“Wow, you two must have made up your differences.”
“Getting there.” Rodric raised a brow at her. “You dropped me into quite a whirlwind here.”
“Yes, I did.” She tipped her chin just slightly, standing by her decision that he’d needed the push.
His eyes bored into hers, a slight reprimand mixed with amusement. “I didn’t appreciate it. But I see why you did it. What did you call yourself last night? Defiant and tenacious? I might add stubborn to the list.”
“Think you can handle that?” She raised her own eyebrow in challenge.
Strong fingers settled on her neck, his thumb moving seductively over her throat. Gentle pressure brought her forward until she was close enough to feel the warmth of his breath. Close enough to lean up and kiss him. He dipped his head down, dark eyes lightening to a softer, brighter green as he met hers.
“Yes.”
Her heart fluttered at the deep resonance of his voice, and she fought to focus. Holding her still, he let his forehead rest against hers, his thumb still tracing over her neck. She let her palm rest over his heart, savoring the building connection.
A spark of emotion soared through her, soft golden fireworks lighting up her heart.Home.The word flitted from the depths of her mind, weaving around her innermost being. The moment of knowing was as quick as it was beautiful, filling her with awe. Magic pulsed in her core, energetically swirling inside her as the desire to touch his lifeforce filled her.
Not yet.She held herself back, fighting the instinct. He was wary around magic, and she wanted to give him time to adjust, to know her and trust her, before she made that connection between them. He wasn’t close to being ready.
Reverently, he kissed the top of her head, the feeling running through her very bones.
Turning his head so his lips brushed her loose hair once again, he whispered in her ear, “Lead the way, Celina. I’ll follow you.”
Together, they crossed into the sunlight, the first steps toward their mission.
Stormcloudsdarkenedthesky as they rode away from the Refugee Center, mirroring the turmoil Rodric felt. Old memories of grief haunted him as they fled through the forest, making him push Zora faster, away from the pain.
“Rodric!”
Jerking Zora to a stop, he whipped his head back toward Celina, who slowed Dahlia to a walk as she rode up to him.
“Trying to outrun something?” she asked.
He clenched his jaw, blocking the path of the grief and fear that crested. Celina’s gaze deepened at his silence, her eyes filling with compassion. His heart tumbled as he fell into her turquoise gaze, and he fought to regain stable ground. He didn’t want her healer’s compassion to turn to pity. The need to run started to churn again.
“I’m fine,” he gritted out.
Celina’s lips pursed in disbelief, but she didn’t argue with him. “Okay. We’re almost there. Why don’t you let me lead?”
He nodded, picking up a matching pace as he followed her through the sparse trees. Surprise pummeled him at the torrent of wind that gusted. He’d let his emotions drive him into zoning out more than he realized. The only other person he’d done that with was Sev, who he trusted at his back. A feeling of rightness moved and settled in his chest as he moved to ride beside Celina.
“Tell me more about this mapmaker we’re going to see.”
“Sam is the son of my mentor, Althea. Her mate Barnabus is one of the realm’s finest mapmakers. Sam… assists him… with the maps that are made for the Lightning Forces. Few people know that Sam helps with the creation of those particular maps. It’s highly classified information that I know for personal reasons.” She smiled in satisfaction.
“It was a sneaky way to give us the information we need,” he admitted.
Their conversation with Morgan had been interrupted by a lackey belonging to Commander Varice—the very person Celina told them had lied about Connor’s fate. Morgan’s ire had grown stormy at that news. He’d hustled them out of the office with some sly comments to Celina about visiting the Silvan family.
“Sam isn’t military, so he isn’t bound by the same protocols. And one of his maps is better than any location Morgan might have identified.”
“Why are Sam’s maps so special? And why would it be a secret?” Mapmaking seemed like a benign trade skill to hide.
“You’ll see.” Celina’s glittered mischievously. “Sam is a very close friend. It was a good guess of Morgan’s that I already knew about Sam’s unique affinity for mapmaking. I spent a lot of time at Rosewood Keep growing up.”
“Because Althea was your mentor?”
Celina glanced at him, uncertainty straining her features. “I came into my magic young, Rodric. Too young. Althea mentored me exclusively for a while until I learned control.”
