I grunt once. “Got a blanket you can lend?”
He hesitates, then dismounts, throwing a neatly folded wool blanket in my direction. I slide it between Eliza and the pommel, giving her a cushion.
He tips his hat, leading his horse sideways to let us pass.
As we go by, I say, “Ash, thank you.”
“You’re family,” he says. “Whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t,” I grumble. But his words still put a lump in my throat.
We ride past him into the mist, shrouded by the mountains, disappearing into the wilderness.
The pulse is between us now. In her flesh. In mine.
One beat, like a shared pulse. Like something that can’t be separated no matter how we try.
As if nature’s already bonded us… or maybe the mountains.
Not abomination.
Stabilization.
Like what I felt between Ash and his woman, doubled back, concentrated into something I never want to let go.
No matter what it costs.
I look up through the emerald grid of tree branches, catching slivers of open periwinkle and swathes of billowing clouds.
My fear remains the same. That whatever this is could have consequences far beyond government men. Or even the aliens listening from the Starborn.
I fear it could be a beacon to a homeworld I’ve never known.
One that will never truly belong to me but could bring the pain of my father’s sin squarely down on my head and Eliza’s.
The glyphs pulse beneath my skin. Pleading, justifying, communicating what I can’t.
If I move even an inch, I won’t be able to hold back.
Chapter
Twenty
KAEL
Eliza slips in and out of consciousness as we ride deeper into the woods, vanishing beneath the mountains’ shadows.
Her arms slacken, head resting heavy against my chest each time she drifts off, her breath warm and lazy through the fabric of my shirt.
At first, it scares me. “Stay with me, boss,” I say, helpless to do more. I hesitate, tempted to turn around, ride her back into civilization and a hospital.
“Primrose,” my voice cracks. “I can’t lose you now.”
Her head bobs up, eyes blinking slowly. “Why are we stopped?”
“Because I need to know. Are you sick? Did they hurt you?”
She shakes her head, eyes drooping. “No, but they wouldn’t let me sleep. I haven’t in days.”
