Page 107 of Merciless Is My Crown

Zor and I flew and flew, cold ripping at my face and hair, my lips drying out and cracking before we finally stopped, my feet slamming down into the wet, loamy soil of the forest, landing so hard the books went flying.

Zor doubled over, hand braced on his knees as he gasped for breath, body heaving.

I let him recover—no sense wasting energy on answering my stupid questions, which he couldn’t answer anyway—and gathered up the books.

He straightened, gripping my arm. “Two more jumps.”

Then we were flying again.

We crashed down in front of Stormfall in a tangle of limbs, Zor unconscious, his face coated with frozen sweat, wet clothes glued to his body and already stiffening in the cold. He’d been on the verge of unconsciousness for a while. I didn’t know how, but he’d gotten us here.

Somehow, he’d gotten us to safety.

“Somebody help us. Please, oh, please help,” I screamed, the useless books spilling into the snow-swept rock. “Somebody.”

Two witches raced out of the fortress, Bella right on their heels.

They lifted him and dragged Zor inside, up the stairs to our room, where Bella ignited a roaring fire in the grate, turning the room into an oven.

“What did you do?” Bella demanded as I stripped Zor’s clothes off, his teeth chattering.

“We destroyed something very near and dear to the Oracle. Raz handed me off to Zor midflight, and he’s currently leading her on a merry chase all the way to Darkhold. He’ll keep moving until the sun comes up tomorrow.”

“Do you think the diversion worked?” Bella finally asked once we had Zor stripped and settled. I eased into the bed next to him, mopping sweat from his brow. I’d only seen him this drained once before, and his vulnerability terrified me.

I curled around him, wishing Raziel was here with us instead of where he was.

Leading our most dangerous enemy away on a wild goose chase, risking his life so we had a better chance of killing those enemies when the time finally came.

I wiped the rag down Zorander’s pale cheek again. “Let’s hope so, or the Oracle will be beating down your doors and skinning us all alive.”

One of the witches laid the stolen books carefully on the table.

“What are these?” Bella sorted through them.

I barely glanced at them. “Nothing. A distraction to buy us more time. The Oracle seemed to buy the ruse. She might even waste time trying to decide what we’re up to.”

“These Fae books on magic are next to worthless…” Bella sucked in a breath then paused. “But this one on ancient bloodlines…that I can use.”

“Keep them all.” I shrugged. “I doubt Torin will care.”

Tavion exploded into the room, his furious gaze skimming over me then softening. “Heal him,” he ordered. “He’s nearly burned out.” His shredding grin bared teeth growing longer by the minute. “Heal him now.”

“Tavion,” I scolded. “You don’t give orders here.”

But Bella shot him a cold look then laid her hand on Zorander’s forehead, a pale blue glow igniting between her palm and Zor’s clammy skin. In seconds he’d relaxed; his lips weren’t so tight and color flushed his face.

“There. He’ll be fine and your plan worked. You must be so happy.” Tavion leveled the whole of his attention on me and I tried not to wither beneath that stare as he tossed the iron bands onto the end of the bed.

“See? I didn’t lose them after all.” I winced at his too cheerful tone. “Now that you’re back, put those on and let’s, you and I, have a little chat, wife.”

Five minutes later we were locked in some nondescript room down the hall, far enough away, hopefully, from the others they wouldn’t hear the shouting.

“If you’re looking for an apology”—I crossed my arms over my chest—“you will be waiting a long time. I did what I did and I’m not sorry.”

“Are you ever?” Tavion’s eyebrow went up and godsdamn it, but he only looked more fucking handsome.

“Sometimes, yes, I am. But not tonight.”

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