlers wider than I could stretch my arms greeted me when I turned around to see what the horses pulled. The stag was nearly bigger than the steeds combined. An involuntary gasp slipped out. “That could feed all of Radence.”
“That’s the plan. We will feast well at the masquerade tonight.” Servants had secured ropes around the beast, and as Ruslan stepped away, he hefted one over his shoulder, joining Drazen and the others to drag the litter inside.
“I’m going to give Mistik and Twilight treats and then I’ll be in our apartment,” I called out as I watched them go, most of the party already having retreated to the warmth of Ryza. Liliana and Zuriel must have gone inside when I ditched them to run to Ruslan because they were nowhere to be found. Sighing, I decided I would be quick to the stables and back so as not to be alone for long. It was also bitterly cold, and the warmth of our apartment called to me, along with a much-needed bath.
As soon as I had made my decision, the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
Someone was behind me.
My entire body stiffened, just as his powerful, low voice hit my ears.
“Izidora.”
I spun to face Kazimir. He was dressed in thick clothing from the hunt, but it did nothing to hide the warrior’s body beneath. My skin crawled at his closeness, and I took a step back, needing to put distance between us, for my own safety.
But he stepped forward. “We nearly died today in the mountains.”
If he thought the words would make me feel sympathy for him, it did not work, and honestly, my life would have been a lot simpler if he had died. Fuck, the war we all knew was coming, yet continued to dance around, would never come to pass if he did.
I opened the well of empath magic inside me, reaching out with invisible threads to brush against his emotions. It was my safeguard against his new, volatile binding magic, and I hoped that I would be quicker to act on my magic than he was, if it came to it.
“Are you not going to say that you're glad I’m alive?” He was persistent in his attempts to sway me, though I would still fault him for it.
“I’m glad you’re alive, Kazimir,” I gritted out, hating that I was yet again placating a male who sought to control and manipulate me. Focusing on my magic rather than our conversation, I prepared myself for whatever madness he might unleash on me.
Anything to survive.
The invisible tendrils of my empath magic brushed against his emotions, and I tried to delve deeper, winding my way through the tangled mess that protected his heart and mind.
“You could have lost both of your mates today. Why aren’t you more upset?” He ran a palm over his face, then rested it on the back of his neck while he regarded me.
