By the time he was done, my stomach was twisting in on itself. I forgot all about the mysterious person at the door, my entire focus on the night ahead.
This was not going to be fun.
* * *
Sebastian’s shadowsreleased us on the roof of the castle, and instantly, I mourned the relative heat of our room. Despite the heavy cloak, boots, and gloves the vampire prince had insisted I wear, the frigid wind rammed into me like a thousand sharp needles. Even with Sebastian’s wings blocking the worst of the weather, the cold was a shock to my system.
“Ready?” He bent, his breath tickling my cheek as his voice rumbled in my ear.
I shivered, standing against his chest, and he ran his hands over my arms.
“Remind me again why we can’t just shadow there?” While not my favorite method of transportation, shadowing was certainly better than freezing to death.
“We can only shadow to places we’ve been.” He smirked. “Believe it or not, darling, but I haven’t been to every square inch of this country before.”
“And you’re certain that this is the safest way?” I queried, glancing over the edge of the roof. Vast forests and mountains lay before us, and various bird shifters flew beneath the full moon as snow fell leisurely from the sky.
He chuckled. “Yes, I’m certain.”
I had never considered myself to be someone who was afraid of heights, but I was rapidly coming to the conclusion that I had not been presented with the right set of data.
If I was to fall…
No. I couldn’t let myself think about that. Besides, Sebastian wouldn’t let that happen. The sooner we got this over with, the better.
Swallowing, I shoved away the inklings of fear that were trying to take root in my stomach. This was for Julieta. My discomfort was a small price to pay to find out what happened to her. Especially if the prince was right, and these people were after me.
For Julieta’s sake, I would be brave. “I’m ready.”
Sebastian’s arm landed beneath my thighs, and the other wrapped around my back as he gathered me to his chest. Like me, he wore a cloak, but his garment had slits in the back to allow for his wings.
A powerful wingbeat later, we were in the sky. Soon, the ground was little more than a blanket of white as he hugged me against him. Despite my many layers, the wind was cold as it beat against my skin. I shivered, pressing myself against the vampire prince. He flew with the confidence of someone who had done this a thousand times before.
Neither of us spoke, and a comfortable silence settled between us. Remembering that Sebastian had mentioned he loved to fly, I tried to enjoy it, for his sake.
After a few minutes, though, enjoyment was hard to come by. The changing scenery, though beautiful, was moving far too fast. My stomach churned as I stared at the snow-covered tips of evergreen trees.
Closing my eyes, I pressed my ear against Sebastian’s chest and breathed in deeply, listening to his steady heartbeat as I forced myself to remain calm. I lost track of time as we flew, but eventually, his wingbeats slowed.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
Mumbling a reply, I kept my eyes shut as his grip tightened around me. A branch cracked, and then finally, something hard was beneath me.
Daring to open my eyes, I found myself on a long, thick branch barely wider than me. My back rested against the rough bark of the tree, and as I glanced down, my eyes widened. A dozen of branches, some thick and others thin, stood between me and the snow-covered forest floor. Sebastian balanced a few feet away from me, one foot on the branch while the other dangled in the air. His wings were outstretched, keeping him steady as he studied me.
I was wrong, earlier, when I thought I might have developed a fear of heights. I didn’t have a problem with heights, specifically. No, it was a fear of falling.
I was definitely going to have to add that to my list. Luna Montquartier, Princess of Eleyta: afraid of the dark and falling. Both were valid, in my opinion. Flying was better than this. At least then, I’d had the sense of security brought by being in Sebastian’s arms.
Drawing in a deep breath, I pressed myself against the rigid bark of the tree as the cold air entered my lungs with the force of a windy gale.
“Your friend is going to meet us here?” I asked when it felt like I could breathe normally again, looking around the dark, moonlit forest. I didn’t know what made this specific tree different from any of the rest.
Apparently, Sebastian did, though, because he nodded. “I trust Rhain, but it’s not safe for us to have this conversation at the castle. He’s not exactly welcome within the walls of Castle Sanguis.”
That was… interesting.
Before I could ask what Rhain did to get banned from the castle, shadows gathered around Sebastian’s palms. Shadowing over to me, he pressed a kiss to my lips and pulled his wings back into himself before hejumpedoff the branch.