Page 78 of The Dark Fae Princess
I nearly killed him.
I nearly killed him.
I can’t get that out of my head. It circles around and around until he sits up again and, conscious of my parents there, pats my hand.
“I’m okay,” he says and gets unsteadily to his feet. “Try again.”
“No!” I exclaim, also standing up. “No! I can’t.”
He takes my hand. “You can and you will. In order to fight for this Kingdom, you have to fight like your grandfather.”
I give him a sour look that makes him give me that cheeky grin back. He knew the right thing to say.
“Fine. But don’t come crying to me if I kill you.”
He chuckles. “I wouldn't dream of it.”
I give him a half smile and catch my mother’s eye. She is watching this with a knowing look. I’m dying to know what she’s thinking. I will have to get her on her own later. But right now, I need to show everybody that I can do this.
* * *
Several attempts on Rook’s life later, it is apparent that Ican’tdo this.
“Dammit! Damn it all to Hell and back!” I scream and throw the swords down, running my hands through my sweaty frazzled hair as Rook is helped to his feet, once again, by my father.
“Again,” Rook chokes out.
“No,” Mother says, finally putting an end to this misery. “It isn’t working. You aren’t connected enough. How new is this?”
“Very,” I answer before Rook can say anything. I might not be creeped out by the fact that he has been stalking me in raven form for years, but my mother and father will have something to say about it, I’m sure.
“Then you need to work on that before you try to use him as your familiar,” she says. “Go somewhere, just the two of you, somewhere that is special to you, perhaps? And try to focus on each other and the magickal bond that you have. Then, come back tomorrow and we’ll try again.”
“The waterfall,” Rook says, the heat apparent in his eyes as he looks at me.
“No, it’s not on the grounds. She isn’t safe there,” Jerrick chimes in, looking very forlorn.
“We’ll go with them,” Theo says. “We won’t interfere, we’ll just be there as her guard.” I don’t even have to look at him to know what he is thinking. He plans on interfering big time. It makes me smile.
“Sounds perfect,” I say, trying not to let my excitement show.
32
Raize
Unfortunately, Savannah’s mother called it a day, saying that she needed rest. It is getting dark now. Well, darker. Night is falling and when it does, it comes quickly.
With her parents escorting us back inside the palace and then Savannah up to her room, none of us got a chance to say goodnight to her properly.
It’s eating away at me after the time we spent together earlier. Does she know that I still love her even though I’ve had to brush her off for now?
With a heavy sigh, I exit the palace again, this is no place for me, and find a quiet corner to Shift. I didn’t want to blurt out to everyone what I was before, but I had no choice. I had to do it to help Savannah. Just like I had to be struck by lightning a dozen times to help her.
I chuckle. I’d be struck a thousand times if it helps her. She was so magnificent in her attempts and so upset when she thought she’d hurt me. What she doesn’t know is that her own magick can’t kill me. Not permanently. I didn’t know this until the first strike, whichdidkill me. But then I was brought back seconds later and it became clear. She can hurt me, kill me even, but I’m connected to her magick so it will always be temporary. I wanted to tell her, to ease her pain over trying again and again to draw the lightning into her sword, but I didn’t want the others to know. I don’t know why. I suppose I just want it to be something that’s just ours.
I strip my clothes off and dump them in a bush and then I Shift, taking on the shape of a glossy black raven that has doubled in size since this morning. I open my wings and take flight to swoop up to Savannah’s bedroom window and sit on the stone ledge outside as I do every night to watch over her.
She never knew I was there before, but I wonder if she will now.
