She turned as if the conversation were over.
“Did you know he was taking our citizens?” I called after her.
Her steps slowed, but she didn’t face me. “Do you know for certain that he is?”
And then she was gone, leaving me alone.
41
ARIANA
Isat in a field on the edge of the border while Rain indulged on grass several yards away. The night did not seem so dark under the light of the white moon. I wondered what Erik would be like under such power. He always seemed in control. Everything intentional. Would he become more free-spirited?
That was if he actually showed.
Since the treaty guarding against border crossing was no longer in effect, there was a possibility that he may no longer protect the boundary. I sighed, searching for any sign of movement ahead.
Minutes passed, bleeding into an hour, and then another. The morning sun was likely to rise sometime soon, and I was losing faith that he would ever appear.
Was all of this just a waste of time?
Movement at the edge of the woods snagged my attention, and I jumped to my feet. Someone or something stirred amongst the trees, close enough for me to notice but not for me to make out what it was. A breeze blew from my back, carrying my scent in their direction. If they had not heard or seen me yet, theyundoubtedly smelled me now if they were Lysian. Whatever it was stopped, and the night turned incredibly still. I took a tentative step back, away from the forest, wondering if I made a mistake in coming here.
I was prepared to bolt in Rain’s direction when another movement drew my attention. A Lysian stepped out into the clearing, dark eyes focused on me.
Erik.
I nearly sighed in relief.
He stood there for what felt like eternity before slowly closing the distance between us, though there was nothing casual in his movements. I was used to him being quick when he was so alert. This was almost worse. It gave me time to watch as he drew nearer, a predator taking its time, closing in on its prey. My heart jackknifed in my chest.
I took a small step back in apprehension, and it was an effort not to take more to keep the distance between us from shrinking further. I had come to see him. He will not harm me,I told myself. Edda would not have allowed me to go if she saw it as dangerous. I said these things to myself to quiet my growing nerves.
Erik stalked closer. His focus remained entirely on me. When I stepped back, his gaze tracked my movement before finding my eyes once more, pinning me with his stare.
“Hi,” I managed to say.
He stilled. Standing under a beam of moonlight, as if the Spirit itself had blessed him with eternal light. The sight of him was breathtaking.
“Why have you come here?” His voice was cold, distant.
Squaring my shoulders, I kept my chin lifted. “I have been working on what you said to.”
Erik’s head tilted to the side inquisitively. I did not need to elaborate, for he understood what I meant. Without twitching asingle finger, flames came from the ground, but instead of circling around us, they formed a line between us.
Without moving a muscle in my hands, the energy of my power flowed through me. I harnessed it, condensing it, sending it out towards the flames. Fire hissed when mist intermingled with it. Sending more of my strength towards it, I focused on the flames, and soon they shrank in size before disappearing into smoke altogether.
A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Appears you have been learning. However, you still let me get too close.”
“I am not a threat to you,” I said. For the only reason he would have been one to me was if he thought I was one first. Erik was not a monster that killed for sport. Reason controlled his actions. At least on normal nights.
Without responding, he continued moving forward, further closing the distance until we stood just out of reach of one another. His scent enveloped me, a heady mix of earth and fire that made my head spin. It was not until that moment that I realized I missed the smell of him. What an odd thing to realize.
Eyes so blue they looked like deep dark pools in the night, lifted to the moon. “Why have you come here?” he asked, attention dropping to me. Again, his tone was uncomfortably cold. His broad shoulders remained tense.
I bristled. “I couldn’t have simply wanted to see you?” The reason for my presence did not shadow the fact that I alsowantedto see him. Over the past few weeks, my thoughts often slipped towards him. I was curious to know what he thought of how I took my freedom back, of my being a conjuror.
“You should not have come.” His gaze flickered to my throat. “It’s dangerous.” Those eyes then drifted down my body before rising to meet mine once more. Predacious power circled him. A vortex of energy that pressed into me. The night made him feelmore menacing. Or had I forgotten what being around him felt like?
