Nor did I want to imagine what Ry'zaran was going to do with me. Whatever it was, it would be worth it. Kardri was safe, and that was all that mattered.
“Sit down.” Ry'zaran waved at a wingback chair, its wine-red leather gleaming in the green firelight.
Across from the chair was another seat of strange design. It had a high, thin back and armrests that attached only to the sides. Ry'zaran settled upon it, his wings slipping around the back to settle into the open spaces. Emotionally exhausted, I collapsed into the normal chair and watched him listlessly. A small, round table appeared beside me and then a brandy snifter upon it. Golden liquid filled the glass.
“You don't have to drug me,” I said morosely. “Do what you want to me; I don't care.”
Ry'zaran laughed scornfully. “I don't desire you sexually, Tryst. I want you only for companionship. The cognac is not drugged. I wouldn't have to bother with drugs. You're in my realm now. If I wanted you to lust after me, you would.” He waved a hand, and the fireplace disappeared.
We were suddenly on a balcony, staring across a surprisingly bright forest. As bright as it was and as normal as that sunshine appeared, the trees bore leaves in shades of purple while the mountains in the distance were a dark crimson. Beautiful creatures who resembled Ry'zaran flew across the sky on leathery wings, prowled through the forests, and fucked on the grass. But they looked as strange as the trees—unreal.
“Who are those people?”
“They are my children,” he said morosely. “The Farungal.”
“Those aren't Farungal.” I sat up straight and gaped at their beauty.
“They are. That is what they once looked like. When they die, their spirits take on their true forms.”
“Those are dead Farungals?”
“I am the God of Death.” His jaw clenched. “Death cannot create life. Even those plants you see are only things, objects to mimic life. The spirits of the dead are my only companions. But I cannot touch them; they are physical only to each other.”
“That's fucking depressing,” I whispered, grabbed my glass, and slugged back my drink.
“You have no idea,” Ry'zaran murmured.
Then a light flashed behind us, and he grinned triumphantly.
I spun to see the most beautiful woman I've ever beheld walking toward us, looking absolutely furious. Bronze hair streamed behind her as her lush body prowled forward, barely hidden beneath diaphanous layers of silk that fluttered around her as if it could feel her anger. Ebony skin glowed against the white gown and the shadow of rosy nipples showed through. Her feet were bare, and she held no weapons, but the magic that rode the air before her was enough to make me tremble in fear.
“My love,” Ry'zaran whispered as he stood.
I scowled back and forth between them.
The woman strode up to Ry'zaran and backhanded him. “I am not yours!” her voice was like music even as it echoed with rage. “How dare you take my child!”
Ry'zaran was grinning when he set his gaze back on her. “Only to see you again, Vara,” he whispered. “I've missed you so much.”
“So you invade the land of my children, hurt them, and steal my valorian?!” she shrieked.
Holy fuckballs, this was the Goddess. And she looked like Kardri. Even her eyes were the exact shade of his.
Ry'zaran dropped to his knees. “I beg your forgiveness. It was the only way I could think of to bring you to me.”
The Goddess let out a slow breath, her emerald gaze dimming slightly. “Ry'zaran,” she whispered, “we cannot be together.”
“Why not?” He leapt to his feet. “Your beasts? I don't care anymore. Keep them. As long as I can have you too, I'll be happy.”
“They will not be happy,” she said gently.
“You are stronger than they are! Make them accept us!”
She shook her head sadly. “I will not do that to them. I love them.”
Ry'zaran's wings spread as he roared bitterly—a sound of loss and fury. “You love me!”
“I did once,” she admitted. “And then you turned on me.”
“You turned on our children!” he shouted.
“They hurt my children, and you gave them the magic to do it!”
“Only because you hurt me,” Ry'zaran whispered. “You left me for those animals.”
“They were born to be mine, Ry'zaran. Gifts of the Elements. I could not turn them away. We were meant to be together; to create the Fae with our love and magic.”
“As we created the Farungal,” he said bitterly.
I couldn't seem to lift my jaw from the floor. The Goddess of the