His last word sounds almost like a plea to me, his brows furrowed with worry. I nod mutely. I have no words, and even if I did, I know I would choke on them from the big ball of sorrow lodged in my throat. I pull my hand away, slipping it beneath my cloak. Thal tilts his head towards the gate and tosses a cold glance towards Altair.
I follow Thal, knowing that leaving is for the best even if it makes me feel like my heart is spooling out like bare thread for all to see. I know he still loves me. I know he does. And it only makes this all the more painful. Regret and shame hides in his powerful eyes, but I shouldn’t be surprised. I take a shaky breath. Thal told me before that Altair would always put his duties as King first. He told me I could never be happy with him. And he was right. Because my hopes and happiness were shattered last night.
“Safe travels,” Erzur calls.
Her honeyed voice grates on my nerves and I feel a flash of anger. This woman who chose to humiliate me in front of the man I love, is testing my last nerve. She’s almost as infuriating as Sadal and I wonder if she’s even more cruel. He at least was cruel as the dark god. He played with his worshippers and me when it best suited him. But he was evil inside and out. This woman plays that she isn’t, and I don’t know if there’s anything worse.
Without thinking, I lift my hand over my head and fist every finger but one. I hear an audible gasp behind me and a smile tugs at my lips. Satisfied, I urge my horse faster, passing Thal. I hear him chuckle behind me.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Serus murmurs sleepily.
I let my anger seep through me until I can feel it pricking at even my fingertips. “I don’t care,” I say softly. “I’ve been abducted - more than once - preyed upon, toyed with, and abandoned. I’m no one’s puppet any longer and I certainly won’t be her toy.”
“She’s dangerous,” he says, voice bouncing from the horse’s movements.
“So am I,” I breathe.
Chapter 5
Altair
I can hardly breathe as I watch Verity disappear outside the gates of the fortress. The pale opal ring I slipped into her hand leaves with her and I can only hope she knows what I mean by it. My feelings haven’t changed, and they never will. The gates close slowly, shutting her out and effectively slamming the door on what we had. I expected my heart to be racing with anger and sorrow, but instead an icy chill settles over me. A chill that leaves only two names in my mind. Two names for the people that have torn us apart.
Erzur slinks to my side and attempts to wrap a hand around my forearm. I slip away from her with casual ease. With my Fae hearing I hear her breath catch with surprise and I hide the satisfied smirk that threatens to split my lips. Erzur has been a blessing and a curse. Her sun soldiers did what the remnants of my forces could not. Even now, they’re scouring the countryside for rogue demons.
I pivot away from her and from the love riding away from me now and head towards the fortress. Suddenly, my heart clenches painfully in my chest. It feels as if someone has torn into my chest and is squeezing my heart with their bare hands. I double over, wheezing. It feels like Maaz’s curse.
My eyes widen and I turn sharply towards the gates. Verity is gone from me; our covenant no longer stands and Maaz’s curse is returning. I breathe raggedly, hand pressed over my heart as if I can quell the pain. I close my eyes, thinking of a night a thousand years ago when Maaz stood in my throne room and pointed an elegant finger at me with malice. When they fly open again, Erzur is beside me, a smirk on her lips. She sweeps away from me and into the fort, leaving me to ride through the pain.
When it passes, my heart feels so tender even the regular rhythm is painful and sore. I straighten, walking with purpose to hide the pain from the soldiers mingling in the fort’s courtyard. I head for the dungeons, panic welling in the pit of my stomach. I know what comes next with the curse, but I have no way of knowing when the next attack will be. I could have hours, days, or even weeks. I close my eyes, wondering if perhaps I was foolish to ignore the gods for so long. They wouldn’t come to my aid anyway.
Inside the dungeon, my eyes dart towards Cleo’s former cell. She’s in more comfortable room in the upper levels now, far away from Sadal. I find Sadal pressed against the bars of his cells, rust painting his fair skin. His sharp jawline seems even leaner in the shadows, his black eyes looking haggard. I cock my head at him. He seems even older than he was only a day before.
“Altair,” Sadal sneers. “What a pleasure.”
“Let’s forget the niceties,” I say coldly, eyes flashing. “You’re alive for one reason and one reason only. If not for this, I would have stabbed a sword in your gut for what you did to Verity.”
Sadal laughs, tossing his head back. “You think she didn’t enjoy it? Oh, Altair. Your little Bloodbane witch is a savage at heart. She enjoyed herself more in my company than the months she was with you breaking your pathetic little curse.”
White-hot rage crashes into me like one of the waves against the cliffs outside the dungeon. I move before I can even think, fingers curling around Sadal's neck. I squeeze, lips twisted into a snarl. Sadal wheezes out a laugh. I know he's simply goading me but the mere mention of him with
