Page 152 of The Forsaken Heir
For his benefit, I made a show of looking exhausted and bored, but I was happy to continue with the chatter. More talk meant less thinking. Dark and dangerous thoughts had begun encroaching on my mind. They’d started the night before. Dreams—nightmares, really, of what Bastien Laurent had done to me—had plagued me all night. If I could get a few minutes’ reprieve from that, I’d call it a blessing.
Eventually, the meeting wound down. The men and women in attendance trickled out, some stopping by to speak with me. As they walked away, I had a hard time recalling who they were or what they’d said. Flashes of memory washed out all other interaction—the echo of whip cracks, the sizzle of skin, and my mental screams of pain. The only time those memories weren’t at the forefront of my mind was when I was with Elle.
“I’m going for a walk,” I informed Titus after the last noble left the meeting. I moved quickly to avoid more conversation. What Ineededwas Elle.
“See you in an hour, Highness. We have a meeting with the Hikshil,” Titus said.
“Yes, yes,” I replied, rounding the corner. “I’ll be there.”
The first few places I checked, turned up no sign of her. She wasn’t in her room, any of the dining rooms, or the library. Unsure of where else she might be, I headed for the roost, thinking she might have gone back there to enjoy the view again.That, too, proved to be fruitless. Instead of finding her, all that I came upon was empty stone, and open sky.
Standing there, a familiar itch tickled up my spine. My dragon snarled at the back of my mind. It had been a while since the last time I’d flown. Maybe that was what I needed. It was daylight, but I wasn’t in the mood to find one of our magic users to cast a cloaking spell on me. Our estate was far enough from prying eyes for it not to matter. Plus, some cloud cover had rolled in. I could lose myself within the folds of dense white mist thousands of feet up. Perhaps that would be enough to tear my mind from the dark thoughts that had invaded my mind. The next best thing to Elle might very well be giving free rein to my dragon.
On a whim, I decided to do what I’d done as a boy. I sprinted forward, my boots thumping on the stone as I ran out of the cave and into the light of day. As a kid, I’d enjoyed pushing the limits, and today felt like a day they should be pushed.
When I reached the edge, I planted one booted foot on the jagged rock at the lip and pushed off, slinging my body out into empty space. An instant later, wind rushed around me, billowing my clothes and hair. Free falling, I spread my arms and legs to catch the air, spinning slightly as the ground came rushing toward me.
Green grass and stone flew toward me. I let out a single whoop of laughter before shifting. The inky black scales and wings took over, muscles bunching, tail angled. We swooped down, talonsjustbrushing the ground before arching up and piercing the air like an obsidian arrow.
The freedom. Holy shit, it was amazing. I’d missed this. We flew higher until the wispy clouds concealed us. Cruising along, letting the updrafts hold us aloft, all I could do was bask in theglory of flight. My inner dragon purred his own delight at finally being free to take control and explore. He’d been even more cooped up than I had been, and I sent a mental apology to him for not allowing him out.
We circled the estate grounds, swinging north and south, then west and east, exploring the sky we knew like the backs of our hands. It didn’t take long for the freedom of flight to push all thoughts of Bastien from my mind. This was exactly what I needed. If Elle couldn’t be in my arms, then being in the sky was the next best thing.
After an indeterminate amount of time, I noticed the sun tilting low in the sky.
Damn.I’ve been gone too long.
I needed to get back. Who knew what might be happening back at home?
Turning, we aimed for the castle. Taking the time for one more blast of adrenaline, we pulled our wings in tight to our bodies, descending like a meteor. Thousands of feet disappearing in seconds.
At the last second, we spread our wings to catch the wind and pulled to a stop a few yards above the platform. I shifted back to my human form, and landed, my boots thudding on the stone. I smiled as I gazed out at the sky. A breakfast picnic with Elle and a few hours in the sky? Even with the angry memories bouncing through my head, a day couldn’t get much better than this.
“There you are!”
Surprised, I spun to find one of the house servants, hands on his knees, panting, eyes wide.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my instincts already screaming that something was amiss.
“Your father and Titus sent me to find you,” the servant said, heaving deep breaths. He must have sprinted up all the stairs.
“Why?” I strode forward to join him.
“Emergency council meeting. I’m not sure what’s wrong, but they look worried.”
Fucking great.
“Let’s go, then,” I said, gesturing for the servant to lead me on. “We can see what fresh hell awaits us.”
Rather than the throne room, the servant led me to the large den that sat off the entrance. Dad was there along with Elle, Delphine, Rasp, Vince, and over a dozen members of the court as well as the Hikshil leadership envoy members.
“Well, what’s happened?” I asked as I entered.
Elle moved to my side, the heat of her surging into me as she pressed against my side.
Dad pointed to the large TV mounted to the wall. “Titus, play it again.”
“You’re never going to believe this,” Elle whispered.
