The wind picks up, pressing hard against me.
That’s when I pull her into my arms.
Not halfway.
I lift her off the ground. She gasps, but I cut it off, taking her mouth hard.
She tastes of ozone. And thirst. And peace.
The first goddamn peace I’ve had in days.
Rain slides between us, mouths tangling, breathing each other’s breath. Her arms circle my neck, her legs tightening around my waist as I walk her backwards, pressing her gently against the blackened rocks she loves more than this world.
The resonance crashes through me, like the gusts of wind slamming into me. I try to shelter her against them, the way my back does the storm. But she presses into me harder with each throb until I feel her heart thudding against my chest.
When we finally break, gasping, I rest my forehead against hers, gulping air. Leaning against her so I don’t pass out.
“God,” she hisses, mossy eyes staring up at me. “What is this?” Raindrops line her thick black lashes, her bobbed hair damp and curling at the ends.
“Resonance,” I answer. The world narrows around me to hum and truth. The things I can no longer hide—or fight. “Like the hum that vibrates through the mountains, where my ancestors come from. But stronger… so much stronger.”
“Ancestors?” her forehead creases.
“Sentinels. The Ancients. Not from here.” I nod toward the sky, not knowing how else to say it.
“Aliens?”
“Don’t know for sure. Not human.”
“Thenyou’renot human?” she asks, eyes darkening.
I shake my head. “Hybrid… half blood, if that.” I pull back, eyes searching hers. Silently asking the words I can’t make myself say.
“Not possible,” she laughs, incredulous.
“No?” I ask darkly.
Her gaze drops, her sigh long and ragged.
“You’re my grandfather’s friend,” she repeats, eyes dropping to my mouth again. “I shouldn’twantthis.”
My throat thickens, lungs stopped cold.
“But it’s all I want,” she confesses.
I don’t wait, crashing into her again. No longer controlled. Discipline hanging by one frayed thread as I sweep into her mouth.
I still half expect her to fight me. Come to her senses. Maybe it’s what I want.
Instead, her fingers curl into my collar, drawing me so hard against her it hurts.
My senses feel sharper, completely attuned to her now. Like the entire world has faded around us.
Breath. Heat. Pulse.
Warmth builds between us to the boiling point. Her hands go to my shirt, frantically tugging at the buttons. They give way easily, rain hitting my bare chest.
But if I take her… the way every part of me wants to?
