Nazrin flew into the night, straight on until Apollo raised the sun’s first golden rays, before veering home.
He’d never questioned anything as he did now.
Twenty years ago, after Nazrin had revealed Essa’s identity to Aedre, she’d confessed her involvement in the Sea King’s daughter’s betrothal.
Not just any betrothal, any simple contract signed between ruling parents.
No, a blood betrothal.
Too many times had headstrong young men and women thwarted the carefully conceived plans of their parents, seeking to marry elsewhere. Hence, the blood betrothal enchantment became a favorite of scheming parents.
The blood of the two infants would be shed by a ceremonial dagger, mingled together, and an enchantment cast. After, the couple would be unable to resist each other.
It was the ultimate love potion.
Essa hadn’t kissed him as if enthralled with another male. She’d wanted Nazrin. Even after meeting Kai.
Desire was an emotion familiar to him, and it had flickered in her eyes. He couldn’t fault her for the kiss she hadn’t invited. That cunning cad. He scoffed. Kissing her by surprise.
But when he kissed Essa, she’d damn well be begging for it.
Nazrin shifted into hawk form and landed on a tamarisk tree along an embankment. A breeze ruffled the feathers on his wings, but another itch tingled at the back of his neck. Something was amiss.
He’d let Essa out of his sight. Even after he’d sworn he wouldn’t. A figure to his right flickered across his vision and he trained his hawk’s eyes on it.
Essa. Someone, likely the scoundrel betrothed to her, had shown her how to cross the boundary. She was far too precious an asset, or in the wrong hands, a liability, to be permitted such unguarded freedom.
Hades and Persephone weren’t the sole gods mustering an army. The descendants at Halcyon whispered of a darkness. One Nazrin had witnessed at the far side of the world.
It wouldn’t stay there.
The War was coming, and none of them were ready. The centaurs of Thessaly had already had a taste—of victory and loss. Soon, they wouldn’t be able to shield themselves within Halcyon’s wards.
Wait. He squinted. Essa was running? The headstrong lass was determined to master her human legs.
What in Hades was she wearing? Nazrin squawked at the sight of her breasts, bound by a far-too revealing piece of cloth wrapped around her torso. The ends were tied and tucked into a pair of…breeches?
Bloody hell, she’d altered his breeches. He recognized the fabric as his favorite pair. Despite his anger and frustration, Nazrin chuckled. Indeed, Essa had spirit.
The risen sun kissed her skin with a shimmer of gold while the teal ocean’s foamy waves crashed upon the shore, sprinkling her and lending a slick sheen to her thick braid. With a newfound grace, she dodged the egg-sized pebbles and broken shells embedded in the damp sand. Her bare feet left a trail of delicate footprints in her wake.
She raced with measured steps at first, then sped up and sprinted. Nimbly, she swerved around the obstacles in her path. She kicked her knees high and crouched low to the sand. Nazrin watched her, transfixed at this natural curiosity blooming inside of Essa.
A thousand experiences stretched before her, a life full of wonder. His heart longed to partake in it with her. To explore this new world they would fight for together.
Hundreds of haphazardly strewn pieces of driftwood, sun-bleached to an iridescent silvery grey, lined the seashore. After a few vigorous sprints, she slumped onto a log. A gentle breeze blew, light enough to evaporate the moisture off her skin and carry her floral scent to him.
His dark half grew restless, hungering for so much more.
While she stretched on the driftwood, basking in the sunlight, a pair of hawks took to the sky above them. Not Wind Borne, just hawks.
The smaller one, the male, circled the larger female. He dove steeply toward her, turned and shot back up at the same sharp angle. He repeated this display several times. Finally, the female accepted him. Their talons intertwined and they spiraled toward the ground.
The two hawks frolicked in their own world. Him asking her to be his mate—and she accepting. Their sky dance was a beautiful gesture of courtship.
One he’d performed for Essa mere days ago. Would she make the connection? Would she at last understand he’d staked a claim on her? If not in words, then in actions.
Her spine straightened, one hand shielding her eyes as she observed the hawks.
Ah, she did recall.
His raptor half shouted in triumph. Claim her, claim her, claim her.
Nazrin regarded the pair of hawks. A lucky male, for the female accepted him, as he was. Dare he ever hope for the same from Essa?
***
Essa scowled at the birds. She didn’t speak hawk-language, though she did plenty of others. If Nazrin wished to declare some form of courtship with her, he should have done so as a man. With words.
Like Kai.
Her stomach sank, any trace of her earlier appetite gone. She tossed aside the piece of seaweed she’d been nibbling.
