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A thin line formed between Zuriel’s white eyebrows. “Are you certain?”
An affirmative dip of my chin was all I offered in response. Steeling my spine, I called on the threads of magic in my chest and brought them just below the surface of my skin.
The air finally fled my cousin’s lungs, and he nodded. “You will tell me when you tire. It will likely drain you faster thanyou realize, given how long it’s been since you last accessed the talent.”
He didn’t have to add that my current weakened state wouldn’t help matters either.
“I will,” I promised, rooting my feet into the rock.
Using a leather strap, Zuriel tied back his white hair, though a few stray strands fell into his face as the wind whipped through the mountains once again. “Prevent me from walking,” he commanded, his voice level and calm. Then, he lifted a booted foot and made to step toward the center of the roof.
Yanking on the threads of my hatred for Kazimir, I slammed it into the earth with enough force that his eyebrows shot up his head and the ground trembled beneath my feet. I pitched to the side, losing my hold on him immediately.
“Is everything okay?”Ruslan asked down our bond.
I winced, realizing I’d likely startled everyone in the suite below.“Just dropped something.”
“Cedomir will have food ready shortly. Don’t strain yourself too much,”Ruslan murmured, his tone soothing and filled with tender care.
“Thank you,”I sent back down the bond, then closed my mind to everything but Zuriel, who had righted himself again.
“That was quite forceful, Izidora,” he commented, head tilting ever so slightly to the side as he studied me.
“Well, I have a lot of anger to pull from,” I growled, flexing my fingers.
Without missing a beat, Zuriel began to move toward the center of the roof. “Again,” he said, eyeing me closely. He made it three steps before I called my empath power forward again, sticking his boots to the stone, though with less force this time. He nodded his approval, and I dropped the magic.
Despite the cooling breeze kissing my face, sweat beaded my temples. Glancing over my shoulder, I found one of the tables sethaphazardly a few paces away. Gritting my teeth, I walked to it, then leaned my rear against it for extra support.
“We can stop if you are tired,” Zuriel offered, worry leaching into his eyes.
“No,” I snapped, diving into my magic again. “My well won’t deepen if I don’t push my limits. I just need a little support standing.”
His lips thinned as if he wanted to protest my declaration, but he must have thought better of trying to convince me otherwise. “Alright, stop me from flying away then.”
Massive white feathered wings, so much like my own, sprung from his back. In two flaps, he was airborne, racing higher into the sky. The dark crystal flared to life as I imagined his feet slamming into the stone roof, blending the image with the tangled knot of emotions in my chest. In a heartbeat, he was plummeting, and I only barely managed to release my hold before he collided with the roof.
A laugh escaped me as he touched lightly to the ground, grinning. “I appreciate you not hauling me into the suite via a rock tunnel.”
“It certainly would have startled the others.” My lips curled into a smile. “Maybe we should do it anyway. I could go for a bit of fun.” Everyone had been hovering so close since I woke, and I honestly wanted to doanythingother than have Ruslan, Liliana, Drazen, and Zuriel staring at me, as they doubtlessly had the entire time they waited for me to wake.
Zuriel shook his head, a few more strands of white falling loose. “Perhaps another day, when you don’t look like you’re going to faint on your feet.” He closed the distance between us, and I made to follow him. Only, the world swam when I pushed off the table, and gray spots danced in my vision. I didn’t realize I was falling until Zuriel was hauling me upright again by my upper arm.
“I can make it,” I protested, but another step told both of us that was a lie.
He chuckled, then looped his arm through mine and supported me the rest of the way to the hatch that led to the suite. As if he sensed my need for him, Ruslan was there, arms outstretched, to accept me from my cousin.
“I don’t need–” I started to protest, but Ruslan cut me off.
“Yes, you do. At least for now.”
He tucked me against his chest, and I rested my ear against the steady thrum of his heart as we spiraled down, down, down to the living space. The iron lid banged closed a moment after the thump of Zuriel’s boots met the landing overhead. Liliana and Drazen were already splaying our feast across the dining table, and Ruslan settled us into two chairs on one end while they finished and Zuriel joined us.
Once my family was seated, we dug voraciously into our food, laughing, teasing, and even tossing bread at one another as insults were flung. For just a little while, I forgot all about the darkness, the rage, the thirst for blood, and simply let myselfbewith the people I loved the most.
9
Rares handed me a sludgy drink, which I immediately sniffed with caution. “What the fuck is this?”
