Ben
“Ican’t believe we’re following a fucking cat,” I grumbled quietly to Asha as we nearly tripped over our feet in an effort to follow the lithe ball of grey fluff.
That cat was cantankerous on the best of days, with large, yellow eyes that held more intelligence than a normal cat. There was more than one occasion when I visited Faylinn for our more intimate meetings that I could feel him watching me from a corner, plotting my demise.
Fucking weird cat.
But there was no denying he was infallibly loyal to Faylinn. If anyone could find her, it would be Cotton.
Sol and Thandi stayed in the main hall of the Academy to help direct the cleanup efforts, leaving Asha and me to trail after the feline in hopes of finding Faylinn and maybe even our missing General.
The losses sustained in the Battle of Vespera were nothing short of staggering. The courtyard outside, once comprised of pristine grey stones, was now nearly unrecognizable. Bloody rivers ran through the streets, pooling at low points in the courtyard. Bodies were stacked haphazardly, divided and grouped based on affiliation. The stench of fresh death mingled in the stagnant early summer air with the rising plumes of smoke as the corpses of the gods’ sycophants were manually burned. More than one soldier sat listlessly, eyes fixed and unseeing; the psychological damage would be almost as heavy as the physical and damn near impossible to combat.
Sol did her best to fill the void left by both the General’s and Lex’sabsence, but it was incredibly clear that giving orders was not her forte. The cadets and soldiers followed because we needed leadership, but I had no doubt that the more opportunistic ones would see the power vacuum for what it was—an opportunity for renown.
Without the gentle yet firm hand of Rohak d’Alvey, I feared Vespera was lost.
And that didn’t account for the empty space left by King Alois d’Refan.
One thing at a time—find Faylinn, General d’Alvey, and Lex, then worry about Vespera.
Asha’s and my boots slipped on the inch of dust as we came to a hallway that was impassible—a giant fallen stone blocked the way, leaving a narrow hole that was just large enough for Cotton to slip through.
He sent a quick glance over his shoulder before crawling on his belly between the boulder and the wall.
“Fuck,” I muttered and ran my hands through my hair. There was no way past the unnaturally large obsidian block of stone—not unless I used my magic.
My eyes flicked to my Bonded, cataloguing the slump of her shoulders that rose slightly with each panted inhale. The bags under Asha’s eyes were puffy and dark, belaying the lack of sleep and overexertion we experienced over the last twenty-four hours. Exhaustion was written in every line of her face and the stiffness of her muscles.
But beneath it all was a desire to help. I could feel her want, herneed, to do the right thing—to follow Cotton wherever he was leading us—pulse through our Bond.
“They need us,”her voice whispered in my mind, a sweet wind that calmed the raging sea of doubt.
I exhaled loudly before grasping her by the elbow, pulling her into a tight embrace.
There was no need for words or empty explanations for my sudden need to feel her warm, soft body against mine. Asha could feel my riotous emotions, could sense the love and utter fuckingreliefI felt that we both made it through the battle alive when so many of our friends did not.
Her cold, thin hands worked the muscles along my spine as she pressed gentle kisses to my shoulder and jaw.
Asha sent a wave of calm through the Bond, telling me she loved me, that she was just as grateful as I was, but followed it with an urgency I couldn’t ignore.
“I want you to myself later,” I mumbled into her neck.
She nodded against me before drawing away and laying a sweet, chaste kiss against my lips.
“You always have me,” she admitted quietly.
My love for Asha was all-consuming; the Bond let us feel each other, mind, body, and soul, but even without it, I knew she was supposed to be mine.
My hands trailed down her arms to squeeze her fingers once before I released her, my inner thoughts quelled enough to think.
“You can pull from me, Ben. I’ll be okay.”
I grunted. No part of me wanted to use my magic. Not after nearly reaching our limits last night. Asha needed to rest before I drew that deeply again, but there was no other way around this situation.
“I’ll be gentle and only take what I need,” I promised. Her moss-green eyes locked with mine as she shot me a weak smile.
“I know,” Asha said simply as she laced our fingers together. As soon as our flesh connected, the Bond opened, and euphoria lanced through my veins as I gently tugged on the well of Earth Magic that resided in Asha’s soul. She was my perfect counterpart; the depth of her well matching the amount of power I could draw at once without burning out.
