Shield of Sparrows (Shield of Sparrows, #1)

by Devney Perry

The Six crafted predators in the image of Calandra’s animals, though their variations were far more beautiful. Far more powerful. Far more deadly. They birthed monsters to serve as a reminder to humans and animals alike that we were fragile and insignificant.

The Guardian. A man rumored to be more vicious and deadly than any creature crafted by the gods.

The man who entered next didn’t look like a god incarnate. He didn’t appear to be a ghost. He was tall and broad, like the other Turans. Muscled to the point of distraction. His chocolate-brown hair tickled the tops of his shoulders, and his chiseled jaw was covered in a short beard of the same shade. At first glance, he was just a man. Striking. Intimidating. But still, just a man. Yet his irises did not have the typical Turan green starburst. They were solid, molten silver. Liquid metal. Colorless, like my dress. The Guardian.

“Not her.” Margot blinked. “Excuse me?” “Her.” The Guardian’s eyes flicked in my direction, and the whole room followed his gaze. To me. “Prince Zavier will marry her,” he declared. “Tonight. As the bride prize for killing your marroweels.”

The magic rooted deep in Calandra’s land tinged our irises at birth with those starbursts, linking us forever to a place. No matter where we lived, where we moved, that one color was unchanging. Every Quentin had an amber starburst. Every Quentin except me. My eyes were solid gold. Not a starburst in sight.

We traded the resources we could reap—crops and cattle—for those we couldn’t. The iron Quentis needed to forge weapons came from Ozarth. The lumber we used for buildings from Turah. Laine gave us spices and gold. And Genesis mined the oil we burned in lanterns and stoves.

A King cannot kill his Sparrow, and a Sparrow cannot kill her King, either directly or indirectly, without death befalling them both.

Tanis Oak Sparrow Wolfe The first king. The first Sparrow. Wasn’t it ironic that Genesis royals were named for a tree when they weren’t known for their lumber? Beneath Tanis and Sparrow’s names were a litany of others. More Oaks. More Wolfes. Crosses, Harrows, and Kasans. Each of the royal last names was included.

I might be the woman wearing the crown, but Jocelyn was the one with the riches, wasn’t she?

“Not all monsters are born from the gods, my queen. Some of us were made.”

But what if I was tired of being kept? What if I didn’t want to rely on a man to be my rescuer?

“Thanks,” I deadpanned. “And I was certain I wouldn’t earn any compliments today.” “Praise is for the bedroom, Cross. Not the training ring.”

Those were decisions made for me by the whims of men. So you can threaten to take away my freedom all you want, but I will fight you. Every step of the way. Until my last breath. And I will not go quietly into a cage.”

Did you ever stop to think that maybe the door to your cage has always been unlocked, Sparrow? And all you had to do was push it open?

He searched my eyes the way I searched his. For answers. Salvation. Mercy. There was a tether between us. Gods save us when it snapped.

But he stared at me like I was something to behold. Something to cherish. Something to protect.

“We?” “Yes.” I was part of this now. This country. I glanced at Evie. This family. Whether they wanted me or not. “We kill the monsters. We kill them all. Every last one.” Him. He meant to kill the monsters. Then himself.

He took my face in his hands, dropping his forehead to mine. His thumb traced my cheek, and tingles exploded on my skin. “You’re okay.” Was he reassuring me? Or himself? “I’m okay.”

“Odessa, wait.” It wasn’t his order that made me stop. It was my name. I was always Cross or Sparrow or my queen. But rarely Odessa. I’d never loved my name more. “Thank you. For saving those children.”

Except he wouldn’t hurt me. Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew the Guardian wouldn’t hurt me. Yes, he’d tease and scold and ridicule me until I wanted to strangle him to death. But he wouldn’t hurt me.

“Just…clumsy.” “You’re graceful in your own right.”

“Please don’t touch me like that again.” “Odessa, I—” “I’ve never seen a tarkin den. Let’s go.” The green of his eyes changed to hazel in a blink. His jaw clenched. Then he stormed past me, stalking into the forest with me hustling to keep up.

“Would you kill me if necessary?” The question startled me into silence. So we stared at each other, a dying monster in my arms, and I realized that he was asking for the same mercy. That if he became a monster, if he lost control, he’d want a quick death. “Yes,” I whispered. “If I must.” “Swear it.” There was an intensity, an edge, to his voice that made it difficult to breathe. “I swear it.” “I will hold you to that vow.” He dropped his gaze to the tarkin. “Odessa.” He used my first name so rarely, whenever he did, I paid attention. “You asked for my name,” he said. “You told me I had to earn it.” He nodded. “Ransom. My name is Ransom.”

