“It’s not,” Alex said, signaling for Coal to take off.
Before Ryker or I could react, Arrow followed the same cue and, bunching her muscles, lunged upward. Caught off-guard, I careened backwards, straight into Ryker’s chest.
“Tighten your knees around her,” Ryker growled, struggling with the reins while trying to keep both of us from falling off Arrow’s broad back.
Heart in my throat, I did as he instructed but was still slipping backward as Arrow continued to climb higher, her wings slicing the air. Giving up on my legs, I threw my weight forward, wrapping my arms around the griffin’s neck. She trilled, shifting under the weight change, but it wasn’t drastic and I didn’t fall. The wind ripped at my hair, and I clenched my eyes shut until, at last, she landed on the lip of the stone cliff.
Folding her wings, Arrow shook herself, shaking me loose at the same time, and I slipped to the ground, breathing hard. “Why did I ever think that was a good idea?” I laid on my back, covering my face with my arms to block out the sun shining just overhead.
“You did great,” Cassie encouraged, her voice accompanied by the sound of snapping twigs. Parting my arms to a slit, I peered through to find Coal on my other side, my sister staring down at me.
“I almost died.”
“Arrow wouldn’t let you die. Besides, you already did the hard part and survived,” Cassie teased.
“I’ll walk the rest of the way.”
She frowned, but I stumbled to my feet, still shaking.
Ryker’s hand rested on my shoulder, and I jumped. He watched me from Arrow’s back. “It’s better to face your fears head on.” Why did I get the feeling he wasn’t just talking about me getting back on Arrow?
Taking a deep breath, I let it out through my teeth and nodded. “Fine.” I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to walk anyhow. Using a nearby boulder, I clambered up and Ryker drew Arrow beside it. I accepted his outstretched hand and slipped my right leg over Arrow's back. She pranced beneath me, but I found my balance and tucked myself behind her shoulder blades, secretly quite pleased when I didn’t fall off again.
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Cassie reassured me with a smile, while Alex turned Coal deeper into the new forest.
Arrow followed, and I tried to calm my racing heart, but failed as Ryker’s arms slipped around me to readjust the reins. I expected him to keep his distance, but he shifted closer until his chest pressed against my back, his legs flush with mine. Heat crawled up my cheeks as his arms tightened ever so slightly around me, and I was glad he couldn’t see my face.
As we wove deeper into the forest, I let my guard down and allowed myself to hope. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the only one trying to sort through feelings I didn’t understand.
22
Blood Bonding
“Whatdoyouthink?”Cassie asked from Coal’s saddle with a flourish of her arms.
I slipped off Arrow’s back, careful not to kick Ryker, and tilted my head. Positioned in the middle of the grassy glade before us was a crude-looking altar. A collection of stones made up its base, while woven reeds and branches created the top, covered in a conglomeration of flowers and moss.
No wonder they’d been gone all day.
“Um, it looks really nice. What’s it for?” I asked, glancing at my sister while Alex helped her down.
Cassie’s face scrunched up as if I’d asked the stupidest question in the world. “For our blood bonding ceremony, of course.”
What? My stomach dropped, and my eyes shot back to the altar. “How exactly do you plan on doing that? There’s no priestess here.”
“There’s you.”
“I’m not—”
“You’ve studied the divine language and symbols; that’s all we need,” Cassie said. “Although, I’ll have to practice quite a bit if you want the same exchange for you and Ryker—”
“Cassie.” I shook my head, glancing behind me at Ryker, who still sat astride Arrow, pointedly not looking at me. I didn’t mind her teasing me about her wild fantasy of Ryker and I while we were alone, but we weren’t. “There isn’t ame and Ryker, okay?” Nor would there ever be. Not when neither of us intended to stay.
“Sure.” She scoffed. Rummaging in Coals saddle bags, she lifted something out, and I squinted as the sun glinted off two gold, jewel encrusted cups and a sheathed dagger.
I stared. “Where’d you find those?”
“I brought them with us, of course.” Crossing the glade, she stopped beside me, threading her fingers with mine. “I’ve known what I want in life for a long time, Kaleah. Please.”