Chapter Twenty-Seven
Avari
Armed with a full night’s rest and enough hunger to conquer whatever the cooks had prepared for me, I headed toward my favourite room in the castle. The aroma of sweet treats and fried vegetables wafted in the corridor, and my stomach made its opinion very apparent.
‘Princess Ava!’ The little girl jumped down from the table and ran to greet me. ‘We’ve been waiting for you!’
Shit. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Isla—I must have overslept…’
‘You didn’t,’ Emily sighed, sipping from a steaming mug full of coffee. ‘I made a huge parenting mistake yesterday by telling her we’d be joining you for breakfast. She was up at five.’
That would explain her bloodshot eyes. Poor woman looked ready to dive headfirst into her coffee.
‘Ava, what do you usually have for yours?’ Isla asked, piling her plate high with pancakes, berries, and a generous helping of honey.
‘Bread,’ River replied for me, tone solemn, almost disapproving. ‘Or will she surprise us today?’
A sly grin tugged at his mouth as I sat beside him and said, ‘Maybe I will—though I’m not as adventurous as Isla. Plain versus wholemeal. Tough choice,’ I joked, reaching for the bread but veering towards cereal at the last moment. ‘Is Michael busy again?’
River nodded before promising ominously, ‘He is, as will we be, later.’
Shooting me an insightful glance, I understood the point he was trying to make instantly. He’d begun gathering as much information about my mother as possible.
Whether he didn’t wish to discuss it in front of the little princess or Emily or simply wanted to spare me the questioning glances, I appreciated his thoughtfulness.
Though part of me wished he’d stop treating my mother’s shadow like something I needed protection from instead of something I needed to face.
Yesterday, during our conversation, he explained that something must have been overlooked and that he required solid proof before taking the claim to the Elders. Accusing the queen of being a blood witch could have devastating consequences if he were mistaken.
I understood it was Michael’s job as the king’s spy to gather proof and information, but I disliked how rarely I saw him these days. It felt as if Emily had been traded in his spot to fill the void. Neither could replace the other, but I cherished them both, even after so little time.
‘What will you be doing today?’ The curious princess asked, peeking over her plate. ‘Can I come with you?’
‘No, Isla. Princess Ava needs to focus on mastering her fire, so I’m taking her to the volcanoes. You’re starting your lessons at the academy today, remember?’
The girl all but jumped from her seat, the fork catapulting in the air and covering Emily in sticky honey. ‘Oh my gosh! Ava, you’ll have so much fun!’
‘Will I?’ I begged the Gods to spare me. I survived too much to get swallowed up by flaming mountains.
A smirk brightened River’s face. ‘Remains to be seen.’
‘Volcanoes are what I expected your court to look like, to be honest,’ I trailed off, as three bewildered pairs of eyes fixed on me. ‘I’m still surprised by the amount of life on your land.’
Emily, still trying to clean her blazer with napkins, chuckled before warning, ‘Don’t expect too much life out there, though. And if you’re not careful enough, it might just take yours.’
Her cautionary remark soured the little princess’s face. ‘Don’t lie, Mummy. Uncle would never let Ava get swallowed up in the lava. Oscar said his cousin’s dad was swallowed up there, and they only found his skull. How fun… But, Uncle—Ava is safe, right?’
Bile rose in my throat, and I suspected I was slowly turning sickly pale. ‘It sounds… Why are we going there again?’
‘To train.’
The King
Before long, all of us finished breakfast and moved on to our duties for the day. Leaving the dining room, I couldn’t help but grin at Ava’s worried face. Her imagination must have been running wild at the mysterious land I was taking her to.
The moment I noticed her shake off the shiver that crawled up her spine, I was close to losing it.
Laughter bubbled in my throat, and I cleared it, willing my face to stay serious. I enjoyed this.
What did she think was going to happen there? I wasn’t exactly taking her for a swim in a lava pool if that was what she feared.
‘So… a land of volcanoes, then?’ she asked, and the world echoed around us, like my castle joined in on tormenting our little witch.
‘Yes.’
Uncertainty flashed in her eyes before she paused, stalling our journey toward the portal.
Witnessing her apprehension, I could no longer fight off the smirk. ‘Did your legs stop cooperating or something?’
‘Actually, I was kind of hoping we could keep my legs in the air today…’ Ava cast me a hopeful glance. It did things to me.
What was the little vixen implying? I would gladly work off some of the lingering tension between us, though judging by her glowing blush, fooling around with me wasn’t what she tried to offer.
Too bad; I was past the point of trying to push her out of my mind. Getting my hands on her lithe body was all I could think of lately. It drove me crazy.
‘For somebody who claimed not to be throwing herself at me, you have very specific requests, princess.’
Blood drained from her face as she fumbled for words. ‘Gods no… Skies above, I meant flying.’
Inch by inch I moved closer, noting how her breath caught.
What would she feel like beneath me?
She appeared inexperienced… I could be gentle if she asked me nicely. ‘If you want me to keep your legs in the air, all you have to do is ask, little witch.’
I didn’t think I had ever seen anybody go from blushing to pale to completely flustered so fast. Cute.
‘Flying. I am offering to fly together, nothing else,’ Ava clarified, making me snicker.
Tearing my eyes away from her reddened cheeks was an impossible feat. Would she blush so much when… No, I had to stop this. I couldn’t allow it to ever happen. ‘How could I say no to such propositions?’
‘Anya's already waiting in the courtyard,’ she explained, clearly hoping that changing the subject to her dragon would steer the conversation elsewhere. I'd noticed she'd done the same with my niece too. A clever tactic, even if it was futile against my instincts.