The sun crept across the sky and the hour grew late. Her worries dissolved into the waves lapping at the shore. Here, she was free. Instead of returning, she veered left, away from Halcyon.
The hawk above squawked once more. She shook her head and ignored it. The bird screeched again, this time so insistent that she squinted at it. There, on the top branch of a tamarisk tree. She expected to see the happy couple, but it was Nazrin the hawk who stared at her with copper eyes. He flapped his dark red-gold wings and shot his gaze first at her, then toward Halcyon.
Essa stopped and swept her hand. “Shoo, go away.”
The hawk screeched and inclined its head toward the village.
“No, I wish to be alone.”
His scrutiny drifted to her breasts. Her top was damp from the spray of the water and it clung to her skin. She slapped a hand across her chest, but the raptor squawked at her altered breeches. His altered breeches. She scoffed at him, setting her hands on her hips. “What? You don’t expect me to run in a dress, do you?”
The hawk gave a piercing cry and flew above her, circling. He landed on the ground before her and shimmered into the form of Nazrin, chest and feet bare, wearing only a pair of breeches.
“What are you doing beyond the boundary wards?” He crossed his arms over his expansive chest, bulging his large biceps.
She wet her lips, drawn to the feast of flexed muscles. With a sigh, she raised a brow. “I didn’t realize I was being kept prisoner.”
He glowered at her. “Not a prisoner. A recruit, and as such, under my command.”
She smirked at him and laughed. This large, brooding male enjoyed control, didn’t he? Well, she followed her own path.
“Why do you laugh?” His wings beat in irritation. “This is serious, Essa.” He wrapped his hand around her upper arm and steered her toward Halcyon. “Let’s go.”
“Oh, no. I’m not one of your soldiers, Nazrin.” She ducked and took a few strides backward, into the ocean, the waves lapping around her ankles.
His brows rose together, slanting his confusion into a comical twist.
She twirled her fingers into the waves. “I’m staying.”
He stalked toward her, hesitating a second before getting his feet wet. “You’re coming with me.” He offered his hand, but she retreated until the water ebbed around her upper thighs.
In a flash, he stalked behind her, between her and the shelter of the ocean. The heat of his massive body framed hers. She twisted, but froze as he placed his hands on her shoulders. His grasp was light, easy to shake. If she wanted to.
Her gaze dropped to the water. Moaning, she bit her cheek at the sight of his wings floating around them. His feathers bobbed in the waves, alabaster lures set to entice her. Entrap her.
His hands smoothed down her arms, sending shivers of anticipation rushing beneath her skin. What was it about this male’s caress that weakened her knees and heightened her senses?
Nazrin despised getting wet, yet here he was, frolicking in the waves with her. “You’re wet.” She ran her tongue across her bottom lip. Her throat grew parched. For a drink. Of him.
The back of her mind whispered, Apollo can see you here, but Nazrin was too delectable to resist.
She couldn’t contain her whimper as she spun in his arms. Water sprayed around them with the intensity of the surf breaking. Was she causing this crescendo? Yes. My hands are glowing. Without intending it, her powers whipped a funnel of water around them.
The result was a drenched Nazrin, a hint of a scowl cutting across his handsome features.
Essa stretched forward and, with one fingertip, trailed a droplet of water down his chest. His solid muscles tightened beneath her exploration, a rumble vibrating deep in his throat. Yes. Temptation crashed through her, drowning out the roar of the tempest she fashioned. Yearnings she’d spent hours in meditation suppressing brimmed in her blood. She craved this male, longed to unravel his tight coil of control and unleash the dark passion inside him. Inside her.
His eyes flashed copper and she seized upon the invitation. Flinging her arms around his neck, she captured his mouth with hers. The funnel of water shot upward, encompassing them in its turbulent spray.
He growled against her mouth, his tongue delving between her lips with fierce voracity. One of his hands framed her face. The other gripped the back of her head, holding her steady, as though she would flee. How mistaken he was.
She clutched him tighter, kissing him harder. The salty mist on his flesh quenched her thirst, but whet her hunger. His spicy male taste seduced her senses and the formidable energy of his contact spiked through her.
Salt water spun, circling them, and generated winds that swept up his wings and whipped her hair around them. The windstorm turned violent, forcing their bodies to cling together. Her soft curves molded to his firm, slick muscles. The tips of her breasts rasped against the tight binding of cloth, aching to be freed. Tangling her fingers in his thick locks, she arched her back, rubbing her body along his, seeking more.
