For the first time in his life, Xander was well and truly drunk. And singing. Wait—was he singing? Yes, he was. The sound of his voice echoed off the vast halls of the hummingbird palace, slurred and nearly incoherent but definitely his.
“I know of a tavern not far from here, where the nectar flows from tier to tier. The hummingbirds flock from miles around. It’s the best damn time, so fly right on down…”
He lingered on that last note, laughter stirring in the back of his throat as he and Prince Damien stumbled together over the marble floor. There was no way to know if he was holding the prince up, or if the prince was holding him up, but they each had an arm around the other’s waist, their wings dragging as they followed a zigzag path toward the royal rooms.
“Have a sip, have two, and drown out your sorrows, say goodbye to your fears, they’ll be there tomorrow. Seize the night with Eurythes’ fine blessing, our god’s on our side so stop second-guessing…”
They paused for the big finale. Damien threw back his head as he bellowed into the vines crisscrossing the ceiling above their heads. “Now, drink and drink and drink—again! Now, drink and drink and drink till the end! Drink and drink and drink!”
The room swam as Damien pushed him forward, possibly through a door, though there was no way to tell. Next thing he knew, he was in a seat with a new glass being shoved into his hand.
“No more,” Xander protested. “I can’t have anymore.”
“Oh, raven lightweight,” Damien jibed, throwing his own shot back.
“Your metabolism is five times faster than mine.”
“Try ten.”
“Exactly.”
“You asked for a true hummingbird welcome. Well, this is a true hummingbird welcome.”
“I think it’s payback,” Xander grumbled as he dropped his head into his hand. The floor and ceiling were spinning, so he couldn’t tell which was up and which was down. Being seated made his stomach roil. The prince had been right about one thing, though—he couldn’t feel the pain of his bruises at all. In fact, he feared his body might be numb. And for some reason, he wasn’t sure he could feel his tongue. But could he ever feel his tongue? Or was it always this fat and heavy?
Tomorrow, he thought, cringing. I’ll feel everything and more tomorrow.
“Sounds like you two had fun,” a female voice chimed.
Xander rolled his head to the side. He would have attempted to stand and offer a formal bow, but he couldn’t move his legs. Or his arms. Or anything, really. “Princess Coralee.”
A grin curved her lips as she closed the book in her lap and uncurled her legs to rise from the window seat. Humor shone in her bronze eyes, but she didn’t tease. She was too kind, or perhaps reserved, for that. Damien, on the other hand, was as loud and boastful as they came. As soon as his mate stood, he sped across the room, took her arms, and started twirling her around the room, a new song on his lips. They spun in a violet-and-amber blur, his wings moving far faster than hers. Whatever protests she made were quickly replaced by laughter.
Xander dropped his head back, smiling as he watched them. Strange to think that only months before she’d been his intended mate, until Lyana had changed the game. At the time, he’d thought Coralee would be his perfect match, but now? He wasn’t so sure. They were both studious and polite, preferring books to people and quiet contemplation to raucous celebrations. How long would they have tiptoed around each other before forming a true connection? Months? Years? Maybe she’d needed someone like Damien to break her out of her shell. And maybe he needed someone who would throw him up against castle walls and question his every theory, someone who would pick apart his favorite books and force him to break into locked library rooms, someone who challenged him as he’d never been challenged before.
Black-and-white speckled owl wings filled his vision as his eyes slipped closed. Cassi’s silver irises flashed with all the luminous mystery of the moon. She’d had many smiles, sometimes devious and sometimes teasing, though his favorite had been on the beach in that dream, her grin honest and true as they built a world full of wonder together. He could see her now, the silken brunette tendrils of her hair swirling in the breeze as she laughed and dipped her hands into a sea made of hummingbird nectar, the sun warm against her tawny skin.
“Xander?”
He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of her voice. “Cassi?”
“Your mind feels…strange.”
The bookshelves behind her were familiar, a personal collection built over a lifetime, now buried beneath the sea. The leather armchair in which he sat was worn, molded perfectly to the contours of his body. The towering columns, gleaming white marble, and endless vegetation of the House of Flight were long gone. “We’re in a dream.”
“Right.”
He sighed. “I thought maybe you were here.”
“I am…” She trailed off, a groove digging into her brow. “Lyana sent me.”
“You’re too late. I already sent Helen.”
“I know. Listen, a lot’s happened, and— Are you sure you’re all right?”
He wobbled unsteadily on his feet. If waking Xander couldn’t move, did that mean dream Xander couldn’t either? There was only one way to find out. He took a tentative step forward, spreading his wings for balance, then another and another. A grin pulled at his lips. “I’m walking.”
“I can see that.”
“Isn’t it marvelous?” He spun to face her, and one foot caught on the other. His body was too slow to catch up to his mind, or maybe his mind was too slow to catch up to his body, or maybe it was all his mind since this was a dream. Regardless, he stumbled to the side and slammed into his desk. Cassi jumped forward to steady him.