Also, I’m no queen.” “Yet here you are, helping to save our people.” I shrugged. “It’s the right thing to do. For all of Calandra.” He reached out and flicked the end of a curl. “Spoken like a queen.” “Stop.” I bristled, swatting him away. “I don’t want to be a queen.” “Tough shit.”

staring at me like there was something important on his mind. Something he needed to say. “What?” I whispered. Tell me. Just tell me. He shook his head. “Nothing. Good night, my queen.” Blarg. “Good night, Ransom.” His eyes went from green to hazel in a blink. He walked into his room and slammed the door. The lock flipped.

I couldn’t betray Tillia or Luella or Cathlin or Zavier. I couldn’t betray Ransom. He might not trust me. But somewhere along the way, he’d earned my loyalty.

“Such pretty hair. It’s no wonder you caught my son’s eye, Princess.” Except when I met Zavier, I had brown hair. I gave Ramsey a practiced, cloying smile. “Thank you, Majesty.”

“Coward.” His eyebrows arched. “What did you call me, Princess?” “I called you a coward.” The gasps at my back only fueled my rage. “Watch yourself, girl. Your ignorance is showing.” “As is your true nature,” I spat. “Only fools and liars burn books and people’s homes.”

“I have to let go.” “Of what?” “You,” I whispered. “You are not mine to keep.” He breathed, shifting so close his chest brushed against my back. “What if I was yours?”

“You went into the water with brown hair and emerged with red. And as you hurried into the castle, dripping wet, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Then you were there, in the throne room, your hair dyed again. And I saw in you what I see in myself.”

I came to set eyes on the daughter who’d become the Turan queen. But then I saw you, and everything changed.”

You didn’t set me free. You chained me to two kingdoms instead of one. To a man more interested in his wife’s lady’s maid than. His. Wife.”

“You are the crown prince. It was all a ruse.” “Not all of it.” His eyes darkened, shifting to that forest green as he took my arms, keeping me on my feet. Pulling me close and into his chest. “You have always been my queen.”

“I am not long for this realm, Odessa. And when I’m gone, you will be free. Your tie to me will be broken. Your life can be of your choosing.” He was going to set me free with his death.

“You said this was for my freedom, but you don’t give a damn about my life. I’m just a pawn in your sick, twisted game. You used me to manipulate my father. And yours.”

You are the Sparrow. You are my wife. You are the future queen of Turah.”

Ransom was my husband. There was no need to keep fighting my own feelings. I no longer needed to convince myself that he hadn’t stolen my heart.

the man who I’d believed, down to my bones, wouldn’t hurt me. I guess I was a fool. “Why would you make me suffer losing you?” I swiped at the tears that tumbled down my cheeks. “Why not let me stay believing I was Zavier’s wife?”

They turned gold. The same gold I saw each morning in my mirror.

“You are mine, Odessa.” It was a growl, more animal than human.

“Why me?” “I told you. You are mine.”

Gone were the golden eyes. He stared at me with irises of the richest green. Of moss and earth and Ransom. Irises that haunted my dreams.

It was like being remade. Ransom’s lips moved over mine in a slow kiss. Teasing. Testing. Then another raw growl ripped from his throat, the vibration shooting to my core. His tongue licked the seam of my lips, asking, pleading, for me to drop my guard. To let him inside.

Reality vanished. Gods, how I’d wanted this. For weeks and weeks, I’d refused to let myself want this. To crave Ransom. I’d refused to believe this was ever a possibility. What if this kiss was just another lie? It was like having a bucket of cold water dumped on my head.

Damn him. He’d ruined me. Entirely. I hoped that wherever he was at the moment, he was miserable, too.

“And what will you do with this truth?” “Set myself free.” I was at the mercy of secrets. Until I discovered the truth, I’d always be trapped. By Father. By Ransom. I was tired of being a Sparrow in a cage.

“Did I hurt you?” “I’m not made of glass.” “No, you’re not.”

He was giving his sister the choice he had not been given. The choice I hadn’t been given. If I hadn’t already fallen for this man, that might have pushed me over the edge.

Turah was perilous. Majestic. Horrifying. Stirring. It was every emotion, good and bad, woven into a landscape that had stolen my heart. Like its guardian.

His gaze cut through the others, landing on me like he could sense me in the crowd. Like he was as linked to me as I was to him. His expression didn’t change. Didn’t relax. But his eyes shifted from hazel to green.