was somehow paler, so much so that his white face bore an icy blue undertone. It made a strange contrast against the rosy stain of his cheeks and the crimson hue of his downturned lips.
A long, dark cap of curling hair snapped around him. Nestled within his locks, a crystalline crown appeared, almost like ice erupting in jagged peaks from his brow. From the corner of her eye, she was aware of the dove-gray wings stretched out wide, the feathers rattling in the wind as they fanned the air.
Relief rushed through that she was not in the clutches of a monstrous strix.
It was short-lived, however. If not a strix, then what had her?
“The living are not permitted beyond my peaks,” he rumbled, his deep voice carrying like the low moan of glacial ice. “Why do you trespass upon my domain?”
His domain? She searched her memory, trying to recall those inhabitants of the Hyperborean Mountains that Silvas had mentioned.
Silvas… Damn him!
The male shifted closer, his head tilting to the side. “A human,” he muttered. “What would a human be doing here? It has been many ages since I’ve touched the warmth of a woman.” The words were so reverent that it was almost distracting as he lifted his other hand as if to touch her.
Whoa!
Diana twisted away to escape his touch. Unlike the touch of Silvas, she didn’t feel even a drop of the strange attraction that had simmered since the first time the silvanus touched her. Instead, her skin crawled.
“Aquilo, halt,” Silvas’s voice rumbled, forcing the male to drop his hand and turn to face the silvanus.
Silvas’s dark antlers cut through the veil of snow as he stepped forward. Even as close as he was, Diana had trouble seeing him. It reassured her though that, aside from his antlers, the brilliant glow of his white eyes was at least visible. Just being in his presence was enough to calm her a little.
A grin split Aquilo’s face, and his body shook with his deep laughter.
“Silvas, the great silvani lucomo of the Eternal Forest… To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I have come to retrieve something of mine,” Silvas replied coolly, his eyes locked on the male’s offending hand still gripping her wrist.
“Did you lose this human, by any chance?” Aquilo asked, amusement still in his voice as he gave her arm a small shake as if to taunt him.
“As it happens, I did.”
Silvas appeared as unconcerned as usual, but his eyes narrowed on the hand.
“The Hyperborean Mountains are not a good place to vacation with a lover, Silvas. At least have some respect for the domain of the northern winds,” her captor protested jovially. His enormous barrel chest shook again with his deep laughter.
Had she thought his wings were like that of a dove? She was wrong. As they folded in, she saw darker specks along the back of them like that of an owl. With his curved nose, pale wings, and large watchful eyes, he reminded her slightly of an owl. Her heart might have taken that opportunity to leap out of her chest if she hadn’t heard him more or less refer to himself as the north winds.
The lucomo moved closer, his features coming into focus as his attention left her hand and shifted to Aquilo, to give him a bland look. Despite his expression, Diana felt a prickle of tension from him as the awareness that had been absent came flooding back. Although he gave nothing away, Silvas was sizing up a potential threat. Then it was gone again, leaving Diana confused and empty once more.
“I would not consider your mountains to be a place that I would care to visit in leisure,” Silvas observed dryly “I seek the strix who recovered Nocis.”
Aquilo’s face wrinkled in a grimace. “I should have suspected as much when I heard that there was a silvanus roaming my mountain. Especially given the disturbances that I have heard rumors of.” His lip curled in disgust. “The Tainted Ones. You will find what you seek easily enough. The strix, Mora, nests in the southeastern side of the next peak, in a small pocket of stone two-thirds the distance up the mountainside. I suspect you will smell the stench of death and magic long before you catch sight of her.”
“I have no doubt. Many thanks, Aquilo. Now if you might call off your wind, we’ll be certain to arrive at our destination quicker, and without incident.”
Aquilo nodded and stepped back a pace. Though his hand