Page 39 of A Cruel Kindness

Thankfully, I had the excuse of rapidly taking in my new reality. A planet I’d only heard tales of, yet was now firmly beneath my feet.

Beautiful was the first thought to come to mind.

I didn’t think we had anything like this in the wide range of climates on Vir. This was something entirely unique. Special.

The air was crisp and clean, so much so it almost burned to breathe in. We were standing in somewhat of a meadow, with soft, bright green grass that brushed my mid-calf. Wildflowers bloomed across the entire expanse of land, dotting my vision with bursts of color.

Behind the meadow, tall, strong mountains rose from the ground, coming together in snow-capped peaks. The sun was shining bright, brighter than I’d ever felt it.

I was used to seeing it high in the sky, but not this big. It made everything look sharper, more impactful.

“Welcome to Muliterra, princess,” Soren said, whispering the words close to my ear. My heart seized in my throat, the soft caress of his voice against the shell of my ear lighting a fire across my skin.

I turned to him slowly, dreading what I’d find when our eyes connected for the first time on this planet.

My head rose first, my eyes staying down for a second before I blinked up and collided with Soren’s gaze. I didn’t think he looked any different.

It was me who felt different.

Something had happened to us when we Crossed. There had always been a constant, if not mildly threatening, undercurrent of awareness from the Bond. It felt like a standard comfortableness in his presence. Not something I actively craved, and really should never want, but was just always there, never managing to irritate me.

Now that feeling had bloomed into an all out want.

My heartbeat kicked up, urgency pumping in my limbs to make sure that he was safe, that he was right next to me, that he was within arm's reach.

God damnit.

I tried to reach for that rage and annoyance that felt so easy to access, for the lie I told myself that I really did find it annoying when he watched me with a singular focus whenever I was sparring someone.

I’d messed up more than I cared to admit from that stare.

Soren blinked, reminding me that I had spent a considerable number of seconds simply staring at him.

Though when I pulled back slightly, I realized that he was staring at me, too.

And that his arm was banded around my back, pulling me flush to his chest.

His gaze fell to the hollow between my collarbones before climbing back up my face, snagging briefly on the space between my nose and chin.

When he reached my eyes again and found me lucid, he took a slow step back. “Well,” he drawled, a grin blooming on his face. “At least you didn’t throw up. You look a little rattled, though.”

“That was quite the journey,” I tried to joke, but my voice was void of all humor. I sounded far too serious. Even … breathy.

Soren chuckled under his breath. “Get used to it. First of many.”

Releasing me quickly, Soren took off away from the Bridge.

I ran after him, forced to confront the rest of my surroundings. The cave we’d stepped out of was actually the lowest point of the surrounding area. The camp in front of me rose on a gentle slope, doing the same on the other side of the valley where the cave sat, quickly constructed wooden buildings and tents scattered through the greenery.

I could hear the bubbling, crashing sounds of a river somewhere, and my gaze snagged on a few wooden bridges off to my left. My eyes drifted further to a long structure—stables, I’d imagine.

I didn’t even think I was blinking as I tried to absorb everything as quickly as possible. Soren was stomping up the hill towards a massive wooden structure, the only building that looked like it had been constructed without haste.

I picked up my pace to catch up with Soren while my focus remained on the smattering of small buildings dotting the hillside and trickling into the thick forest behind. There were tents and small cabins, and I imagined those cabins were reserved for the longer serving—

“Oh!” I gasped, though it was really more of a garbled sound of surprise as I tripped over an exposed root on the ground, stumbling forward. I managed to regain my composure and stay standing moments before I tipped over and earned a face full of mud.

“I knew it was going to be the fucking branches,” Soren bit out, the venom in his tone making me straighten on instinct.