Page 107 of Savage Is My Kingdom

And again—and again.

He yanked away. “I don’t want your fucking pity, Anaria.”

“Well, too fucking bad.” I growled right back. “Because it’s not pity. Icareabout you. Zorander didn’t cause what happened to me in Varitus, Raz. The Oracle did, with her twisted sense of…I don’t know…purpose. My fate wasn’t up to him, or Julian, so you can’t get pissed off at Zor for something that…creature did.”

At the wordcreature, Tavion’s head swiveled our way, sneering as I dropped my hand from Raz’s face. Zor stared at me raptly, as if seeing me with fresh eyes.

I liked that.

I wanted him to respect me, instead of seeing me as a liability.

As for Tavion, I didn’t much care how he looked at me, as long as he did it from somewhere else.

“Come on.” I took a deep breath and twined my fingers through Raz’s hoping he didn’t pull away again. “I’ve had enough of Tavion’s glowering to last me a lifetime. I want a better look at that gash. It’s deep enough it won’t heal without stitches.”

I peered up at him. “Unless…you can heal yourself?”

He shook his head, a glimmer of bitterness in his eyes. “That’s not how my magic works. Not with this around my neck.”

He touched the collar. “Once, I could heal any injury, but no more.” I didn’t expect the sharp stab of anger that went through me. The way my breath hitched from the force of my rage at what they’d done to him.

“I want to tear that off your throat.” The anger flared higher, heating my body. “I want to hunt down whoever put that on you in the first place. And make them pay.”

Something flared in his eyes, then was gone. “Such a beautiful, bloodthirsty creature. No one has ever threatened to avenge me before.” But his teasing tone rang hollow.

“That collar is bullshite.” Curiosity stirred, questions I’d never gotten answers to. “What is your real magic, Raziel, if not healing?”

“You never want to see my magic, with luck, you never will.” Raz brushed his lips across my forehead.

“It’s the opposite of healing, Anaria. A terrible magic this world is far better without.”

44

ANARIA

Icouldn’t catch my breath when Raziel broke our kiss, when all I wanted were his lips on mine again. “You taste like lightning.” He murmured, then winced when I reached for his battered face.

His one room cabin was neat—though all it held was a narrow bed, a table, a rickety chair. A tiny fireplace that couldn’t possibly give off any heat.

“Stop moving around so much.” I dabbed at the gash with a cloth, the cleanest one I could find. “You shouldn’t have punched Zor. We can’t be fighting amongst ourselves.”

“Ember is dangerous, Anaria. Tavion…he wants her removed, before people notice she’s here. There will be questions, at the very least, and we cannot afford any extra attention.”

“If Tavion so much as touches her, I’ll turn him into a frog.” I promised darkly and he ran his fingers down my face before kissing me again. His tongue swept in and I lost myself to him, let myself fall deeper into this dance between us. At least, I did, until Raziel pulled away.

“This situation with Ember won’t end well, Anaria. Perhaps you should brace yourself for that.”

“What do you know of Soul Reapers?”

“They are an abomination of the Old Gods, from long before the Fae rose to power.” Raz settled himself on the edge of the table and stripped off his bloody shirt. I rinsed out the cloth, knees wobbling as I decided where to begin.

“They were scavengers, roaming these lands by the thousands, preying on Fae and shifters alike, though these days they’re rare. I have never seen one before now.”

“How did Solok find one, then?” I asked. “Did he capture it, force it to work for him?”

“I don’t believe they can be forced to do anything.” Raz said thoughtfully. “Enticed, perhaps, by the promise of a fresh soul.”

“Is Ember truly lost?” I didn’t want to know, but had to ask. “No one else thinks she is worth saving.”

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