She tried to speak, but her voice was trapped somewhere in her chest. Her stone, scalding scalded the tender skin on her palms. The large cat’s gaze moved down to the pulsing orb in her chest, then to the light that radiated from her stone. It bared its teeth and then relaxed, smoothing the wrinkles in its snout. The animal cocked its head. Its small, perked ears made it look as if it were curious.
“Good job on the fire pit.” Zanya spun around and jumped to her feet. Arwan must have seen her panicked expression because he immediately dropped the firewood and ran to her side. “What happened?”
She pointed to the bushes where the large cat had stood just a moment ago. Now only shadows loomed in the empty space. Arwan must have scared it away. “There was a—wait!” She spun and pointed to the branch where the owl was perched, but the bird, too, was no longer there. “First it was a—it was right there!” She turned back to the bushes and surveyed the empty space. “It was some kind of cat. Maybe a cheetah or something. It had spots.”
Arwan grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. “Where?”
“There.” She pointed to the empty space where small plants lay crushed into the soil by the beast’s paw.
“What else?”
“An owl. It was huge.” She pointed to the tree. “Right there. It was all white with some caramel feathers on its face and dark eyes.” She drew in a sharp breath. “What if the big cat comes back? Maybe we should sleep in the trees or something.” She gathered her sleeping bag off the ground and hugged it against her chest. She wasn’t Steve freakin’ Irwin. She didn’t jump on gators or tame snakes. She certainly didn’t sit face-to-face with a predator that considered her a snack.
“Sleeping in a tree isn’t a good idea.”
“What? Why?” She clung tighter to her sleeping bag while she scanned the jungle. “At least it would keep us off the ground.”
“Because it was a jaguar, and they drag their prey into the trees to eat. At least normal jaguars do.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean ‘normal’?”
“‘Normal’ as in middleworld.”
“Middleworld? You don’t think they’re from here?”
The possibility that the jaguar wasn’t from this realm seemed ten times worse than it being just an ordinary jaguar on the hunt. Especially after being attacked by the demon from the caves near Renato’s house, and then the gargoyle-like beasts on the beach. Suddenly facing a regular big cat didn’t seem so bad. “Well, how do you know it was a jaguar? It could have been a cheetah, right? Or a lynx or something. Something totally middleworld.” She swallowed.
“Cheetahs don’t live in this area, and the jaguar has been stalking us since we wandered into its territory. But I don’t think it wants to hurt us.”
“And how did you come to that conclusion?”
“Because if it did, you’d be dead.”
***
Arwan started the fire like an old pro. It was too risky to catch something and cook it. The smell of fresh meat would tempt not only the jaguar, but also other predators in the area.
He sat beside Zanya on his sleeping bag, and pulled up his legs, resting one forearm on his knee while using the other hand to poke at the glowing logs with a stick. “As long as we keep the fire going, we should be safe.”
“Should be safe?”
“I’m sleeping beside you just in case. Don’t worry.” He tilted his face toward the treetops. “Noises from the other animals will let us know if something is close. The monkeys are good for that.”
Zanya unwrapped an energy bar and took a bite. “Freakin’ monkeys better be on high alert or we’re screwed.”
Arwan let out a chuckle. The flames rose and fell, casting shadows over his face. The jungle atmosphere suited him. He seemed at home.
She sat back and admired the millions of tiny white orbs speckling the night heavens. The sky wasn’t black, rather a deep shade of royal blue. “Look up.”
He followed her prompt, and a faint smile spread his lips. A sad smile—the same kind that graced his face whenever he spoke about his mom.
After a moment of silence, he let out a deep breath. “The cave is only a few miles away.”
She covered her mouth through a deep yawn. Man, she was tired. “Well, that’s good, right?”
He poked at the fire again, causing flames to waver and dance. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
She crinkled her brow. “What do you mean am I sure?”
He stared intensely into the embers. “Once we enter the caves, we can’t turn back. We will need to go through the appropriate channels in order to enter. There are no shortcuts. No free passes.”
She had to be brave. Not for herself, but for her friend. “Jayden only has two days left. If we don’t get his soul from Houn by then, we won’t get it back. We have to keep going.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Maybe he was scared. She didn’t blame him. She was too. But she couldn’t put her own fear ahead of saving Jay. He wouldn’t turn his back on her, and she couldn’t do that to him. Even when he’d left her in the orphanage, he’d thought he would go back to her. That they would be together again. She didn’t love him in that way. Not anymore. She loved Jayden like she loved Tara. That was enough.
Arwan lay down and stared up at the sky. His features were solemn.
He wasn’t the only one with weight on his shoulders. The dream she’d had about Arwan on the plane was something she needed to address. She hadn’t found the right moment to bring the two-ton elephant into the room, but no moment would seem right for something like this.
She gathered her hair and pulled it over her shoulder, playing with strands between her fingers. It was all she could do not to seem obviously nervous. “Renato made a comment I can’t stop thinking about.” When he didn’t react, she continued. “He said you aren’t who I think you are.”
