Chapter 48 #3
Blackbird exhaled a shuddering breath. “Thank you for being my family.”
They held each other for a long moment. When Anya finally pulled away, she memorized every inch of Blackbird’s face, from the delicate braids framing her dimpled cheeks to the deep hue of her kind, violet eyes.
The hippogriff stirred again, kicking a hoof against the cobblestone.
“Your driver is waiting.” Anya walked Blackbird to the carriage and helped her up beside the driver. Of course, she wanted to sit up there instead of in the carriage. She had a whole kingdom to see.
Anya’s chest hitched with an audible sob as Blackbird smiled a smile she could see a thousand more times and never tire of, along with the infectious joy that carried Anya through so many difficult times.
“Don’t cry, My Lady,” Blackbird said. “Just think! You’ll be sailing the ocean tomorrow and fighting sea monsters next week!”
“Sea monsters aren’t real, Blackbird.” Anya chuckled weakly.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m going to find out! Either way, before you know it, the years will have flown by. I'll be a talented mage, and you’ll be on your way to pick me up right at this very port!”
Anya sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Not a day later.”
“I’m counting on it.”
“Yah!” the driver called, gently goading the reigns.
Anya and Blackbird exchanged somber smiles, waving as the carriage clacked down the road and out of sight.
She kept staring into the distance until Roderick’s brawny arms swept her off her feet, carrying her toward the Lupus Star.
Her sorrow mellowed out to a bittersweetness as she brushed her cheek on his, feeling his strong, steady breath right alongside hers.
Roderick stopped short of the gangplank and looked pointedly at her feet.
“Let’s get these damned things off you.” He gingerly slipped the tight shoes off, hurling them into the water with a satisfying splash.
“Ah.” Anya sighed. Instant relief hit her, and her eyes nearly rolled back as she flexed her toes. “Oh stars, that’s good.”
Roderick gave her ear a little nibble. “There’s more where that came from.”
“Later,” Anya crooned, trailing a claw under his chin as he crossed the gangplank, savoring the hypnotized, lovestruck look in his eyes. “Can’t let the full moon go to waste.”
On deck, the Lupus Star’s customary celebration was well underway, and more extravagant than Anya had ever seen before, thanks to Agnes’s generosity.
Strings of mage lights cris-crossed the masts and rigging overhead, filling the entire deck with a warm glow.
Mead, wine, and ale flowed freely. Seabirds perched on the crosstrees, hoping to steal a bite of the vast feast.
They danced under the expanse of stars, sometimes with each other, sometimes the entire crew in large, riotous circles while Sir Bayard laughed, struggling to keep up with the foreign steps.
When Anya looked into each of the friendly faces of her pack, she was reminded that although she was leaving Blackbird behind, she wasn’t alone.
She would never be that little girl again, alone in a cage, hiding away her true self and crying to the moon.
Tonight, she was celebrating the end of a voyage, and the beginning of the rest of her life.
As midnight drew near, the festivities dwindled.
Anya sipped her wine on the bow and took in the heartwarming sight of Gail bouncing Olivia on her knee while Bernard danced with Annette in a slow, romantic waltz.
Ornella’s children were curled up in the circle of Isen’s tail while the dragon told them stories of Aquillas, complete with puffs of mist and different voices, though each had the dragon-like gravel to it.
When the children and the crew started to retire to the lower decks, Anya turned her gaze to the shimmering reflection of the moon and stars over the waters, letting herself be lulled by the gentle rock of the ship.
“You ought to be more careful, you know.”
She turned to see Roderick sidling up to her, though she’d felt his breath before she even heard him speak in an incredible, intimate sensation she would never tire of.
As he drew closer, his masculine scent flooded her senses.
His fiery hair looked like glowing embers in the dusky light.
Stars above, he was handsome. It was a miracle she’d resisted as long as she had. But she didn’t have to anymore.
“Oh? And why is that?” she asked with a playful grin.
He placed a hand on either side of the crook of the bow, bracketing her in. “Someone could throw you overboard.”
Anya teased a claw down his chest. “I’d like to see them try.”
“There’s a lot of things I’d like to try with you.” With a fluid motion, he tugged her hips against his. Her chest filled with butterflies.
“Like what?”
“Anything. Everything.”
“That’s going to take a while.”
“Good thing we have lifetimes for it.”
Roderick tapped his forehead against hers and inhaled deeply. They both savored the shared sensation of doubled breath, light and airy like a spring breeze, bursting with the promise of new life—which was exactly what awaited them.