His throat bobbed. “He made me, Leela. Iblees made me, and now I’m here with you. Your friend. Your companion. You need me. But when Araz is free, when he returns, what will become of me? What will my purpose be?”
My chest tightened. Oh gods, of course he was worried. Why hadn’t I considered this for him? “C’ael, you’ll still be my friend. I’ll still want to spend time with you.”
His gaze flicked to the bed, and comprehension bloomed in my mind. “Yes, some things will change. Boundaries will shift, but our closeness here”—I placed my palm to his chest—“will always stay the same.”
His eyes grew misty. “You’ll still care?”
My eyes heated, a lump forming in my throat. “Of course.”
He leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. “Friends no matter what?”
“Friends no matter what.”
He smiled and pulled back. “Now we should really get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.”
I trailed to the bed in his wake, my heart still tight from our conversation. He turned down the sheets and looked back at me with a grin, and a pang lanced through my chest. C’ael mattered. More than I’d like to admit.
The storm continuedto beat down on the island, the dark clouds so low that they’d swallowed the top of the mountain. Thank goodness the temple wasn’t at the summit. The rain was now sleet, the ground covered in a thin layer of frost and ice.
We climbed slowly, keeping far from the edge of the winding path that led up to the temple. The wind hit us in wrathful gusts, desperate to throw us off the path. Jasha took the lead, his powerful frame acting as a shield and taking the brunt of the elements. C’ael made up the rear, his hand on the small of my back as if afraid that I’d slip at any moment.
I’d made this journey once, with Araz. A nighttime jaunt with the stars for company and Araz’s body heat for warmth. My stomach contracted at the memory of him. Of being with him. My eyes heated in defiance of the chill. I blinked back sharp tears, forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other despite the fact that my limbs felt like blocks of ice.
The coat Bhartina had loaned me was meant to be waterproof, but water had found its way in, trickling down my neck in an icy caress. The lower half of my face was warm beneath a scarf, and leather gloves kept my hand from freezing. Jasha was similarly dressed, but C’ael had declined the offer of warmer attire, saying he didn’t feel the chill like everyone else.
Lightning danced across the sky, cutting across storm clouds to bathe the gloomy settlement below in hues of silver and blue. It died, leaving the world awash in the gray light of dawn.
Another flash, this one so bright it stung my eyes.
Crack.
Jasha bellowed, falling back, his foot landing wrong. He slipped, arms windmilling as he tried to fight the fall.
I grabbed his arm, yelping as his weight made to drag me down with him. C’ael snagged me around the waist, hauling me back against his chest. I tugged Jasha to safety with me, wrapping one arm around his waist.
Fuck.
I took a beat, forehead pressed to his bicep, as my heart thundered loud enough to rival the storm.
The sky roared as if enraged at being denied a casualty, and a moment later, the pelting sleet stopped, leaving us to the mercy of belting wind.
“We need to move,” C’ael said.
I nodded, looking up to find Jasha watching me with an indecipherable expression. I released him, and we continued up the narrow path for a moment before Jasha came to a halt.
“Path is gone!” he yelled over the howling wind. “Lightning.”
I peered around him. The spot where a path should have been was now an empty, scorched space. The lightning that had almost knocked Jasha off the mountain must have hit here.
It was too wide a gap to jump. I studied the rock face between the ledges. “I can climb across.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Jasha said.
“I can do it.”
He glanced back at the rock face, then turned to me, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he studied me for several beats. He must have seen the determination in my eyes because he nodded curtly. “You follow my lead.”
My exhale warmed the scarf around my mouth. “C’ael, you can get across if you teleport.”
