Page 84 of Dhampira

But he spied on my dreams. At least, Delphine had seemed to hint at that being the case. Not even my bed was safe. Still, relief coursed through me knowing I didn’t have to shield my thoughts.

“What did Rasimir want to talk to you about last night?” I asked. “You left with him right after the attack.”

Lorcan returned his gaze to a spot in the distance. “The wedding.”

Despite our steady position in the air, my stomach did another precarious wobble. “We have to get out of it.”

His wings buffeted the air. “As I told you last night, you have the power to change things.”

“Yes, but now I only have two weeks.”

“Then you’ll have to learn quickly.”

He made it sound like I was picking up a new hobby. No big deal. Learn to knit. Practice singing. Overthrow a murderous tyrant.

“You don’t want to marry me either,” I said, hearing the frustration in my voice. “You have just as big of a stake in making sure a wedding doesn’t come to pass.” Because you care for Vander. The words trembled on my tongue.

But Vander had kissed me. Touched me. And then let me know it affected him. How would that impact Lorcan?

Maybe it already had. If Lorcan knew Vander had followed me to my room last night, that might explain why we were meeting Vander separately.

I chewed the inside of my cheek.

“Ask your question,” Lorcan said quietly.

My stomach did its third cartwheel of the morning. “You said you couldn’t read minds.”

His chest swelled against my shoulder as he sighed. “I also said you’re terrible at disguising your emotions. You should practice in front of a mirror.”

“Something to do between murders. Why didn’t you and Vander fetch me together this morning? You couldn’t carry two people with your wings?”

Lorcan gave me a look. “Rasimir demands absolute loyalty. He doesn’t have ex-advisers. Only dead ones. If he suspected Vander and I were planning to overthrow him, he’d kill us both. It’s best if he believes we dislike each other to the point of spending as little time in each other’s presence as possible. We’ve worked hard to cultivate that impression.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Rasimir came to my room before the ball last night. He asked if I trusted you and Vander.”

Black eyes flicked over me. “What did you tell him?”

“Nothing,” I said, and I bit my tongue before I could add that the Drachvis’ arrival had saved me from answering.

Lorcan’s expression didn’t change. “A wise response. Hang on.” Abruptly we began to descend. Clouds whipped past, and a feeling of weightlessness made me tighten my grip on his neck. The wind burned my eyes, so I turned my head into his chest and closed them. As soon as possible, I’d confront Vander about what happened after the ball. The problem was, private moments were almost impossible to come by in the Drakhold.

“Zid vedara,” Lorcan murmured.

I squinted up at the underside of his jaw. “Vander called that the ‘don’t notice me’ ward.”

Lorcan nodded. “Two vors in one. Zid means ‘wall.’ Vedara means ‘forget.’ Together, they create a ward that discourages people from wandering too close.” He tightened his grip. “This will get bumpy.”

I squeezed my eyes shut once more as we began to spin. Never again would I complain about walking.

“Touching down,” Lorcan said a second later. The wind ceased, and my body jolted. When I opened my eyes, beauty surrounded me. We’d landed in a forest, but not the one outside the Drakhold.

No, this place was different. Softer. Flowers spread over moss-covered ground. Trees stretched their limbs into the air and then tilted, their branches tangling with their neighbors to form a canopy. Flowers bloomed there, too, tiny blue and white blossoms mingling with glowing orbs. The lights twinkled everywhere. They had to number in the thousands.

“The lights are the same as the ones in the Drakhold,” I said as Lorcan set me on my feet. A smile pulled at my lips as I wandered forward. Some of the lights bobbed in the air, their flights carrying them into the ceiling of branches. “They’re beautiful.”

“They shine more brightly when they’re free.”

I turned back as Lorcan buttoned his jacket. His wings were gone, his eyes clear.