The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4)(65)

A scratch at the window drew her attention from the pages and she froze, listening carefully. There were no trees near Legacy’s room, so it hadn’t been a branch against the glass. The noise came again and the window creaked open slowly. Breath held, Zoelyn stared hard into the inky darkness, desperately trying to locate the intruder. A ruffle of feathers sounded and she stared in confusion as a crow hopped off the window ledge and into the room. It settled on the floor quietly and stretched its wings as its form slowly shifted to a man. Hearth-stories flooded her mind as she realized who she was seeing. The black feathered cloak was unmistakable. It was what he wrapped around the children before he carried them off to the Darklands. Zoelyn swallowed heavily as she tried to rationalize what she was seeing. He wasn’t supposed to be real. He was a figure from the stories to frighten the children of Glis into behaving. Slowly she stood on legs that didn’t want to support her and straightened her back as she turned to face the Crow King.

He had been distracted with closing the window, but at the sound of her movement he turned and stared at her with curiosity. His gold eyes trailed across her and then to the door. With a sigh, he smiled and raised a slender dark eyebrow at her in question.

“You can’t have him,” Zoelyn whispered, the words tight in her throat.

“Really?” he asked in amusement. “I think that I can,” he added as he took a step closer to the bed. He moved with a predator’s grace and in utter silence.

“You claim children that sin and Legacy is innocent. You can’t have him,” Zoelyn said in a louder voice as she quickly unbuckled her glove. The realization of why Jala was wary of crows hit her full force and the memory of the High lady’s sadness banished her fear. She could do this. With one touch she could destroy the creature haunting Jala. She could drain him and save Legacy. All she had to do was touch him and the curse would do the rest.

The Crow King watched her pull the glove free and his head cocked to one side. With slow measured steps he moved from the child’s bed toward her. “Are you going to stop me then?” he asked in a low voice that would have been seductive coming from any lips but his.

Swallowing heavily, Zoelyn nodded and held her ground. He stopped just inches from her, so close she could feel his breath. “Just go away and leave him alone. I don’t want to hurt you,” Zoelyn gasped, as her fear came creeping back in. She could smell the blood on his armor and the intensity of his gold eyes made her want to bolt for the door. She wouldn’t abandon Legacy, though. She couldn’t.

“How sweet of you. I’m afraid I can’t do that, though,” he purred as he smiled down at her. His breath smelled of mint and spices, far more pleasant than she had expected from a creature of nightmares.

“I tried to warn you,” Zoelyn whispered as she flattened her bare hand against his chest and closed her eyes. For the first time in her life she willed her curse to work swiftly, and for the first time in her life it didn’t work at all. She could feel the warmth of his flesh through his armor, and yet she wasn’t draining him. She felt nothing through the contact aside from the solid muscle of his body. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared up at him in complete confusion.

“What now, little Undrae?” he asked softly, his head tilting to the side once more. His smile returned and it seemed far colder than it had before.

Quickly, Zoelyn pulled her hand back and stepped away from him until her back pressed against the wall. He advanced with each of her steps and flattened a hand against the wall on either side of her face. Leaning closer, he raised an eyebrow once more. “Weren’t you going to stop me?” he asked in amusement.

“Honestly, Seth, do you have nothing better to do than terrify young girls?” Jala’s voice cut through the room like a knife and the Crow King pushed off the wall with a smile on his face.

“If you would stop using them as guard dogs for your son, I would stop tormenting them,” Seth replied in a voice that was far more friendly than any he had used with her. Silently, he moved away from her, once more pausing beside Legacy’s bed.

Zoelyn slowly turned to look at Jala in utter confusion and willed her heart back to its normal pace. “You know him?” she gasped, once she was sure she could speak again.

Jala nodded and stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Pulling her night robe tighter around her, she nodded once more and looked at Seth. “He is a friend, and I knew he was coming for Legacy,” she explained softly. “He was supposed to be awake and alone,” Seth pointed out in a conversational tone.