Arwan’s jaw ticked. “He said that?”
Zanya observed his tense shoulders. He was hiding something, and she had a right to know what it was. “Renato isn’t the only person who told me.”
Arwan looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Sarian said the same thing. He said you and him aren’t very different. I just thought he was trying to manipulate me.”
“And you believe him?”
“You’re not giving me a reason not to.” The truth was, she didn’t know what to believe. If he insisted on staying silent, she’d have all the more reason to pry.
“I guess you can believe whatever you want.” He turned his attention to the fire, poking at the burning embers with a stick.
“That’s not fair.”
“Fair or not, that’s all I can tell you.”
“That’s all you will tell me, you mean.”
“Stop prying, Zanya.”
“Or what?”
He stood and stared down at her. “Or you may find something out that you really don’t want to know.”
She pushed to her feet, holding his gaze. “I have a right to know.”
He fisted his hands, his chest heaving with every breath. He paced to the other side of the fire. “I knew eventually it would come to this.”
Zanya wrapped her fingers around Cualli’s medallion as anxiety bubbled in her chest. “Come to what?”
The flames slashed at the air as his piercing gaze bored a hole in her heart. “Are you sure you want to ask me this? Because if you ask, you have to be sure you want to know the answer.”
In reality, she wasn’t so sure. His sudden change in demeanor was so unlike him, and that kind of one-eighty could only be caused by something serious. She shifted her weight. “You’re starting to scare me.”
Anguish washed over his handsome features.
She couldn’t bear seeing him with such a tortured expression for a second longer. She moved beside him and laid her hands on either side of his face. He shut his eyes. The despair radiating from his touch was nearly unbearable.
&n
bsp; She understood his longing. She had desired so much in her life—relief, acceptance, courage, peace—and never received any of it. Until she’d met Renato and the others. Being told she was precious was more of a reward than she could have ever hoped for. So she’d give him the acceptance he longed for. She’d give it to him without any more questions or accusations.
Whatever he was hiding wasn’t worth tearing him apart to find out. Not over the word of Sarian. Not even over the word of Renato.
“Listen to me. I won’t push you to tell me anything you don’t want to. I don’t know what could possibly be so bad—”
“Will you still want me?” His voice was ragged.
She furrowed her brow. “What?”
“Just…please.” He buried his fingers in her hair and pressed his forehead against hers. “Tell me you will still want me, no matter who I am.”
She sensed his anger, fear, agony—all radiating through his touch and the desperation in his tone.
“Please believe me. I would never do anything to hurt you. No puedo vivir sin tu amor.”
She pushed a strand of hair out of his face and brushed her thumb over his eyebrow. “You know, you’ve got to start translating for me.”
She waited for him to crack a smirk. When it failed to come, she kissed him anyway. The fire warmed her back while a chorus of sounds echoed around them. The jungle was deafening at night, but in that moment, his touch drowned out the noises.
He slid his arms around her and crushed her against his chest. She squeaked, and then melted into him, twisting her fingers in his T-shirt, finding solid muscle underneath. She couldn’t help but push under the material to explore.
His skin was warm, and her fingers brushed against a thin line of hair trailing down his stomach. She followed it until it vanished beneath the buckle of his pants. His chest expanded with a sharp inhale. The subtle fluttering in her stomach exploded into a fierce energy radiating through her body.
His lips slid to the corner of her mouth and down her jaw. She tilted her head back toward the night sky while his mouth ran over her neck.
He pulled away, nearly panting. “Zanya—”
“No.” She rose on her tippy-toes and kissed him again. She wouldn’t have him try to talk reason into her. Not now, when they were finally alone.
When dawn broke, they would risk their lives. This could be their last chance to be together if it all fell apart.
She spread her hands across his back and trailed them over his shoulders. His fingers dug into her hips and he broke their kiss again. “Heavens help me,” he whispered in a raspy breath. “Zanya, please.”
She shifted her weight. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head.
“Don’t you…” The thought of saying it aloud made her blush. Maybe he didn’t want to move forward, though his kiss said otherwise. She hung her head. How could she have been so wrong?
He hooked his fingers under her chin. “I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Fair? What are you talking about?” She bit her lip, trying not to notice the electrical current that spread over her skin from his touch. What the heck was wrong with her? She’d never acted like this before—wanted anyone so much.
He brushed his finger along her cheek. “Please, trust me.”
She paused, realizing she’d moved her hands under his shirt, and was resting her hands against his solid muscle. The mental haze slowly faded. Being this into him was a little scary.
Zanya slowly pulled away and pressed her hands against her sides. Maybe it was the fresh jungle air, or maybe it was just that they were headed into the unknown the next day. Whatever drew her to him was relentless. Her head spun, and she rested her fingertips on her temple. It was as if something had taken her over. Something with an insatiable need.
She blinked away clouded vision and forced a soft smile. He was right. Waiting was better. She’d sworn she’d take it slow. He’d promised he’d wait. Not push. Not pressure her. And he hadn’t. Not even a little. There was nothing wrong with taking things one step at a time.
