The Raven and the Dove (The Raven and the Dove #1) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,26

of his throat. This girl is infuriating. He knew what she was asking, what she wanted to hear. But they’d danced around the issue of their magic—he wasn’t sure if he was ready to come out with the full truth. “What do you want? A vow of silence? You have it. Coins? I can get them. Jewels? I have access to those too. But I need out of this…” He paused, glancing around at the rock and the impenetrable darkness. “Out of this hovel.”

“Don’t.” Her voice was so sharp it startled him. Her eyes flashed with something he hadn’t expected—lightning bolts of hurt. “Don’t question my character. I saved you because you would have died if I hadn’t. At least, I thought so at the time. And I’m asking for nothing in return, nothing but honesty.”

Rafe bit back a retort as she tended to the fie unnecessarily, composing herself.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered over the crackling of the flames, the only sound in their hidden world. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. And…” He took a deep breath, gathering his strength as though preparing for battle. “And I need your help because flesh wounds are easy, but broken bones, broken wings? Those take time and energy to heal. Time and energy that I don’t have.”

Her features softened in understanding as her ivory wings dropped slightly, relaxing. “I’ll help you.” She furrowed her brow apologetically. “But not until tomorrow. I have to get home before they— Before it gets too late.”

She stood, brilliant wings fanning out against the darkness, glowing in the orange firelight.

“What?” Rafe asked, disoriented by the sudden shift.

She backed away. “I have to go, I’m sorry. I’ve been gone too long already. But there’s more wood, more water, more food. And, oh!” Her body jolted. “Clothes, there are warm clothes, clean clothes. And a rag to wash yourself with. But I have to go. I’m sorry, but I— I just have to.”

“Wait,” he called after her, stretching out his arm. Immediately, white-hot bolts of pain coursed through him, stealing his vision and his breath. Rafe collapsed to the floor, clenching his jaw against the agony, waiting for it to pass.

By the time he opened his eyes, she was gone.

And he was alone, very much trapped where she’d left him.

11

Lyana

Everything within Lyana screamed that she had to get out of there, away from him, away from those blue, blue eyes that seemed to yank the floor out from under her, sending her tumbling into a place she’d never been before.

His body had been covered in rags. His face hidden behind a sheen of gruesome blood. But those eyes, stark, confident, and unafraid to challenge her, those had pierced her, and she had to get away. To the sky. To the fresh air.

Lyana soared through the cavern, the subtle silver of moonlight her only guide through the darkness. The white patches of Cassi’s wings became visible as she neared the exit, but Lyana didn’t bother to stop for her friend. Instead, she burst through the narrow opening, practically tumbling into the channel between the cliffs, and pumped her wings to rise up, up, up and over the edge. She finally dropped to solid ground, leaned her head back, and took a deep, restorative breath of crisp air.

Staring up at the stars glittering in the night sky, she let her heart slow down and found balance. The stars seemed different somehow. Brighter. Just different. As though they’d shifted while she dwelt in the shadows of the cave and now were arranged in a more significant way, aligned in a pattern that had to mean something.

Cassi landed in front of Lyana, blurting, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She kept her gaze on the sky.

“What happened? Did he… Are you…” Cassi shook her head as her feathers bristled. “Just tell me what happened.”

Lyana dropped her chin, noticing that her friend’s gray eyes seemed molten with concern and fear. Yet her own face was entirely different. A slow grin pulled at her cheeks as a wave of emotions bubbled beneath her skin—confusing and overwhelming but undeniably good. Her blood had turned to hummingbird nectar, making her light-headed and giddy with the fizz.

“He’s the crown prince,” Lyana murmured.

Cassi frowned. “What?”

“He’s the crown prince,” Lyana repeated, her voice between a whisper and a shriek. “I saw the royal seal hanging from a chain around his neck. I asked him, and he didn’t deny it.”

Actually, she’d teased him. She’d pushed and prodded, testing his limits, trying to see how