Court of Sunder (Age of Angels #2) - Milana Jacks Page 0,22
his wings. This close to them, I couldn’t help but stare and note the different shades of violet, the ends darker as if dipped in purple ink. My palms itched to touch the feathers.
“I want to walk,” I said.
“No, you don’t.”
“I do.” His body made mine sing, and our physical attraction was too much for me now. I wanted to clear my head before lust and love consumed me. Despite the making of the undead, and leaving Mary Ann in the Exile, the Lord of the Court of Sunder was all too easy to fall for.
His gaze lingered on the city. “Perhaps we will stroll another time.” He batted his wings, and we lifted into the air.
“Why? What don’t you want me to see?” We flew over the river and reached the city’s entrance. No gates. No walls. The only way into the city by land was over the bridges, which could raise at any time.
Raphael flew toward a tower of containers. His feet touched the ground, and he rushed forward, barely able to straighten before falling again. Lips pinched, he ground his teeth. “Fine, soldier. Let’s walk.”
A lino was landing. We moved out of the giant bird’s way just as it deposited a net filled with containers atop a mountain of similar nets filled with the same sort of containers.
“What are the linos doing?” I asked.
“Dropping off supplies.” Lord Raphael took my hand.
The produce drawings on the boxes looked like the same style drawings on the containers I’d seen in the storage room of Mom’s kitchen. “They look familiar.”
“Those are supplies for the Court of Command.”
“I didn’t realize we imported so much from here.”
“The Court of Command is a military court. The ground is mostly frozen. Not many things can grow on or under ice, so they import or trade. Trade is how we survive.”
We passed the crates, which left me uneasy, and entered a wide paved street. Red brick buildings lined the street, shops at the bottom and up to two floors of residences at the top. All the windows in the shops and residences were boarded up. Withered flowers hung from balconies. The warm breeze lifted stray bits of garbage and made them bounce off the ground.
“Your heart pounds in my ears,” Lord Raphael said.
“That’s because I’m…uneasy.” Because you made the undead. Because all the homes were boarded up, making the city appear deserted, and because the Court of Command depended on the Court of Sunder for food. Now, with the war between Raphael and the commander, where would the food come from? “Things.”
“What things? Do note that if you consider me a thing, I will take offense.”
Which was why I hadn’t replied.
“You’re not in danger,” he said.
“Are you sure about that?”
“I am sure.”
“I clearly remember you saying they feed on the blood of the living. And it looks like I’m the only living person here.”
“The mortals are indoors. And the undead will not feed from you.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“Because they were made from your blood, feeding from you will kill them.” He paused by one shop and knocked. A brown eye peeked through a hole. The person unlocked and opened first the board, then the glass door. An elderly woman with her hair covered under an elaborately patterned purple and pale blue silk scarf held up her cane. “My lord, you are a sight for old eyes.” She stared at his privates.
I suppressed laughter, though it was difficult not to smile when she looked at me.
“Good morning, young lady. Haven’t seen you around here before.”
“I’m not from around here.”
“Ah, he picked you up on his way, then?” She glanced at Lord Raphael.
“I did,” he said, then walked to a rack of men’s clothing on the left. The place smelled of the sage burning on the desk next to the door to a fitting room at the back of the shop.
The women’s clothing rack was on the right, full of dresses made of soft material with colorful patterns. “I’ve never seen this much colored linen in my life.” In the Court of Command, we stuck to simple whites, blacks, grays, maybe beiges if we felt adventurous.
“Then you must be tired of wearing boring things all the time. Let’s see.” She sized me up while Lord Raphael picked out green silk pants. Before I could finally appreciate the length and width of him without being obvious about it, he pushed his feet through the legs. Since he didn’t wear underpants, the outline of his length showed through the silk.