Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 242728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1214(@200wpm)___ 971(@250wpm)___ 809(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 242728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1214(@200wpm)___ 971(@250wpm)___ 809(@300wpm)
I swayed into him.
My lips sought his.
He groaned as we—
A wolf slunk from the woods, a snarl vibrating in its chest.
With a muttered curse, the stranger pressed his forehead to mine, stopping our almost-kiss and throwing a glower at the horned predator. “These creatures and their teeth are getting tiresome.”
I laughed, shedding some of my stress. “It seems as if friendship is allowed but anything else—”
“Is forbidden.” He sighed heavily, his stare lingering on my mouth.
The wolf sat on its haunches, its fangs glinting.
Natim carried on grazing, keeping a careful eye on us.
With another groan, the stranger dropped his touch and let me go with a frustrated exhale. “Next time, we’ll go somewhere where there are no wolves.” Not waiting for me to reply, he moved to the fire and sat cross-legged beside the blazing heat. Looking up at me, he rested his hands on his wolf-pelted thighs. “I suggest you don’t become a pillar of fire around your chosen clan.”
A prickle darted down my back as I sat beside him, facing the flames. The fire had settled into flickering contentedness. I followed his lead and acted as if nothing had happened between us. “I’m sure all Nhil can do that. They’re children of fire.” I admitted a deep, dark secret. “In truth, they’re far more fire than I can ever be. I have a horrible feeling that the flames granted me their gifts just because Solin believes I was found by the Nhil to be his acolyte.”
“But if you aren’t one of them, you wouldn’t be able to do what they do.” He frowned. “And if you aren’t one of them, then it leads me back to my earlier question.” His voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “Who are you?”
“I thought today was about learning who you are.”
He smiled thinly. “I suppose it is.”
Holding out my hand, I hid my shiver as he linked his fingers with mine, clutching me tight. “Don’t let go of me. Under any circumstance.”
“I don’t plan on ever letting go of you, Runa.”
I waited for him to grin or tease, but his words hovered with absolute finality.
My heart thudded. “I don’t even know if the fire will answer our request. But...if you’re sure you want to do this, then...”
“I’m sure.” He raised my hand and kissed the back of my knuckles, twining our fingers even tighter.
Squeezing his hand, feeling the familiar burn in my mark and the arrow in my heart, I whispered, “Close your eyes. Follow me. And open your heart for answers.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
. The Stranger .
I SAT WITH MY EYES closed, waiting for...something.
I didn’t know what I expected to happen, but nothing did. The river continued to drift past, birds continued to chatter, and the wolves’ presence crowded me from the treeline. My lips still stung from almost kissing Runa and my heart couldn’t find a comfortable beat.
The sun beamed down from above, bleeding its heat with the fire’s, causing sweat to mist over my chest.
Runa never moved beside me. Her fingers remained tight around mine.
Bees buzzed louder as a few came close, humming around our heads, investigating why we sat so motionless beside a raging fire in the height of day.
Time slipped slowly, and still nothing happened.
My spine began to ache; I longed for a drink.
Something splashed in the river, urging my eyes to open, beckoning me to dive into the cool refreshing depths and rinse away my sweat, but I gathered my determination and kept as still as I could.
I needed to know my name.
Once I knew that one thing, the rest would follow.
I will remember.
I was sure of it.
And this constant ache inside, this confusion and unsettling emptiness would be gone because I would finally know who I was.
Rolling my shoulders back, I tried to open myself up to the fire. I siphoned hope and eagerness through my limbs, accidentally calling forth shadows that seeped through my skin and licked around me. They touched me softly, letting me know they were there, even though I refused to open my eyes.
I hadn’t meant to summon them.
I still didn’t entirely know how I did, but with my eyes tightly shut, I felt the shades all the more keenly. I felt what they did. I shivered as they drifted over Runa, feathering down her arm and smoking over her hair.
My stomach knotted and desire sprang hot.
It was as if I’d touched her myself.
I froze as I sank deeper into the sensation, learning what I hadn’t understood before.
Runa had been right.
The shadows didn’t just appear when my emotions where heightened—they weren’t just a strange entity.
They were a part of me.
And all it took was single thought and the cloud of darkness shaped into finger-like precision, pressing a single stroke along Runa’s jaw.
She gasped.
The spark that always sprang when we touched sank into my blood. The lightning that always bolted from my heart to hers felt ten times stronger, a thousand times more potent.