Chapter One
The fire crackled and popped and the night pressed around me like a familiar blanket. Luckily for us, Helgi and company hadn’t made it too far on Vixen, and we’d been able to catch up to them. We’d made it several more miles before Vesper was forced to land. The sun was setting by then, and so we’d made camp.
Helgi and the kids lay curled up near the campfire. The mercs were close by, their huge bodies shadowy lumps that the flames barely touched. Vesper lay further back, still in dragon form.
The electrical charge the Vorn had hammered him with did enough damage to throw his shape-shifting out of whack, and there were some internal injuries that needed healing. He hadn’t protested when I insisted on taking first watch, a testament to how badly he was hurt. He was adamant that a good night’s sleep would put him to rights.
The world was silent as my companions slept, and I finally allowed myself to think about Azazel. Ever since I’d smashed the gem and summoned him, my heart was in my mouth as I waited for a chance for us to speak in private. The seemingly suppressed memories flowed freely through my mind now and my stomach churned in agitation.
He’d been by my side as we flew above Vixen—my super-cool dune buggy—and his presence was a comforting pressure at my back when I’d helped build the fire that would keep us warm through the chilly night.
Now, as I perched atop a rock several meters away from camp and looked out into the starry night, he finally materialized in front of me. Every fiber of my being lit up as my pulse forced my blood to do a speed lap around my body.
He stood before me, his powerful frame covered only in a loose pair of trousers and a flimsy tunic that strained across his muscular torso dangerously. His arms were bare aside from the strange shadowy tattoos that shifted and slithered over his skin. But my attention was fixed on his face, lining up the features to the ones that had finally been unlocked in my memory. His jaw was stronger now—a man’s jaw. His nose was slightly wider and his mouth harder, with a cruel edge that hadn’t been there before, but his eyes...his eyes were the same, still burning with an inner fire that had chided me for my clumsiness, berated me for my squeamishness, but then warmed me with tales of the stars.
He’d been with me every step of the way for three years, taking me from childhood to the cusp of womanhood, and then he’d just disappeared. The question hovered on my lips and then fell into the night in a breathless whisper. “Why did you go?”
He rewarded me with a slow blink and a tightening of the jaw. “I had no choice, Anya. Your new guardian wasn’t too happy about your connection to me.” The bitterness in his tone stabbed at my heart.
“Illyrian asked you to leave?”
“Yes. He asked, but do you think I’d just abandon you on a word?” He exhaled sharply. “I refused and he pretended to concede, but when I let my guard down, he bound me to a gem. It was an enchantment that forced me to keep my distance from you. To remain hidden.”
Enchantment? “Skins can’t use magick.”
His brow arched. “No, they can’t.”
What was he saying? “Are you saying that Illyrian isn’t a Skin?”
“I’m not saying anything.”
I stared at him flatly. “You can’t tell me, can you?”
His jaw ticked. “No.”
Illyrian had done that to him? Forced him to stay away from me and bound his tongue, but why? “Why would Illyrian do that to you? Why would he do that to me?” Anger licked at my senses. I leapt off my rock perch and began to pace. “I told him about you. I called to you, and he made you out to be a figment of my imagination. He convinced me I’d dreamed you up.” The anger was in full flame mode now, but there was an edge of pain to it—the pain of betrayal. “He made me think I was crazy.” I looked up at Azazel. “But I’m not.”
“No, Anya. You’re not crazy.” His tone was a soft caress.
I took a step toward him and then stopped, afraid he would disappear. Afraid he’d leave me again. His ember eyes were twin flames in his face, burning bright and determined. He wasn’t going anywhere, not if he could help it. Emboldened, I bridged the distance between us.
His muscles rippled with tension as I approached, but he remained deathly still. There had been times when he was merely a shadow, unable to touch or manipulate anything, but more often than not he was simply an advisor, because the price of materializing had been too great—not for him but for me. Azazel would happily have taken what he needed if it meant being corporal, but my younger self couldn’t stomach that, not even if the victim was evil enough to deserve it. It was something we’d clashed on too many times until he’d given in and remained a shadow.
But he was here now, in the flesh, and goodness knew how long that would last. There was something I desperately needed to do, not just for my sanity but because I’d fucking missed the hell out of him.
His chest was heaving now in anticipation of my touch, and then I was stepping into the familiar heat of him, my hands grazing his tunic. The fabric was downy-soft against my skin as I slid my arms around him, or tried to, because the guy was huge. His forest aroma filled my head and memories of our cave home stung the back of my eyes, forcing me to squeeze them shut to hold back the tears.
“Anya.” My name was gruff on his tongue, and then he wrapped his arms around me and I was finally home.
Damn, this felt good. “I fucking missed you.”
His chest rumbled with laughter. “I fucking missed you too.”
“Anya?” Helgi’s sleepy voice drifted toward us.
Shit. I wasn’t ready to let go just yet. “It’s okay. Go back to sleep.”
Azazel released me and tipped my chin up with the crook of his finger. “Tell no one about me. Not until we know who we can trust. We are headed into unfamiliar territory, and I can be of more use if I remain hidden.”
He was already losing form, his finger a mere wisp beneath my chin, the pressure like a butterfly’s kiss.
He sighed. “Are you sure you need all your companions? One of them may give me a few more hours in corporal form.”
I bit back a snort of laughter. Yep, this was my childhood friend all right. The boy who’d challenged my morality at every turn. “Sorry, they’re all invaluable.”
“Even the dragon?” He arched a brow.
“Especially the dragon. We need him to get into the Keep. I need to get a book to the dragon lord Orion.” The words tripped off my tongue easily, because although Dad had asked me not to tell anyone about the book, Azazel wasn’t just anyone. He was the other half of me, and there was nothing I would hide from him.
“Fine, have it your way.” He inclined his head, his curved horns glinting in the moonlight. My fingers ached to touch them, but I curled them into a fist as I recalled the last time I’d made such a faux pax.
His eyes narrowed and his mouth softened, but then the crunch of boots headed our way registered and he vanished in a swirl of shadow.
“Hey, who you talking to?” Helgi asked, her face still creased from sleep.
“Just myself. You can sleep more if you want. I can keep watch for longer.”
She ran a hand through her bedhead. “Nah, I’m up now. Go catch some shut-eye.”