Page 15 of Lies That Bind
Three
Itore after him, leaping onto Liana and flying in Onyx’s wake before pulling up alongside them.
“How dare you say that to me!” I screamed at Kohen.
He looked over at me with surprise. “Say what?” he yelled over the wind.
“I love you!” I screamed.
He shot me a half-cocked grin. “You do?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. You can’t say you love me!”
He shrugged, seemingly unperturbed by my outburst.
“I love you!” he shouted back unflinchingly.
I growled.This man!He was so annoying and so adorable at the same time.
“Where are you going?” I realized we were flying away from Riverine and deeper into Imbria, where those lights were. To Sorak.
“To see my brothers like you suggested. Come with me!” he yelled as Onyx and Liana tried to fly close enough so that we could speak but not so close that their wings touched.
It was so late. The middle of the night. And he wanted me to go deeper into Imbria? To meet his brothers?It could be a trap.
“It’s a small upscale town with a lot of aristocrats who will likely all be sleeping. I’ll protect you.”
Why would I want to meet Kohen’s little brothers? I was supposed to be breaking up with him…
I peered down at Liana, and I felt her assessing all the information through our bond.‘If it’s a small town, I think we should be okay. If there is a mob of people, I’ll simply fly you home.’
Oh, Elaine was going to kill me.
“Why should I go with you?” I screamed back at him.
He met my gaze, the moonlight casting shadows across his face. “Because I want you to meet my brothers.”
Why was I even entertaining this?! I’d had every intention of breaking up with Kohen today, and now we were flying to meet his brothers in Imbria? My father would roll over in his grave if he saw me… but there was an allure to Kohen that dragged me to him like a moth to a flame. Did his brothers look like him? Were they taught to hate me? Would my going there make them think we were a couple?Werewe a couple?
I had a thousand questions and no answers.
“Okay!” I shouted and followed his lead. My curiosity to see more of Imbria and what his brothers looked like won over all rationality.
We flew over green rolling hills and then small villages that were in disrepair until we reached the cluster of lights that designated the city of Sorak. It was huge and entirely fortified. The lights were coming from outside a giant wall. There was a glowing sconce every six feet that ran in a circle around the entire fort. The second we flew lower, I noticed that this city didn’t hold the signs of war the others did. Sorak was well protected, with a huge stone wall around it that came up like a dome; only the top was open to let in some light. We flew downinto the open top, which seemed small at first, but as we went through, I realized the opening was hundreds of feet wide.
I gasped when we dropped down over the city. It was incredible. Small, neat rows of houses ran in concentric circles around the outer edge, with a beautiful park inside the center and some larger buildings dotting its edges. I peered up at the sky and was taken with how beautiful it was. The moon was directly over the center hole in the dome, and now that I was inside the city, I noticed a few stones were missing in the covering to let a glimpse of stars and moonlight through. It was an incredible marvel of architecture.
I peered back down and lost sight of Kohen for a second until Liana caught up with him. He was lowering Onyx at the edge of the park near a large, beautiful estate.
Sorak Boarding House for Boys,the sign read in front of the white stone building. There was no one outside. Considering it was late and everyone should be sleeping, I wasn’t too surprised. I was, however, in shock at how beautiful this place was. And Kohen could tell. He was watching me keenly as Liana landed beside Onyx.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I shook my head in wonder. “It’s amazing. I… didn’t know Imbria had places like this.” I was embarrassed to admit that. I was slowly realizing how much I’d judged the Imbrian people and their land with preconceived notions my father had taught me.
His jaw clenched. “All of Imbria was like this before the Occupation.”
The Occupation.I didn’t want to argue about that, so I just nodded. “No guards at the gates?” I noticed we weren’t stopped.
