I bask in the light of the rising sun. It’s high summer now, and soon all of Alnembra will celebrate the Summer’s Eve. I didn’t think any of us would be alive to celebrate, but perhaps we will. I lay my wings back on the stony floor, letting them splay out beside me. How much longer will I have these wings? How much longer will I be tethered to this beast that Maaz drew out from within me? I’m beginning to think that I’ll miss it.
But Verity isn’t mine yet. But I know I can’t pressure her. She must choose to bind herself to me of her own free will. I can only hope that she realizes the key to breaking the curse has nothing to do with potions and spells and everything to do with the covenant of our blood.
I stare out over Desmarais, the beautiful city of glass. The pink light of the rising sun reflects vibrantly off of the rooftops and the sea in the distance. It’s alight with a warm glow, the kind of view that sets your heart on fire. I don’t want to leave Desmarais. I don’t want my legacy to be that I let all of Alnembra suffer because of the rash words of a young Fae.
I was up all night thinking of Verity. I came to this tower to get a glimpse of my land and my kingdom, hoping it would clear my head. But now all I can think is that I want to share this view with Verity. I want to share my city with her. But until she’s safe from Maaz, I can’t. I stretch out my claws as my thoughts tray to Maaz.
As I think of Maaz, the view of my city just becomes another scene in the background. I remember the first time I saw her. She swept past me on her deadwood broom, straight to the doors of the palace and demanded an audience with my father. I don’t know what passed between them, but Maaz left in a fury and my mother kept me inside for almost a week. It drove me mad. But then I put Maaz from my thoughts and I never thought of her again until nine hundred and ninety-nine years ago when she made another appearance.
I clench my jaw irately as I picture the moment she doomed me and my people. A simple request, she had said. Grant it to me, King. Marry me. Marry me and join our bloodlines. We’ll have the most powerful children the world has ever known. And when I refused her, she cursed me. With fury in her eyes she cursed me to this existence.
I can feel the rage swelling in my chest, coursing through my veins as I remember the torture Maaz has inflicted on me. My claws dig into the stone, scratching white marks across the dark floor. I consider leaping off of the parapet and flying to Maaz’s stronghold in the mountains. But if I do that, the curse takes immediate effect and I lose everything I’ve worked to save these last thousand years.
Suddenly, I hear Verity’s musical laughter echo towards me. I blink, surprised. The anger fades away when I hear her laugh again. I peer over the edge of the tower and see her in the gardens. Like a miniature version of herself, she seems so small from up here. I watch as she walks with one of the soldiers I assigned to guard her. He speaks, though I can’t make out the words. Verity places a hand on his elbow as she giggles in response.
Instantly, my blood is on fire in my veins. My vision tunnels to her hand, touching him, and all I hear is her laughter echoing round and round in my head. Without thinking, I launch myself from the tower and swoop towards them. The soldier hears me coming before Verity, and he steps away to a discrete distance. I glide over them, claws out, and hear Verity yelp as she ducks.
When I land, I turn a cold gaze towards the soldier. “Take a walk,” I snarl, eyes flashing.
He dips into a bow before jogging away, his armor clanking. Verity approaches, her lips pursed. “What was that about?” She asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
I stare at her hands, partially hidden in the folds of her arm. The hands that touched another man. “I could ask you the same thing,” I say quietly, pacing around her.
“What are you talking about?” She sighs exasperatedly. “I was talking a walk in the gardens, but a guard came with me. I was fine.”
“You certainly looked more than fine from where I was standing.” I circle her, my hazel eyes raking over her body.
She turns in a slow circle, always facing me as I pace. Her cheeks color, which only sends more thoughts of envy through my mind. “That was nothing. Is that what this is about?”
“It didn’t look like nothing,” I growl, closing in on her. “I saw you touch him. Heard you laughing.”
“He’s nice, I was talking to him,” Verity snaps. She backs up against a tree, her eyes wide as I approach.
“Just talking?” I ask softly. I nudge her hand with my nose. I can smell him on her. “Don’t let anyone touch you except for me.”
I hear her heart racing as my eyes drift over her body. “Why?” She whispers.
I growl quietly. I want to roar that she’s mine, but I know Verity well enough to know that she wouldn’t take kindly to such possession. But the jealousy is still coursing through me, particularly as his scent permeates the air between us. It
