"I grew up in these mountains. Basic survival knowledge is part of our education."
"Along with how to fight off Shedun attacks?"
I tensed at the reference to that night. "All Elucians are trained to defend themselves from a young age, but what I did that night wasn't part of the curriculum. It was just survival."
We walked in silence for a while, the only sounds Alar's footsteps and the distant drip of water. The passage widened into a small chamber where mineral deposits had formed delicate columns that seemed to glow in the torchlight.
"It's beautiful," Alar murmured, reaching out to touch one of the formations.
"Be careful," I warned. "Some of these took thousands of years to form."
He drew his hand back. "Sorry. I'm not accustomed to being in nature." He gestured at our surroundings. "We have nothing like this in Vedona."
There was something in his voice—a longing or regret—that made me look at him more closely. "Do you miss it?"
"Parts of it." He leaned against the wall, his expression thoughtful. "But the truth is that I always felt restless in the city. It was like I was destined for something else."
I smiled. "Of course. You dreamt of becoming a dragon rider."
He met my eyes, and even in the dim light, I could see the conflict in his gaze. "I felt compelled by the desire to soar through the sky, but also a duty to explore my potential." He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I needed a change of pace." He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Sometimes duty and desire mesh well together, but sometimes they collide."
His fingers lingered against my cheek, and I found myself leaning into his touch before I could stop myself. "What does that mean?"
"It means that I shouldn't be here with you right now," he said softly. "But I can't help the pull I feel toward you."
My heart thundered in my chest as he stepped closer, his other hand coming up to cup my face. I knew I should step back, put distance between us, but my body refused to move.
"Alar..." His name came out as barely a breath.
"Tell me to stop," he murmured, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone. "Tell me we shouldn't."
"We shouldn't." But I was already lifting my face to his, drawn by that same magnetic pull I'd felt by the stream. "It's not allowed. We can get kicked out of the pilgrimage for this. Or worse…" And yet, I didn't pull away; if anything, I came closer and lifted my lips to his in a blatant invitation.
This time, there was no one to interrupt us, and as his lips met mine, it was with infinite gentleness that made my heart ache, a soft exploration that quickly deepened into something more urgent.
I felt him pull the torch from my hand, and then I found myself pressed against the cave wall, with my hands fisting his shirt.
He kissed me like a man drowning, like he was trying to memorize every moment, every sensation. And I kissed him back with equal desperation, knowing this shouldn't be happening and that it could never happen again, but unable to stop myself from wanting it now.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily, and then reality came crashing back. I pushed away from the wall, away from him, my lips still tingling and my chest tight with regret.
"We shouldn't have," I said, hating how shaky my voice sounded. "This can't happen again."
"Kailin..." He reached for me, but I stepped back.
"Are you angry at me?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I wanted this as much as you did, and we've both sinned. I just hope Elu will forgive our momentary loss of reason and won't punish us."
A smile lifted his lips. "I'm sure Elu will understand and forgive."
I snorted. "Elu is not like Elurion. He punishes sinners, sometimes severely. It's not wise to anger him."
Alar leaned toward me. "I'm sure it wasn't Elu's rule to forbid food and other bodily pleasures on this pilgrimage. Those are human rules."
Normally, I wouldn't have argued with that because I believed the same, but given how perilous our journey was, I wasn't keen on taking chances. "Even if you are right about that, and I'm not saying that you are, you're leaving after the pilgrimage and going back to Vedona. Our paths will diverge whether we like it or not."
The only possible exception was both of us making it to the Dragon Force, but that was so unlikely that it wasn't even worth mentioning.
