She was concentrating on blocking out the faint wave of pleasure pulsing through her body, when something thunked against the window. A vicious green smudge streaked the glass.
“Watch that you don’t fly too close to the moths,” Bael called out to the driver.
“Yes, milord.”
Bael gazed at Ursula. “We could blow out windows if we flew through one of the murmurations.”
“A what now?”
“The astral moths.” He pointed at the clouds outside. “They’re attracted to Asta’s light.”
Thunk. A gray wing the size of a dinner plate stuck to the window a moment before peeling off. Ursula pressed her face to the glass, watching the carriage descend. Clouds of moths swirled above them. It took her a moment to realize the low, vibrating hum came from the beating of a million insect wings. Outside, the moths flew in unison, like a flock of birds.
That’s why the clouds moved so strangely.
They were alive.
“Why do they group and cluster like that?” asked Ursula.
“The murmuration? For protection.” He pointed out the window at a gray form gliding toward one of the clouds. “Look.”
As the bat approached, the moths dove in unison—a tight spiral of fluttering wings. The bat twisted and jerked. In a gut churning instant, it crushed a moth’s body between its jaws. The circle of life, right here on the moon.
When Ursula turned back to Bael, her heart stopped.
The demon lord pointed a dagger directly at her heart.
Chapter 10
She froze, only her eyes moving to scan the carriage for a weapon. Who was she kidding? Of course he hadn’t left weapons lying around. “I thought you were my protector.”
His eyes narrowed. “You scare easily. The blade is for your protection.” He turned the dagger, offering her the hilt. “Take it.”
“Oh, I thought—” Ursula cut herself off. There was no need to belabor his point. The fact was, she did scare easily. She constantly searched her surroundings for escape routes or weapons. She had no idea what had happened to F.U., but whatever it had been probably wasn’t pleasant. Perhaps that burning room from her dreams had something to do with it.
Taking the blade, she rolled her wrist, inspecting the steel. Perfectly weighted. When she held it to the light, she glimpsed strange angular patterns etched into the metal.
“Be careful with it. The dagger was forged from a meteorite, and it’s more powerful than you’d think.” He reached into his cloak, pulling out a set of leather straps. “Stick out your leg.”
“Why?”
His eyes met hers. “So I can attach the sheath.”
“Oh.” She didn’t need his help getting a sheath on her thigh, but something stopped her from protesting. She rested her foot on his seat by his thigh, feeling the heat radiating from him. She pulled up the hem of her dress.
Bael’s gaze trailed up her leg, his eyes darkening from pale gray to a deep black. His jaw tightened, his dark magic swirling from his body. He handed her the sheath. “Perhaps you should do it.”
She couldn’t suppress a faint smile, and she let her leg rest against Bael’s as she strapped the leather around her thigh.
Bael kept his gaze fixed firmly out the window. “If you keep the blade strapped to your thigh, you’ll have to be seriously comprised before someone finds it.”
Ursula slid the blade into the scabbard. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“If it does, I think you’ll find it’s considerably more lethal than a corkscrew.”
In the darkness of his hood, Ursula couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
Outside, Asta’s glow burned brighter, washing the cabin with violet light. They seemed to be on a collision course with the spire, and just when she was sure they would crash into it, the carriage veered to the right. It jerked to a stop so abruptly that Ursula lurched from her seat, tumbling into Bael’s lap.
Instantly, his powerful hands were around her waist, steadying her. She breathed in. Sandalwood and sea air.
“We’re here,” he said quietly, his breath warming her throat.
“Right. Sorry.” She stood, smoothing out her hair.
Bael leaned over, opening the door. Ursula stepped onto a balcony by the side of the spire, pulling her cloak closer around her. Here, the wind felt ten degrees colder, seeming to cut through even the heavy woolen shawl.
As Bael stepped from the carriage, she surveyed her surroundings, trying not to peer over the side of the balcony. Violet light washed over her, like she was standing in front of an enormous gemstone. On the other side of the balcony, an arched doorway interrupted the smooth crystal. From what she could tell by looking up, they’d landed about midway up the spire. Great walls of purple crystal rose up before her, shimmering in the starlight. Scattered balconies jutted into the air.