Except suddenly she wanted to leap.
Chapter Four
Arwan
Two miles to go before they reached the caves. That gave Arwan just two miles to make Zanya smile. She’d been forlorn all morning. Perhaps because of what happened the night before. Of course she would be upset. He’d rejected her, but not because he didn’t want her. Certainly that wasn’t the case. If she had pushed, even a little more, he might not have shown the willpower he had.
He watched her, so quiet and despondent. “Do you need a break?” It was a legitimate question, but a part of him just wanted to see if she’d answer.
She shook her head.
Not quite the response he’d hoped for. “We’re making good progress. At this pace we will arrive in less than an hour.”
Zanya glanced at her watch. “Good. We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”
Her tone was cold, distant, and so unlike her. He’d hurt her feelings, though not intentionally. They had no other option than to slow down. That, or they would have done something she might later regret.
Especially after today.
“We should skip lunch,” she called over her shoulder. “The less we stop, the quicker we’ll get there.”
The tension in his muscles wound tighter. Each passing minute meant they were growing closer—closer to the caves, closer to the underworld, and worse, closer to Zanya finally knowing the truth.
He was the only one who could get her past the gate. It was the reason he’d volunteered to escort her, and though he hated the idea of her going at all, if she went alone, she’d never be able to get through, and that would crush her.
“I think we should take a short break. You need to keep up your strength.”
“I told you. I’m not hungry.” She squirmed under the weight of her pack while pushing forward, fighting against the pull of the load on her back.
She was angry, but that didn’t make her invincible. “You clearly need a break, Zanya.”
“Would you stop being so fussy? I’m a big girl, Arwan, and I know when I’m tired.” She continued walking with more determination.
He squared his jaw and caught up in a few long strides. He grabbed the nylon handle of her backpack and yanked, stopping her mid-step. Her arms flailed as she fought to keep her balance, and she spun around to face him. He didn’t expect to fall victim to the bitterness that poured from behind her eyes.
She balled her fists. “What?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“You know…” She pursed her lips. “Never mind. Let’s just go. We don’t have time for this.” She turned and stalked back up the trail. A few moments later she glanced over her shoulder and noticed he hadn’t moved. She stopped. “What are you doing?”
“I was fine with giving you space, but if you’re upset with me, you need to tell me why.”
She scoffed and faced him. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“You’re angry.”
“Oh, really?” She threw her hands in the air. “That’s a very astute observation. Anything else, or can we go now?”
“Is it because of last night? Zanya, please. I just didn’t want to—”
“Yeah, you made that much really, really clear.” She crossed her arms and hung her head, digging into the soil with the toe of her shoe.
He let out a long exhale. “You didn’t let me finish.” She waved her hand, as if saying go ahead. He cleared his throat. “Trust me. I wanted to.” He slowly closed the space between them. “But you have to understand that I need you to be sure, and you can’t be sure. Not yet.” He trailed his fingers down her arm.
She jerked away. “Don’t—” She glanced up at his face. “Don’t touch me.”
He stepped back. “You don’t want me to touch you?”
“I…” She looked away. “I do, but…”
He gathered her in his arms and hugged her close. She did
n’t respond at first. But soon she uncrossed her arms, slid them around him, and rested her head against his chest.
“Why are you trying to torture me?”
He pulled back and stared into her face. “What are you talking about?”
“You keep…” She stepped back and extended her hand, then let it scale the length of his body. “…looking like that. And when you kiss me, I swear, it feels like you really want me, you know? And I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. I can’t seem to control this feeling.” She shook her hands out as if they were cramped, then rested them on her hips and hung her head.
A grin pushed through. He couldn’t help it.
Her head bobbed up and her lips parted. “Well, I’m glad you’re so amused. Ugh. I should have known better than to tell you.” She covered her face with her hands. “This is so humiliating.”
He let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around her again. “It’s all right, Zanya. I’m so sorry you’re suffering like this. But if it makes you feel any better, it’s not your fault.”
She uncovered her face. “What do you mean?”
He couldn’t stop grinning. “It’s the solstice that’s making you…imbalanced.” He hooked his thumbs around the straps of his backpack. “I remember when my first real solstice hit me.”
“Wait. What do you mean? What hit you?”
“Think of it as a rite of passage. When a Riyata reaches maturity, their abilities take hold. You just turned eighteen, so it makes sense you’re going through this now. Plus you recently bonded with your stone, and you’ve been using your powers more. That’s good, but it creates…side effects. Your inner ability is being awakened by the pull of the energy of the solstice lights.”
“Lights?” The word came out in a squeak.
He let out another laugh. “It’ll go away after the solstice is over. For now, just know that you’re not abnormal. And…” He laced his fingers with hers and grinned. “I hope you don’t stop touching me altogether. Extrañaria tus caricias.”
Lights of Aurora (The Stone Legacy Series Book 3) Page 3
