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Lily racked her mind for a solution. She flicked glances to his arm then her hand, still trapped by his at her chest. “Um.” She wriggled her aura laden fingers. “I need this one.”
He frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“I can’t put it back without it, though.” By the way his brows continued to plummet, that did nothing to explain things. “Look”—she clenched her free hand into a fist and lifted it—“you can take this one if it makes you feel better, but I need my other hand.”
A shadow rose from the ground, constricted her wrist, and yanked it against the tree. “No tricks,” he warned.
A chill curled up her spine from the tendril tightening. “No tricks.”
He released her. Lily let herself breathe before hovering her hand over his arm. I’ll just give it back. That should work. By Ettan’s light, it’d better work!
The broken aura reached for her, sending electricity to her fingertips. She pressed her palm against the skin on his upper arm, urging the aura to return to its place. A hot, tingling sensation burned into her hand. She didn’t relent, pushing harder and pressing down on the entirety of the limb. The prickling peaked then vanished when she passed over his fingers. His shoulder shuddered, and he groaned.
The shadow holding her dissipated.
Lily wasted no time returning to her flight response, slinking around the tree and looking for Luka. She found him not far away, marooned on an island of blue in a sea of undulating shadows. The black ocean lapped at her ankles as she fumbled awkwardly across the field, placing herself between the man and Luka. He still hadn’t moved, busy studying his hand—lifting it high and flexing his fingers.
He finally spun to face them, bewildered. “What did you do?”
A perplexed laugh ripped from her throat. “What you asked for! I—” Lily’s heart sank when her gaze fell to her hand. The aura: it was still there. “I think…”
Even from this distance, she could see his chest rising and falling. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he started toward them, rolling his sleeve down to his elbow. “Congratulations, Evelian. In a matter of minutes, you’ve lost damn near all of the patience I had for you.”
The shadows around them seemed to quiver. “What do you want?” Lily asked.
“Now you’re interested?” He exhaled, shaking his head and dropping his hand to his thigh. “You returning to your hut and gathering your things. That’s what I want.”
“Why?”
“You’re in quite a bit of trouble, and I’m making sure the right people get a hold of you first.”
“The right… wh—what are you talking about?”
He stared at her. “Amalia. She wants you home.”
That drew a quiet gasp from her lungs. This—he—was Amalia’s doing? Why? How?
“But I’m warning you now,” he continued, “I was sent here for you, and you only.” His eyes locked onto hers, and Lily’s heart thumped in worry, but not for herself. “Keep the trouble to a minimum, and I’ll see to it you both reach the other side of the border alive. If not…”
Lily didn’t consider herself fragile in demeanor or stature. She was slight in build, yet taller than most women, but with him bearing down on them, she felt about as small as Luka.
“Well, that’s up to you, so I’d consider making a good choice. I don’t feel like killing anyone… today.”
Lily clenched her fists. “You touch him, and I’ll—”
As her anger was about to spill over, it evaporated. Her body relaxed, and her pulse lightened as if she were speaking to someone she knew and trusted. Her words were still her own, but there was that gods’ forsaken kindness in them she didn’t want to convey.
“—I’ll turn the very trace of your existence to dust before your bones can catch up.”
A chortle escaped through his teeth. “I’m counting on it.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Is he gone?”
Lily shushed Luka with a finger pressed to her lips.
Thick clouds obscured the stars above. True night had fallen, and the only thing leading them back to the cabin was their well-worn trail and Luka’s ability to see life in the living matter around them.
