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Total healing? She cracked her knuckles She had to at least try

Blue sorcery began to shimmer in her ink-stained palms as she brushed theed hi into him She could see currents of it beneath his skin, blue swirls "Heal"

Beneath her fingertips, she felt the tiniest twinge Had so "HEAL"

Histo a norh, she turned to his left wing She grasped the gnarled joint, repeating the process "Heal"

In a rush, his wing scales rippled, like a racetrack betting board refreshing With a snap, Thronos’s skewed nment

She lovingly traced the pads of her fingertips over those ht wing, she surveyed the rest of his big body

If she knew her Vrekener, she’d bet he had other aches that he would never e

Because he was a transitioned ies would stick Most alterations on an immortal, such as a tattoo, would disappear within a day or so But as long as her sorcery was flowing, she could do this every day

Ti

Thronos roused fro at Melanthe "Da bounded out of bed with no care--as opposed to his usual gradual rising--he should be feeling a chorus of anguish starting in his feet, shooting through his legs and torso, stabbing into his back and neck, before clawing through his wings

Where is the pain?

He frowned down at his feet; they lined up perfectly A sight he hadn’t seen in ages

"You were saying?" she re her nails

He tentatively unfurled his wings, groaning with relief Holding his breath, he tried to pin them

They folded and compressed, just as they were supposed to "Ho is this possible?"

"Lanthe’s Sorcery Massage Tee-erin "You fixed my pain?"

Her own smile faded In a voice laced with sadness, she said, "The least I could do since I gave it to you"

And then she took it away In no irowing, la her abilities They were both healing from the wounds of the past He would allow no sadness on this night

The Sorceri were right: dwelling on the past injured the present

"Thronos, I don’t know if this is peret to finish because he’d already taken her into his arms, and into the air

"Are you okay with this?" he asked

"I a over his as hard as he could, taking them far from the Hall, from worries, from responsibilities Under the stars, he couldn’t contain a laugh "I feel no pain!"

"It e me daily?" Her hands all over him? Just like that, he was stiff for her "Lucky me But I must be awake next tilittered as her hand dipped She parted her lips when she found him fully erect "Take me home"

"There’s no time like the present" He adjusted her to their Pandes around his waist and his arms clasped securely around her

"In the air?" Her eyes widened with excitement "My weird, pervy Vrekener I love it!"

FIFTY-TWO

Thronos was barely listening as Jasen and Cadhts hadweaknesses--and quarreling about defenses

Thronos and Melanthe had been here only a week, but already the kingdohts had impleency lever on every island For now, Vrekener sentries patrolled the perimeter of the entire realin their inexorable journey toward the Vrekeners’ forest outpost After days over the ocean, they’d passed the tip of Greenland and were now crossing a wintry gulf far in the northeast of North America

At first, the idea of an evacuation system--and an unscheduled move--had sat ill with the assembly At least until Thronos had described some of the Sorceri power he’d witnessed on the Order’s island

Jasen agreed with Thronos that the Vrekeners couldn’t have enoughwas discounting thelike Portia and could never conceive what she was capable of until he’d seen it with his own eyes

On the one hand, Thronos had to convince others how malevolent some Sorceri could be On the other, he wanted them to respect his queen and worked ceaselessly to s his people He’d been quick to tell the assembly of Melanthe’s part in the assassination of Omort He’d lauded all her work to neutralize threats from other factions

Already, the House of Witches had declared peace Once Bettina of the Deathly Ones had received Melanthe’s description of the red gold reed to future talks

The Dacian ruler, Lothaire, had responded with a terse missive written in blood:

Vrekeners actually exist?

L, The King

Which n

As for the rage dee that still left hi up htily, son

My queen and I received Melanthe’s letter, and based on your history with her, we can find no truth in it

Gods only knohat you’re doing to my sister-in-law up there Release her within the week, or court ith all of dom

Since I know Lanthe is your mate, I also know that you’ll never release her, despite my threats If anyone had tried to force hed in his face

The only thing that can save us from bloody conflict is if Lanthe convinces her sister that she is with you of her own free will

Your best bet is to lowing--and believable--report If you’re willing to try, then take ht where you are