Only whence she burns will she be free…
For whatever reason, the Seer had given him a warning. He had to heed it. If being a slave protected Yavi from her fate, then he didn’t care how many years he was chained.
Von buried his dejection and smoothed out his expression as he looked at her. “Nothing will happen, for I won’t break my vow. Ever. This is the last time we will speak of it.”
His tone was cold and firm. The first and only command he’d given her. Yavi’s face fell in crushing disappointment, and he felt a divide cut between them. She was going to say more, but then ran to vomit behind a cluster of bushes.
“Yavi.” He rubbed her back as she heaved until her stomach emptied. “Are you all right?”
She flicked his hand away and wiped her mouth. “Leave me be. Disputing this with you has made me sick. I’m tired of it.”
They had argued over the subject of his servitude for two years, but this was different. His betrayal had formed a crack in their marriage, and his decision fractured it further. He saw it in the way she looked at him with disgust. One day they would completely break apart, and any love she had for him would vanish.
Yavi walked away, and panic fired through him. Von reached for her, but she slipped through the trees, falling out of reach. Each step speared him as he watched her go. And he couldn’t help but feel she was leaving more than the forest behind.
Chapter 51
Cassiel
Cassiel’s knife cleaved through the air. Dyna mirrored him where she stood in front of him. The blade was a part of her, fused with her hand. With her enchanted armor and silver jacket, she moved with grace. Not flawless and far from perfect, but smooth like the branches of the willow tree behind her, flowing with the wind. The enchanted leather armor fit her perfectly, pairing with the enchanted jacket. They moved in synchronization on the edge of a short crag within Willows Grove. Each step was calculated, every swing measured. Neither of them stopped when a gentle rain fell. Not once did they look away from each other. They were aligned at this moment.
Made one by the edge of a blade.
Something stirred inside of him. The feeling grew as the bond burned in such a way it scorched through every part of his being, seeping into his mind and to the depths of his soul. She gasped, and they stopped moving at the same time. Cassiel clutched his chest as his rapid breaths clouding in the air. His heart thudded uncontrollably, the heat inside of him growing so strong it hurt.
Numbness took over his trembling body. Dyna’s legs wobbled, and she stumbled. Cassiel reached for her, but she quickly stepped back. He sensed she didn’t want to be touched. She must burn the same as him. He retreated further, needing space like he needed air. They were outside in the chilly weather, yet a heat pressed into him. Dragging a ragged breath in, he closed his eyes. Eventually, his body cooled, and he sighed in relief.
“Cassiel?” she murmured, the word sounding almost reverent. “What was that?”
He shook his head. Something had happened. Something changed. Again.
Dyna dropped her knife at the same time he did, and he pulled her to him, holding her to his chest. “I feel I should say I’m sorry …” he murmured. “For many things. For hurting you.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Dyna said faintly.
He should let her go. If Zev found them like this, he’d probably suffer a broken bone, or worse. Dyna’s apprehension filtered through the bond. She worried about the same thing, but Cassiel couldn’t make himself move yet. He would risk it a little longer.
They stood still on edge of Willows Grove, listening to the birds and the trickle of a nearby stream. Rawn and Zev had left an hour ago to scout ahead for the largest willow where Leoake may be. But the Druid had slipped through their fingers too many times that he didn’t expect they would find him now. It was about time he accepted what he had done and take responsibility for it.
“I think it is time I speak with Zev,” Cassiel murmured.
She stared at him incredulously. “If we tell him, he would probably attempt to strangle you.”
“I have no reason to hide. I had no ill intention. If I could find the means to explain, he may understand.”
“Yet you didn’t think I would understand?” Dyna asked, stepping away. She crossed her arms, and the light gleamed on the silver leaves of the enchanted jacket. “You lied to me because I’m a stupid human.”
He rubbed his forehead. “No.”
“Then, why? Because you thought I’d complain? Cry? Because you thought I’d blame you? Or because you wanted nothing to do with a human?”
“You are assuming.”
“And you’re not explaining.” Dyna picked up her bow where it rested on the ground with their belongings. After slipping on her archery gloves and quiver, she loaded the bow with an arrow and moved to the center of the clearing, aiming at a tree twenty yards away. “Why did you lie to me? Are you ashamed of what they would think of you in Hilos?”
Cassiel clenched his jaw. “I already know what they think of me.”
He lined up close behind her to pull back her shoulders and lifted her elbow, correcting her form. She released the arrow and it skimmed the tree trunk. Archery had been more difficult for her to learn, but she was improving.