It shifted my focus, but only because I needed to stop myself from making a mistake. There would be no going back after claiming her.
‘Any specific place in mind, or just not the volcanoes?’ I asked.
‘I usually just let Anya soar until we reach the spot I like enough to land and explore…’
It made sense; I was happy anyway. ‘As long as she will allow me to fly with you, I don’t care where we go either.’
Avari
‘Absolutely not… Have you lost your mind?’ The beast roared in disapproval.
I knew convincing her wouldn’t be easy. ‘Please?’
A smidgen of flame escaped her mouth. ‘No. I am not a transportation service for your friends.’
‘Pretty please?’ I whined, knowing my bonded would eventually give in. There wasn’t much the brooding winged terror wouldn’t do to appease me.
‘Why would I ever agree to that?’ Challenge laced Anya’s tone as she argued.
The second she asked for my reasoning, it was a done deal. ‘Because I like this kingdom and would like to form good relations with its people?’
She stomped closer, the tiles beneath our feet vibrating with her anger. ‘And it has to be him?’
Interesting. So she still held a grudge. ‘So is it him you don’t want on your back, or anyone apart from me?’
‘Does it make a difference? Do you have another man hiding inside that wants to climb on my back too?’
Pleading, I appealed to her sense of compassion. ‘I would like to share the experience with him. He showed me a lot and helps me; it’s the one thing I can give him.’
‘It’s the one thing I can give him. Fates must be testing me…’ Anya roared in surrender, fumes escaping her nose in a warning directed at the king.
‘Thank you so much!’
River stood straight, looking between us as we remained in a silent exchange. ‘Judging by the seriousness, I’m guessing it’s a no?’
I shot him a devious glance, one he was so fond of giving others, and mocked him, ‘You better hold on tight. What an embarrassment it would be for the King of Fogoya to fall off a dragon… I bet they would write songs about that.’
‘Now it makes sense,’ he teased, playfully poking a finger near my collarbone. ‘Are you planning to push me off, little witch?’
Mustering every ounce of trickery and wickedness, I put significant effort into shooting him a glare full of darkness. ‘It crossed my mind. Though I am smart enough to know you would try to pull me with you.’
‘Of course I would. At least we would keep those legs of yours in the air like you asked. Though, as I will have to land for us, since you would likely break most of your bones, it might be best to wrap them around me. Tightly,’ words dipped in mischief, his lips twitched with satisfaction, daring me to respond.
And knowing that he wouldn’t let it go anytime soon, in a foreign push of confidence, I cocked my brow and teased him back, ‘Are you sure you could handle me?’
Tone blurring the lines between a jest and an invitation, he offered in a tone so sultry it made me gasp, ‘Honey, I could teach your little Ortensian self things you haven’t dreamed of.’
‘You know what they say about those who teach, right?’ I answered immediately, casting the immoral imagery aside and grinning like his phrasing was a gift from the Gods.
Head tilted, he licked his lips. My eyes wouldn’t stray from him as he breathed, ‘What?’
Leaning toward him, I cast a daring smile that exuded judgement. ‘That they can’t do it all that well.’
Before he could respond, I claimed victory and walked away toward my dragon, who lowered herself for us on the ground.
Laughing, River joined me, and we quickly seated ourselves on her back.
‘Hold on to these spikes here,’ I said, placing his hands on my sides and pointing to exactly where they needed to remain to ensure his safety. ‘Or if it’s too difficult, just hold on to me. I’m used to the wind. You might find it abrasive.’
‘You know I am a trained soldier, right?’ he said in a grudging tone. I thought I might have offended his masculinity.
Questioning physical capabilities never failed to rile fae males up. It was almost funny.
‘But you’ve never flown on a dragon before, right?’ And to test my theory, I pushed against his arm to check his grip.
Hand slipping, the king flustered before murmuring a hushed reply laced with uncertainty, ‘I’ll give you that one, Princess.’
Ultimately, with a unanimous decision, he flew with arms gripping me like a child on a horse ride with their parent. It did wonders for my pride, especially since not so long ago he claimed I wasn’t physically coordinated.
Karma is a bitch.
The dragon’s wings unfurled, the rush of wind sweeping through my hair before I even realised we’d left the ground.
With the skies clear of any obstructions and the weather providing mild warmth, we spent hours flying above forests, villages, fields, and even a secluded cottage on the peak of a tall mountain.
Though his arms tightening around my waist made the flight less comfortable, I found humour in how the king tensed every time Anya dipped or soared higher. Eventually, as he held on to me even tighter, I couldn’t hold the laugh in any longer.
River chuckled behind me too. ‘I am glad you find it funny, little witch.’
‘I always thought that the big, bad King of Fogoya was fearless.’
At my taunt, he pushed out a wave of flames, sending my powers into a frenzy. I held on to the spikes tighter, making my bonded growl in warning.
Hovering over my ear and sending shivers down my spine as his breath tickled my skin, he whispered, ‘All I’m hearing is that you always thought of me. Am I everything you dreamed of?’
Forcing my mind to ignore the passionate purr of his voice, I derided, ‘Talk about warping reality…’
River’s large arms tightened around my waist, making my mind cloud to the point my beast roared in my head, urging me to “snap out of it.”
‘Let’s warp this reality and land there,’ he said, pointing towards a medium-sized town surrounded by mountains. It was but a speck from our height.
‘Why there?’ I asked as Anya angled downward.
‘I like it there,’ he said, and something in his tone told me there was more to it than that.