He groaned in response and lowered his hands to her waist, sliding them over her bottom. Securing his grasp, he ground his deliciously rigid erection against her sex, muttering, “Damn breeches.”
Her lower belly clenched and a single spasm pulsed through her body, followed by intense awareness. Of his heaving breaths. Of her wanton impropriety. Of the unprecedented outburst of her powers.
Wait. Did she create those winds, or did he? She wrenched her lips from his and gasped at the tempest surrounding them. Absorbed in shock, she dropped her powers. The water collapsed, splattering against the surface and soaking both of them.
She lifted her face to his. Oh, gods. His eyes. A ghostly fog swirled through those black depths. Enemy.
Nazrin blinked several times, the intensity in his eyes retreating to a dark brown, his stance once more stoic.
They stared at each other, assessing. Emotions roiled through her, as tumultuous as the storm they’d created together. He raked his fingers through his drenched hair, then paused and studied his hands. His nostrils flared and fire forged from something darker than their savage lust burned within his expression.
“I never lose control.” He shot her an accusatory glare.
She flinched, but hadn’t he done the same to her? “Neither do I.” She tilted her chin in defiance.
Censure and traces of longing mixed in his perusal. He grunted, tossed his head, and strode past her, toward the shore.
“Return to Halcyon,” he called over his shoulder.
“No.” She planted her hands on her hips.
He didn’t stop his hastened retreat as he muttered, “Do as you like, then.”
She smoothed the tips of her fingers along her lips. His kiss did more than melt her body. It burned through to her soul. This instinct, this searing desire to delve deeper with him, had fractured her armor of faith. What if another path lies before me, a path other than that of the Pythia?
Shuddering, she thrust aside the mutinous question the instant it struck her. One kiss didn’t eradicate a lifetime of devotion. How would Apollo view her shameless behavior?
She tipped her face to the sun, but Apollo’s rays didn’t sear her skin as they often did in disapproval of her actions. “What would you ask of me?”
One shimmering ray splintered from the rest and glinted across the ocean’s surface a few feet from her. Tentatively, Essa waded toward it.
“You have done well, my child,” Cassandra’s voice trilled from within a spinning whirlpool.
Tensing, she peered inside. Instead of her aunt’s face, she glimpsed a vision of the amulet.
“Do whatever you must to recover it.”
Without any further explanation, the vortex collapsed on itself and vanished.
She tensed while the waves splashed around her thighs. So, her aunt was aware of her actions, and she approved?
Whatever you must. Did that include consorting with Nazrin?
Nazrin…a complex warrior who ruled and protected with gentle strength. Essa flinched. She was nothing but a liar, keeping her true identity from him. Yet with each passing day, her heart reached for his, flowed to his, as a river coursed toward its destination. Could she trust her heart? Could she trust his?
Enough. After she’d expended such intense energy, her body refused to move any more. A nap sounded wonderful. She trudged to the shore and curled on the sand, closing her eyes.
***
Nazrin pounded his fists on the infirmary door. “Aedre!” he bellowed.
A click snapped as the door unlocked, followed by a squeak as it cracked open. “Hush, Nazrin. Amaya is asleep.” Turquoise orbs flamed at him, burning with a mother’s nearly interrupted peace.
Cringing, he cocked his head, listening for any signs of Amaya’s cries. He hoped she didn’t stir, and in waking, unleash Aedre’s fury upon him. “Pray pardon.”
They both held their breaths until silence filled the air. “May I speak with you?” He strode forward.
She tossed up her hands to stop him. “Oh no, you don’t. You’re sopping wet and I’ll not have your muddy footprints slopped around my infirmary.”
“I’m not—” He glanced down. His wings dripped salt water. Sand and dirt clung to his sandals. With a groan, he cradled his head in his hands.
“What ails you, Nazrin?”
His talons scraped down his face as he raised his head. She’d made him lose control. For Essa, such a lapse was understandable. She was young. Most descendants didn’t master their powers until at least a century into their existence. He, well, he had nigh five hundred years. His mind and body knew better. Were stronger. He shouldn’t have lost control.
His lips quirked. If only one of Aedre’s potions might cure this madness feasting upon his soul. “Essa. She’s not—”
“Succumbing to your many charms?” A satisfied smirk spread across her lips. “Bending to your will? Submitting to—”
“Enough, Aedre.” He scowled. “She’s not what I expected.”
Her smile softened. “Love never is, Nazrin. It will seize you in its unrelenting grip. Its fires will cleanse your soul and forever change the man you are now. Let go, and free yourself to love her. The real Essa, not this fantasy you’ve nurtured for so long.”