“Are you…” Her lustrous eyes widened, sparkling with mirth. “Are you drunk?”
“Princes don’t get drunk.”
“Well, you’re a king,” she drawled, helping him reposition against the table so it propped him upright. “And you’re definitely drunk.”
Oh, right. He was a king now.
And an orphan.
And alone.
She stepped back, but he grabbed her hand, not letting go. “Do you know Rafe is the King Born in Fire?”
Cassi nodded slowly. “I do.”
“I’ve been thinking…” It was his turn to trail off as he rubbed his thumb across the tips of her fingers, again and again, marveling at the smoothness of her skin. “If you never cut off his wings, he never would’ve fallen to the world below. And if he had never fallen, he never would’ve been soul-joined to a dragon. And if he were never soul-joined to a dragon, then he never would’ve become this king he now is. So, in an odd way, the horrible thing you did might have saved the world.”
“Xander—”
“So I can’t be mad at you anymore, can I?” he asked, lifting his face back to hers, remembering they were only a few inches apart. Her slightly parted lips were tantalizingly close. As if sensing his attention, she darted her tongue out, wetting them. His pulse spiked. “Not if you saved the world.”
Shadows darkened her eyes. “You can be mad at me, Xander. You should be.”
“Why?” He shrugged. “You’re a liar, but now I’m a liar too. I’m lying to everyone in the realm, about the gods and magic and what Lyana’s really doing. You thought about killing me, sure, but you didn’t. The night my home fell into the sea, for a moment I thought about leaving you in that cell, but I didn’t either. We’re even.”
“You’re drunk,” she said again, the word sounding like a protest as she slipped her hand from his. She didn’t step back, though. The side of her thigh touched his, the small point of contact making his whole side burn. “You’re talking nonsense.”
“My mother used to say imbibing makes a man too honest. It was why she never drank. Rulers, she said, need to be able to deceive.”
“Not you.”
He sighed. “I’m not so sure. I’ve grown quite skilled at deception.”
A snort slipped out. “You’re the most honest person I know.”
“You want to hear something honest?” His voice lowered to a whisper. Unable to stop himself, he pressed his fingers to the bare skin of her arm, tracing a path from her wrist to her shoulder before letting his hand drop away. “I was worried when you didn’t come.”
She swallowed, loud enough he heard, but said nothing.
“You want to hear something even more honest?”
With a slow nod, she drew her lower lip between her teeth. All he wanted to do was use his mouth to lure it back out.
“I missed you.”
“You’re drunk,” she murmured.
He arched a brow. “So?”
A moment passed, then two. Just as he started to lean in, she pulled back and turned her face to the side. Even in his stupor, the rejection stung. With a cough, he straightened his legs, forgetting how weak they felt as he gripped the table behind him to keep from falling.
“Maybe I should take a turn being honest,” Cassi finally said into the silence. Lured by the sound, he lifted his face, along with his hope. She wrung her hands and took a deep breath, as though building her courage. “I want more than this for us.”
His heart fell.
Of course she wanted more.
Of course she needed more than him.
“Xander,” she murmured and took his hand, then his wrist, until all four of their arms were joined. “I want more than a drunken confession. I want to hear your forgiveness with my own ears. And for you to mean it with a sober mind. I want to touch you, the real you, and I want you to touch me, not in the stolen hours of a dream, but beneath the bright light of the sun. And that’s partially why I’m here. Malek healed me, and Lyana is sending me back to the world above.”
“You’re healed?” He tightened his grip, unable to fight his smile.
As if it were infectious, her lips widened too. Yet something sad hovered at the edges of her eyes, a shadow dulling their shine. “I am.”
“What’s wrong—”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong, I promise. I’ll explain another time, but for now, if you remember anything from this dream by the time you wake up, please try to remember this—I’m coming to the House of Flight as soon as I can. I’m coming to see you and to retrieve the diary.”
“You’re coming here?”
She laughed at his tone. “I am.”
A new feeling overtook Xander, something wild, as if he were flying through open skies even as he stood, not so steadily, on his own two feet. He wanted to run. He wanted to jump. Deep in his chest, a knot burst, leaving him light and unburdened. There were more troubles than he could remember waiting for him outside of this dream, but right now, he was free.
For a moment, he thought of Damien sweeping across the room to pull Coralee into his arms, ignoring her protests as he spun her around.
Have a sip, have two, and drown out your sorrows, he thought, the tune playing in the back of his mind. Say goodbye to your fears, they’ll be there tomorrow.
And they would.
Which meant he needed to make use of the night while he could. Xander took Cassi’s hand and ran for the window, pulling her behind him.
“What—”
“Just come with me,” he shouted. The glass disappeared and he dove through the opening. As the city below dissolved into a thousand glittering stars, they splashed into an onyx sea. A current of moonlight carried them deeper into this midnight world, the silver sheen dull compared to the light in her eyes, and they swam holding hands, as he rebuilt his dreams around them.