The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,88
flaming arrow arcs through the sky before landing in the boat. Kirian and Linus follow, letting two more burning arrows fly.
There must be some kind of accelerant on the bodies, because the flames spread quickly, torching the corpses from head to toe. Everyone inches forward to the railing.
The rowboat that had originally been intended for Tibbs is now a fiery funeral for three. Dark smoke billows up, looking black against the bright sky. We all stand in silence for several minutes, until the boat looks like a tiny candle on the horizon.
Isla leaves first. Quinn follows shortly after. One by one, people get back to their day.
I’m about to do the same when Damon points at some spot to the left. “Look.”
I squint. “What am I looking at?”
“Land.”
I focus harder. “I don’t see anything.”
“Really? My sight must be better than I thought.” He guides me to the telescope. “Try this.”
When I peer through it, there’s a faint dark line in the distance. Trees. Buildings. Ships. “Is that Sterling?”
“Yep. We’re making good time. We should be there before lunch.”
Moving the scope around, I angle it toward the sky and focus on a star. The lens isn’t as powerful as the telescope I had at home, but it magnifies the orb.
Damon chuckles when I bend and contort my body to point it straight up. “I’ll get you your own for our room at the palace. A big one.”
“I’d like that.” I find the crescent moon.
When I turn it back toward Dawn and Dusk, I marvel at the pink and purple clouds against the peachy sky. Then a dark spot catches my attention. An eagle? I watch it for about a minute, but as it gets closer, I realize how large it is. Black feathered wings flap hard, disturbing the mist in the sky.
Whatever it is, it’s coming this way. Fast.
“Damon?” Alarmed, I stand up straight and abandon the telescope. “What’s that?”
I wildly wave a hand in the direction of the creature. When Damon follows my line of vision, his eyes go wide.
“Incoming!” he announces. “King Zander is about to arrive.”
“King Zander? No, I’m ninety-nine-point nine percent sure it’s a bird. I saw a beak.”
Damon nods. “It’s him.”
Shocked, I’m frozen in place as the crew clears a space on the deck. Barrels and ropes get dragged off to the side. Linus tosses a bucket of water on the firepit. The coals hiss as the flames go out, but over the soft sound, I hear something else.
A roar. It’s deep and menacing. As the creature gets closer, I see sharp claws and a lion tail. The puff of fur on the end whips around as he dives toward the ship.
What in the ever-loving fuck?
Without looking away, I grope around for Damon’s hand, gripping it tight when I find his fingers.
Snickering at my reaction, he nudges me. “Guess I forgot to tell you the Day Realm king is a griffin shifter.”
“You said he didn’t have a power,” I hiss under my breath.
“No, I said he wasn’t born with one. It’s rumored that the ability was gifted to him by a wizard, but no one really knows for sure.”
I can’t help cowering as it—he—lands on the deck. His back paws touch down first, the large claws scraping against the wood.
The span of his wings must be at least fifteen feet from one end to the other. My hair blows back every time he flaps them, and I blink against the strong gusts.
Once he’s still, there’s a popping noise. I’m trying to figure out what it is when I realize it’s his bones. They’re breaking. He’s changing back into human form, and shit, it looks and sounds painful. His hind legs buckle. The delicate structure of his wings fold, snapping in too many places to count until it’s like a smashed accordion about the length of an arm.
Fingers begin to form from the feathers on the ends.
Before I can recognize any other body parts, big hands suddenly cover my eyes.
“Hey.” I swat at Damon. “What are you doing?”
“He’s naked when he shifts.” There’s a possessive tone in his reply.
Ohh. Right. I should’ve assumed that.
I giggle-snort. “You don’t want me to see another guy in his birthday suit?”
“Absolutely not.” So serious. So jealous.
So hot.
“Here’s some pants!” Quinn’s voice echoes from the stairwell, and I hear the soft thump of clothing landing on the deck several feet away.
Then there’s a pained grunt and the rustle of fabric.