He grimaced at the bitter truth of Aedre’s words. She was right. His mate embodied more than the vision in his mind. Today, he’d witnessed the evidence. She’d unraveled him with one kiss. What would eternity be like? “Thank you.” He bent and kissed Aedre’s cheek.
A soft wailing whined from inside the infirmary. Aedre’s gentle gaze turned incendiary as she hissed at him, “Beast.”
He ducked before her swat made contact with his head. “Forgive me, Aedre.” He leapt into the air while she muttered curses about winged males that made his ballocks cower.
***
Essa awoke to the setting sun casting pink and purple hues on a few puffy clouds spread across the sky. Time to go back. Soon, it would be dark. The warmth of the sun had already retreated.
After she crossed the border, she stumbled into Haizea, who awaited her, two winged men flanking her.
“Well, well, look who decided to come back,” the Wind Borne female sneered.
“Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? You might say so, yes. Where were you today? You didn’t complete your training, nor did you perform your duty. In Halcyon, milady, everyone must work—regardless of their rank. We can’t all go off basking in the sun for the day. There are rules.”
A mixture of anger and embarrassment burned Essa’s cheeks. She hadn’t paid heed to the rules. “Oh, I didn’t—”
“And there are punishments,” Haizea scoffed.
She frowned at the winged female. “What punishments?”
“One night on the Cliff. Take her away.” Haizea snapped her fingers.
“The Cliff? What is that?” The two males grabbed her arms, and she stiffened, refusing to be dragged off.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. The Cliff is like an oubliette.” Haizea smirked at her in pure retaliation.
“It’s not so bad,” the larger guard offered.
“The one for Wind Borne is much worse,” the second added. “I spent two nights in an underwater bubble a few years back, and it still gives me nightmares.”
“Up we go,” coaxed the larger one.
The Cliff was an isolated patch of ground three or four feet in diameter, tucked close to the mountains near the archery range, yet the platform wasn’t part of the mountain. No, the sheer-walled precipice hovered a hundred and fifty feet in the air.
The two guards deposited her on the floating prison and the smaller guard stated, “We’ll collect you in the morning.”
Essa shrank into the center of the platform. Her fear of heights pounded through her blood, constricted her chest, and caused a light perspiration to bead on her skin. The night air cooled her and she shivered. Panic served to chill her further. Her teeth chattered while she rubbed her arms.
The night would grow colder, so she’d have to morphos. She searched for her blue flame. Nothing. Closing her eyes, she tried harder. It didn’t work. She required the sensation of water on her skin. In frustration, she sought her flame until her head throbbed from the effort. It was no use. She huddled tighter, cursing and wishing she’d swum to Nazrin’s cabin instead of walking. At least then she’d have changed her clothing.
Nazrin. The mere image of him in her mind and the memory their kiss flushed heat through her body. He’d been upset about his loss of control, but in truth, she was elated by hers. Cassandra always dictated Essa’s use of powers. She’d never been free to let go, and it had felt amazing. Nazrin had elicited that strength in her. She pressed her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes, reliving their kiss. He was becoming an addiction she wasn’t sure she wanted to relinquish.
A warm, heavy weight fell across her body. She jolted as her fingers brushed against velvety fur.
Nazrin perched on the far ledge, his legs dangling off the side. “I tried to warn you.”
She narrowed her eyes at the curve of his mouth. Was he amused? “You might have tried harder.” Her heart pounded against her ribcage. Had he recovered from his sulking and forgiven her?
The curve slipped into a full grin and he gave a roguish shrug. “Complete your training.” His voice steeled, assuming the authority of the leader he was. “In two days’ time, we shall leave for the amulet.”
“My amulet, you mean.”
“Your amulet,” he murmured. His warm breath passed through his lips and swirled into the night air. She flushed at the memory of his heat and longed to ask him to share it with her.
She opened her mouth, those precipitous words so close to forming, but he leapt to his feet and chuckled.
“I want my breeches back, Sirena.” He took flight, his wings framed in the moon before he faded into the blackness of the night.
Dipping her hand into the pocket of the cloak, she sighed. The warm fur washed away her dread of the cold night ahead. In the pocket, she discovered a roll, a hunk of cheese, and a flask of salt water.
Humming, she snuggled into the cloak. She traced her fingers along her throat, missing the amulet’s comforting weight. Nothing would stop her from joining him on that mission. Essa rubbed her hands together and blew on them. As she closed her eyes, a smile tugged at her lips.
At least one thing was certain.
She was his Sirena once again.