Page 54 of Rage of Her Ravens

“Thank you.” I dropped a handful of berries into my pocket while also keeping one eye on the girls. “My mother used to sing it.”

I cringed when both of my mates went silent. Did they still believe my parents killed their parents? My heart felt as heavy as a thundercloud, and my soul was too weary to try to convince them otherwise.

“Tell me about yourselves,” I asked, deciding to shift the topic.

“What do you want to know?” Nikkos asked.

“Who raised you?” I wanted to add ‘after your parents died’ but thought better of it.

Nikkos and Blaze shared a look. “Mostly servants...and Drae.”

“Your brother?” I gaped at them. “How old was he?”

“Seven,” Blaze answered.

I cringed at that. “He was too young to have such responsibilities.”

“I know, but he was the new lord of the manor,” Nikkos said. “I’m not trying to make excuses for his behavior, but he’s had a difficult life. He didn’t really have a childhood. It’s made him a little rough.”

I snorted at that. “A little rough?”

“Yeah...” He trailed off.

I refrained from rolling my eyes, though it was very difficult. I called back the girls when they wandered too far down the stream. They splashed their way back to me, their dresses soaked. I heaved a groan.

Blaze lifted them out of the water, and they squealed and kicked beneath his arms, giggling when he set them down and tickled them with the tips of his wings. Then he went to work drying off their dresses with his pale fire.

“Be good for Uncle Blaze,” I said to them, “and I’ll give you some sweet berries when you’re dry.”

“Yes, Auntie,” they answered.

I turned back to Nikkos, speaking in a hushed whisper while plucking more berries from their branches. “And because he had such a difficult childhood, you feel obligated to put up with his moods now.” It was more of a statement than a question.

His cheeks colored. “Something like that.”

“Tari and I had rough childhoods.” I didn’t voice it aloud, but our childhood had been nightmarish at times. We’d been forced to move from shack to shack, always fearing for our lives, sometimes living off nothing but stale porridge while hiding in the shadows of the dark forest. I cleared my throat, glaring at Nikkos. “His past is no excuse.”

He frowned. “I know.”

My mood now soured, I bent over the stream, trying to wash the purple ink from my hands, a futile task without soap.

“Did you mean it when you said you might kiss Blaze later?”

I glanced sideways at Nikkos as he bent down beside me. “I don’t know.” Heat flooded my chest and face at the thought of Blaze’s lips on mine. “Maybe.”

“Would I be able to get a kiss, too?”

I stood, making the mistake of looking into Nikkos’s golden eyes, my gaze drawn lower to his plump, kissable lips. “Maybe.” Wildfire raced through my veins as I looked over his shoulder at Blaze and the girls. They were too engrossed in telling him a fairytale about a winged horse and a fairy princess to pay us any heed. I looked up at Nikkos, the desire swirling in his eyes catching me off guard and making all moisture evaporate from my mouth.

Finally, I cleared my throat. “I like you and Blaze...a lot.” I licked my lips, swallowing back my nerves. “But I don’t want to bond with Draevyn.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, a simple gesture that caused a trill to race across my skin and down my spine as he hovered over me.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Shirina.”

I heaved a shaky sigh while trying not to fall under his spell. “Thank you for understanding.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Thunderclouds brewed in his eyes. “My brother is a first-rate troll’s ass. I’m sorry for the way he treated you.”