The violet light swirling with the white mist of dawn had always felt like the very breath of magic to Celina. If the storytellers were to be believed, it was why the matching jewel tone had been selected as part of Calderre’s royal emblem long ago. The enchanting, powerful hue was an appropriate symbol for the realm.
History aside, Celina loved how it felt, how the mist teased her hair and whispered to her soul.
“Listen.”Her mother’s gentle voice touched her mind, bringing memory to life.Nurturing hands covered Celina’s eyes as she stood at the lake’s edge, sheltered by the mountains at the heart of the realm.
Her mother had ridden with her to the sacred place in the dark of night. Bare feet touching the damp sand of the lakeshore, they had stood and waited to greet the dawn, listening as the world rose from its slumber on the morning of the summer solstice.
“Listen with your heart, Celina, and you’ll always find the answers you seek. The earth and the ancestors will guide you on your way. Heed the magic. Choose each sunrise to be a protector, a leader, and a guide for our people. Choose each sunset to honor those to whom you are bound, and embrace them with love, never fearing the dark. Heed the light of your soul. Let it be bright as healing gold, strong as Rokan steel, and powerful as royal amethyst.”
Celina opened her eyes to see the most beautiful colors mixing together as the sun rose. Mist danced like rain across the lake, sweeping around them in an embrace, a moment of pure enchantment.
Tears clouded her vision as the memory swept through her. It was a tradition in their family, the royal family, to greet the sunrise at Grenada Lake on the solstice of each daughter’s tenth year as she transitioned out of childhood. Celina’s mother, heavily pregnant with Cat at the time, had roused her in the middle of the night two years earlier than planned for the rite of passage.
She suspected her mother had known, through her gift of premonition, that her time was near its end. She had taken both her daughters to the lake for the ritual, though one was yet to be born, passing down the wisdom from mother to daughters in the ancient way.
Celina had taken Cat during her tenth year and shared the memory and words from their mother, completing the tradition. She had been raw with emotion, both joyful and bereft at the absence she felt in a wholly different way than Cat did.
Their mother would be so proud of the young woman Cat had grown into, boldly striving for her place as a leader of their people. It was a relief to know that Cat could handle anything that came up while she was gone, allowing her to channel all her focus and energy on finding Connor.
Knowing they were hours away from beginning their journey in earnest lifted a weight from her shoulders.I promise I’ll find him, Mother. I’ll bring your son home.
The breeze rose, as if in answer to her oath, whipping the mist into a frenzy of lavender in the slowly awakening sky.
Sun eventually peeked through the gray clouds, voices of birds singing as the day lightened. It wouldn’t be enough to dry out the land, just tease them with a bit of warmth. It was, however, far better than riding in the rain, so she wasn’t going to complain.
Soon, they’d get their map and begin the next leg of their journey. She had to approach it like that—each piece a small accomplishment toward their end goals—otherwise she would drive herself crazy with worry. All she needed to do right now was get the map and head out. The rest would come.
“You’re up early. You should have woken me.” Rodric’s deep voice pulled her away from the view of dawn outside the windows.
“It’s my favorite time of day,” she admitted. “I love the meeting of colors. They’re lovely on their own, but together, at sunrise, they’re magnificent.”
She glanced over to find Rodric’s eyes on her, quietly watching her.
“Beautiful.” He brushed through her hair, gently running his fingers over her ear in the process. “Thank you for last night.”
Delightful tremors coursed through her at his touch. The man was dangerous to her senses. It was going to be hard to resist him.
She cleared throat. “Anytime.”
“I haven’t had a nightmare that bad in nearly a decade.” His eyes bored into hers as he dipped closer, causing a flutter of soaring wings in her stomach. “Thank you for being there, and for resisting using your magic to bring me out of it.”
“Your trust is important to me, Rodric.” Although he would have benefitted from it, she wasn’t about to break that trust by using her magic on him without his permission.
He tipped her head back and brushed his lips over hers in a feather-light, almost reverent, touch. The gentle touch sank into her skin and loosened all the tension within her, filling her with warm peace.
“Was that a thank-you kiss?” She smiled up at him.
Flecks of amusement danced in his eyes as he nodded. Running his fingers along her temple, he caressed her face, sliding his hands lightly through her hair, all the way down her head to her neck, brushing along her jaw. Breath caught in her throat, she kept his eyes as he canted his head again, the sweetness turning to passion the closer he came.
“This time is just because I want you.”
The warm press of his lips sent a wave of sparks through her, igniting every single nerve ending in her body, down to her toes. She stretched up to meet him, opening to let him in and tasting the promise of spiced heat.
“Oh, for the…”Sam’s annoyed voice sounded behind them as a door slammed, drawing her attention away from where she wanted it to be. “Weren’t you two needing a map this morning? Or are you just planning to deface my kitchen?”
She stared at Rodric as she answered, holding him hostage with her gaze. “Yep. Map. Be right there.”
A muttered curse floated after Sam as he exited the nook.
