A surge of the prince’s exhilaration bolted through the bond, crowding out Serenna’s worry. Assuming that this was a practiced event between Vesryn and his dracovae, she caught snatches of her breath, hesitantly trusting Naru’s turbulent flight.
Serenna’s stomach abruptly flew into her throat as Naru’s wings unfolded, legs jerking against the straps anchoring her to the saddle. Eyes pinned above, the dracovae tracked Vesryn’s fall through the air, as if calculating his descent.
Serenna’s head swam when she braved a look to find the prince—no more than a dark speck in the sky. Feathers flaring, Naru banked, gliding on a warm current as he slowed their plunge. Wings oscillating to the left and right, he angled them below the prince.
The blurred world sharpened as the landscape’s mosaic came into focus. Streaks of color transformed into more detailed grassy plains as they sailed above the earth.
Swallowing her fear, Serenna hesitantly peeled her aching fingers off of the cantle, now having a moment to experience soaring through the sky without having to hang on for her life. Sunbeams flooding through gaps in the clouds warmed her leathers.
Skin tingling, a peculiar sensation swept over her. Tendrils lit up in Serenna’s vision, a thousand ribbons igniting with light. There were streamers everywhere, like endless waves rippling in the ocean. The sky above, the earth below—an eternal sea of twisting currents.
Fascination and confusion left Serenna breathless. Am I seeing…wind?
Caught somewhere between disbelief and wonder, she tentatively reached out a hand. A whirl of air curved around her, like a seedling leaning toward the sun.
Naru’s piercing screech wrenched Serenna’s attention back to her body. The strands disintegrated like smoke. Shaking her head, she sensed the prince and turned around as Vesryn’s boots touched the base of Naru’s tail. In a fluid motion, he raced along the dracovae’s croup and up his spine, returning to the saddle.
“You’re absolutely mad,” Serenna said while the prince settled behind her, a rush of exhilaration still radiating through the bond.
After the prince resecured his boots in the stirrups, Naru banked and climbed in the sky. His wings strummed the air until he reached the same elevation as Trella, trilling as he arced around his mate.
“Do you want a turn?” Vesryn asked as the grasslands rushed by below. Half of his wind-ravaged hair had become unbound, whipping in a silver halo around them. “I promise I’ll catch you.”
Before Serenna could consider partaking in the same brainless activity, the prince tensed behind her. She spotted the group of wraith on a collision course with a village in the distance.
Only now considering the implications of their hunt, a nervous sweat drenched the back of her neck. The prince would expect her to rend the creatures, but Serenna hadn’t sorted through her feelings on killing the mindless monsters when she wasn’t fighting for survival.
We’ll restrain the beasts and portal them to the Ranger Station, Vesryn said telepathically, rather than yelling over the wind.
Startled, she glanced back at him. Restrain them? We’re not killing them?
No. Vesryn’s fury simmered, the sharp edge to his thoughts stirring her unease.
Serenna sensed there was something he wasn’t sharing that sparked this abrupt shift in how he handled the wraith. Curiosity stormed through her, a whirlwind of questions that she kept to herself.
There have been…developments, the prince seemed to add as an afterthought, the dark tension of his mood clashing against her. Vesryn didn’t elaborate further as his fingers tapped an agitated tempo where his hand rested on her thigh.
This isn’t a joyride anymore, Princess, the prince said as he urged Naru lower. Secure the one on the right when we land.
Relieved that she wouldn’t have to obliterate the wraith, a tangle of unease unraveled. She leaned forward with a sense of purpose, knowing Vesryn could effortlessly restrained all three. Eager to prove that the last week of fending off the creatures had sufficiently prepared her for binding one wraith, Serenna reached for her Well. Essence surged with a crackle of energy in her veins, surrounding her with a shimmering glow.
Anticipating Naru’s landing as the plains rushed up to meet them, Serenna’s stomach pitched. Taloned feet striking the earth, the shock jarred Serenna’s teeth, rattling her spine. The ground thundered as the dracovae charged across the grasslands, kicking up a swirl of dust. She clung to the saddle as they galloped in a rolling, loping run.
Bending Essence, Serenna sought the silent space in her mind. With a ruthless focus, she hauled rending out of her Well. Raising her hand, shadows twisted around her fingertips. Wisps of darkness streaked out from her and the prince, hurtling forward fifty paces to wrap around the group of wraith.
Naru slowed, orbiting the monsters like a wolf on the hunt. His tail periodically thrashed against the ground, seeming to mirror the prince’s agitation she felt through the bond. Immobilized in their bindings, the wraith snarled and flashed their fangs.
Serenna studied their crazed behavior with a frown—they were just as rabid as the monsters Vesryn had brought to the dungeons. Upon closer inspection, a cold sliver of dread seeped into her marrow. She noticed one of the wraith with matted, curly hair wore tattered leathers from Centarya.
CHAPTER 19
SERENNA
Aquick trip to the dracovae stables with their feral prisoners had the wraith entrusted to the rangers. The warriors had modified a section of stalls into makeshift holding cells, closing the doors and slats leading to the hallway.
Flight Captain Zaeryn wove a shield around the walls to stifle the sounds of the snarling and thrashing. She jabbed at the prince, saying that it reminded her of when they’d locked him up. Serenna could only imagine why, but didn’t have time to ask—or dwell on where that mindless wraith had stolen an academy uniform from.
After the whirlwind of activity at the stables, Vesryn portaled them back to his chambers. No sooner than Serenna stepped on the other side of the rift, he grabbed her.
She sucked in a breath against the unexpected shock of his mouth against hers, hot and demanding. Tongue sweeping past her teeth, a wildfire roared through the bond, incinerating her every sense and thought. The past few hours of hunting and retrieving the wraith flew out of her head—nothing else existed while the prince’s lips were on hers.
“We started something last night,” Vesryn nearly growled into her throat, snatching the base of her braid to angle her face further up to his. “And I want to finish it.”
Toes curling in her boots, Serenna clutched the front of his leathers, yanking him closer. “No interruptions this time?” she breathlessly asked around the frenzied way their mouths met.
“I’m done waiting.” Vesryn’s teeth grazed her bottom lip. “I have obligations in the capital tonight,” he said, nipping gently. “But I intend to have you first.”
The desire woven into the prince’s words sent a wave of heat flooding between Serenna’s thighs. Strong hands bracketing her hips, Vesryn’s fingers tightened as he reclaimed her mouth, the pressure of his lips hazing her mind. Before Serenna had time to conjure a coherent response, he steered her through his sitting room.
Laced with ferocious want, their kiss turned frantic, searing her from the inside out. Each of Serenna’s inhales became sharper, more urgent as she dragged in serrated breaths against the prince’s mouth. Heart fluttering, she walked backward as Vesryn herded her to his sleeping chambers.
Serenna’s pulse jolted when her back collided with a solid surface. Her eyes flew open as the prince broke their kiss. She reoriented herself—still in Vesryn’s sitting room, pressed against the balcony door. His hand snaked around her waist, unlatching the sliding glass behind her.
Slightly puzzled about the location, Serenna swallowed, her head obviously not keeping pace with her body. Looking up at the prince, she saw the question in his eyes, felt his hunger devouring her through the bond.
“Don’t stop,” she breathed, breaking through the wordless chaos of her thoughts.
That was all the acknowledgement Vesryn required. Ripping the sliding door open, he steered Serenna out onto the patio.
