The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,78

as raindrops kissed her cheeks, tasting of sugar and honey.

"We can go anywhere?" he asked.

"Anywhere."

"We can do anything?"

"Anything."

Water clung to his lashes and dripped down his face as he turned to meet her eyes, something wild simmering in his. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, tasting the rain as he grinned.

The ground gave out beneath them.

Cassi clutched his fingers as they fell, tumbling through the shadows until a new world materialized in bright color. They were perched on a branch in the middle of a great forest, the leaves twice their size and the bark as blue as a jay's wings. Xander dove, plummeting through the foliage, and she followed. As they sank, the world twisted, until down was up and up was down, so when they fell into the underbrush, they sank through it as well, dispelling leaves and emerging on a freezing mountain peak, the skies above them green and the ground an ivory blanket of snow. In unison they raced across the land, ice changing to sand and cliffs to rolling hills. A sapphire strand hovered on the horizon, and when they reached it, they dove through, splashing beneath the waters as their wings vanished and their legs turned to tails. They swam through the sea like birds through the sky, his imagination leading the way—and what a wonderful imagination it was. Readers always made the best dreamers. At least Cassi liked to think so. After all, reading was simply dreaming with open eyes.

His mind was so beautiful she didn’t want to leave.

Yet there was no magic so strong it could stop the sun.

Through the little strand of spirit still tied to her body, Cassi distantly felt the warmth on her skin, whispering of morning. Though she knew it was time to release him, she held on tighter, clinging to his thoughts even as his body fought her magic. Only when the dream began to fall apart around them did she finally, reluctantly, let go.

Xander opened his eyes immediately, a gasp on his lips. He clutched his chest as though reaching for his heart. Taking a few moments to fully wake, he blinked and scanned his room, perhaps searching for her. But she was nothing more than a silvery gleam on the wind, a wisp of spirit his eyes would never see. He rubbed his palm over his face, wiping the dream away as he slowly rose to a seated position and dropped his legs over the side of his bed. With a single shake of his head, he stood, no longer an eager soul in a boundless world, but a prince with duties to attend. Cassi slipped through the balcony and let him.

She'd had her one night of freedom.

Now it was over.

And as far as Xander was concerned, it had been nothing more than a dream.

25

Xander

She wouldn't look at him. Xander had spent most of the flight to the House of Wisdom peeking over his shoulder toward the owl at the back of the flock, yet throughout the entire journey, she'd only twice met his gaze. The first time with a curious smile on her lips, eyes empty and unknowing. The second time, though, he swore he saw a brief glimmer of awareness before she turned her head away. But what could she know? What exactly was he searching for in her expression? Was he seeing things that weren't there?

As they landed in the frigid tundra of the owl kingdom, Xander suddenly realized there was a distinct possibility that she was acting normal while he'd completely lost his mind. It was just…the dream had felt so real.

Real and invigorating.

Like his first breath of fresh air since exiting the sacred nest.

Like coming back to life.

A cough pulled him from his thoughts. Two owls walked toward them, two sets of speckled copper wings visible behind their backs. Though it was late in the evening, this far north the sun never truly set in the summer, leaving more than enough light even for a raven. They stopped a few feet away and bowed.

It took Xander a moment to realize it was his turn to speak. Normally, he had his mother or Helen by his side. But the queen was needed back home, along with the captain of the guards. He'd traveled with a merchant flock bearing gifts from the crown. For the first time in his life, he had to rely on himself.

"I am Lysander Taetanus, Crown Prince of the House of Whispers," he stated, not entirely