The owl screeched, its attention on Neve. It hunched forward, its claws flexing on the stone.
“Give me a minute,” she murmured, keeping her voice level, the magical moment over.
Lia gathered up her last two pieces of meat and tossed them to the owl, who didn’t even look at them. It stared at her. What the devil had she been thinking, feeding a gigantic bird of prey?
She stood and began backing away, when the owl leapt into the air and darted toward her. Lia lifted her arm over her face, waiting for those long-wicked claws to sink in, but the pain never came. Instead, a loud hoot sounded in her left ear.
Lia lowered her arm just a touch and swallowed her gasp. She was nose to nose with the bloody thing. “You don’t want to eat me, do you?” she whispered.
The owl crooned, and began cleaning itself like she was of no consequence.
A large set of hands settled on her hips and yanked her away from the bird. The bloody owl didn’t so much as spare a glance.
Neve lifted her and ran back to the soldiers, setting her down.
“That was stupid. Were you trying to get yourself killed?”
Lia rolled her eyes and he flinched. She didn’t think he liked that. She’d remember that for later. He laced his fingers together and placed them on the top of his head, pacing back and forth.
“You fed anastrylle,”he stated, still pacing. “Anastrylle.”
“Is that what you call the massive owl?”
He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Yes, and you could have been killed. They’re notoriously bad tempered.”
“He didn’t seem so bad.”
“She,” Neve volleyed back. “I can’t believe it,” he said mostly to himself.
“What?” she asked. Lia noticed that all the warriors were staring at them—at her. “What?”
The king chuckled, his attention on her. “It would be you. The stars are laughing at me.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
Neve stopped pacing and pointed to theastrylle. “These birds of prey are special in my culture. While they are bad tempered and volatile at times, they are fiercely loyal creatures, much like Loriians. They are often heralded as bringers of wisdom or change. And every century, a few bond with a Loriian.”
“Bond?”
“Yes.Astryllecan sense the inner person. They only choose the best of us.” He swallowed hard. “And she chose you.”
Dahlia looked to the owl and back to the king. “Me?”
“You.”
“All she did was take my scraps.”
“They don’t take food from anyone but their bonded.”
Lia gaped at him. “What does that even mean? The bird was hungry.”
The distance evaporated between them as he cupped the back of her head. “It means,reilleve, that you are more precious than I thought, and perhaps what this kingdom needs.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Neve
Anastryllehad bondedwith hisreilleve.