“Come here,trouble,” he kisses the top of my hair, “remove it from your mind. We can talk about it later tonight.”
I sigh and lean into his shoulder with a nod, resting my head against his chest.
He’s right.
I need to remove my thoughts from the Ancient right now, need to push back everything Elena said so that I can focus on what’s happening right in front of me. Tonight, at the last moment of our perfect dinner, is not the place to be thinking of them.
But I can’t.
I can’t stop my thoughts from roaming to Hirovale, to the tall and alluding Ancient who has watched me at my most intimate moments and graces me with his presence whenever he deems. He’s always been too casual with me, too at ease with himself and his interactions with me.
Why?
Because he’s in love with you.
The words burn again, this time more forcefully.
No.
How can he be?
It wouldn’t even make sense.
I barely feel like I know him, so how can he think he knows me?
No.
Elena is wrong.
If Hirovale is in love, then I truly believe it’s from what I can give him. He wants to remake the Old World, and he knows he can’t do that without me.
But I still feel the pull of those words deep in my soul, the force of them rocking my heart in confusion. I want clarity. Want to know why he set his sights on me. He’s always been so casual when he commands my direction, as if knowing it’s only going to go in one way.
I don’t realize I’m standing in my chair now, my heart pounding in my chest as I pin Stormfall with a glare.
Take me to him, Storm.
The Bird of Ash extends his wings immediately without even looking at me, pushing himself off the table as I hastily make an excuse to the group in goodbye. I avoid Keane’s gaze and the rest of the curious glances around me, all of them stuck in confusion as they watch me swiftly walk through the café.
I nearly begin to run down the stairs, gripping the railing as I swing my body around the last step and back down the path to the main road. Keane’s location summoning pushes against me hard, gripping at my chest, but I just look around for Stormfall and sprint towards him heading to the park. My heart pounds in my run, knowing that Keane is right behind me.
Let me have a few words with him, first, I cry to Storm ahead, running faster towards the Bird of Ash.
Stormfall’s yellow eyes meet mine before he extends his wings and soars deeper into the park, gliding down a small walking path.
I continue to sprint heavily behind him, watching him soar to a tall tree before he turns his head sharply and looks down the path beyond. The air is thick there, moving along the cobblestone trail quickly, so I deliberately hasten my steps towards it until I feel the cool air wrap around my heated body in comfort.
“You couldn’t let it be, Alex…”
His calm voice booms forward in the night, surrounding me from all directions as I stop in my tracks.
“Show yourself, Hiro.”
I bend over to catch my breath and look out into the darkness.
Hirovale steps onto the path tall and proud, clad in his deep grey tunic that has no sleeves. The top accentuates his lean and toned arms that move at his sides, even moreso when he lifts his black wrist in front of him and the thick air of the park rises higher around the two of us. His hair falls gracefully over his face, black and waving, resting on his shoulders perfectly as he turns his body straight onto the path to greet me. His smile is small, definitely amused, but his eyes…
Ancients,those eyes.
