I now knew from that red-haired girl what she had done, taken.
To Cynthia’s nauseating delight, I had been meeting with her whenever I could find the time. I wanted to understand why Morgana took those memories from me, why she wanted them hidden. Cynthia had been telling me about my past, at least what she knew of it, but I was still skeptical. Those flashes of memories I experienced were evidence enough, yetI kept fighting with my own mind about them. The more I delved into my memories, the more I noticed the gaps, the blocks of time that were missing, and it wasn’t just my childhood.
Mossy rocks appeared as the trees thinned around me. A cool breeze picked up, and the opening in the trees ahead became visible. I visited this outcropping almost every night since arriving. It was one of the first places I discovered, as if I were drawn here by some unseen force. I stumbled upon it by accident, and I was happy I had.
The cliff was so peaceful, so quiet… there was nothing like it in Velra. Everything there was dying. Even in the most desolate places, the stars in the night sky barely flickered. But here, in Nexia, the stars blazed brighter than I had ever seen.
The first time I found this cliff, I laid back on the flat boulder near its edge, and it felt as though the sky were consuming me. The stars stretched around me until they were all I could see. It was safe. So, I returned the next night, and the next. I wanted to cherish the stars while they still shined.
Morgana would soon dim them, just as she had in Velra, and guilt and sadness coursed through me at that thought.
A twig snapped somewhere in the distance, and my muscles locked. I strained my ears, listening for the source of the sound. The faint crunch of footsteps on the forest floor reached me, and I cursed under my breath, ducking behind the nearest tree. I twisted silently, peering around the rough bark of the large oak, scanning the darkened woods.
Shadows played across the forest floor, as if welcoming whoever approached. The footsteps drew nearer, and the silhouette of a tall, muscular man began to emerge. My magic was already swirling around me, ready for me to slip away,but a feeling deep inside urged me to stay, to observe. My shadows dissipated, and I held my breath as the man moved through the trees, heading towards the very cliff I had been making for. Had he arrived just ten minutes later, he would have seen me there.
The thought sent me crouching low, grateful for the fortunate timing.
Whoever the male was, he was dressed entirely in black, and it made it difficult to track him through the dense trees. He merged too seamlessly with the shadows, as if they were as much a part of him as they were of me. Moonlight filtered through the trees, offering fleeting glimpses of his form. My gaze fell upon his chest, a sliver of which was visible above the collar of a silken shirt. He was broad-shouldered, and a deep indentation suggested significant strength. But what was he doing out here in the woods? At my cliff?
I winced at the possessive thought, but I couldn’t deny I wished to claim it for myself.
Twin blades glinted over his shoulders, and I raised an eyebrow at how heavily armed he was. His footsteps grew louder, and my breath hitched as he stepped into the full moonlight. His back was to me, but the sight of him made my pulse quicken.
My gaze lingered on his ass, and the sound of metal clashing together snapped me out of my daze. He had thrown his swords to the ground, and I nearly fell from being startled, catching myself by gripping a nearby branch.
The branch rustled, and I saw him stiffen, having heard me.
I froze, not daring to move or even breathe, as the man turned towards me.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw his face. He was gut-wrenchingly handsome, like some sort of ancient god peering out at me through the trees. Long lashes framed burning emerald eyes, and his hair was raven black, save for a single white streak falling over his brow. A chiseled jaw tightened as his gaze swept toward me, and I pulled my shadows around me, camouflaging myself into the surrounding.
He radiated power. Every line of his stance, the practiced way he surveyed the tree line, marked him as a warrior. My attention slid to his forearm as he dragged a hand through his hair—corded muscle flexing beneath his skin. A vine-like tattoo coiled up his right arm, disappearing beneath his shirt; a hint of it visible along his chest.
Abandoning his search, he seemed to sigh heavily and turned, striding towards the cliff's edge. He left his weapons abandoned on the ground, unbothered at being disarmed. I wondered if this place made him feel safe, also.
Annoyance sparked as he claimed my boulder, settling back with his arms folded behind his head. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. I could fight him for it, use my magic, push him off the cliff. I sighed. No, unfortunately, that would only create problems...though the urge to just roll him off the edge was hard to resist.
Instead, I looked past him and up at the sky. The moon hung high, mingling with thousands of stars scattered across a tapestry of deep blues and purples, but my gaze drifted back to the dark, brooding male stretched across that rock.
An overwhelming urge to go near him washed over me again, and I couldn’t help but frown at the sensation. It felt like a pull, a sharp tug at my core. It was as if whatever it was wanted me to show myself, to go to him.
The male still hadn’t noticed I was here, and he looked so still, almost like a statue, and I wondered if he would even notice if I approached. What would he do? Would he attack? Or would he allow me to lie next to him, to share in the glittering expanse above? Would he question why I was there? Or would he understand?
My pulse was thrumming in my ears. Why was I still here? Watching. Why hadn't I shadowed away yet?
I could have sworn I saw the edge of his lips turn up, and something inside me fluttered.
I blinked, realizing I had moved from my position behind the tree and was now standing at the forest's edge.
What was I doing?
I took a step backward, or I had meant to. Instead, I found myself taking another step forward, toward the dark and brooding male on that boulder. One more step and he would have been alerted I was here. He would see me, and why did I want him to?
I was losing my mind. I was—
“Interesting,” a voice purred, piercing through my skull. Pain erupted, and I was summoned, sucked inward.
My gaze snapped forward as a twig broke under my foot. Shadows gathered around me, and I saw him jump to his feet. But I had already vanished.
