Page 15 of Kissed By the Sun

My head tilted up slightly as I struggled not to defy him outright. “Are you asking me as a soldier?”

“If that's what it takes.”

“Fine.” I turned and stomped off. For some reason I couldn’t seem to stop myself from being a little bit of a brat around Thorn, whether it was trying to show off or get his attention another way, he always seemed to bring out the childishnesswithin me. Maybe it was because he was always so authoritative? I wasn't sure.

I headed over to the tree that he had gestured, which was surprisingly far away from the battlefield, and as I walked away, I heard him explain to one of the other members of the troop that I was apparently going to go and assess the surrounding area to see if there were any corrupted fae that had escaped or If we had any more survivors that had made a run for it, or whatever lie he was telling right now. I was more than a little irritated, and I was pretty sure that was obvious to just about everyone.

When I finally made it to the tree, I looked over at the town and my stomach sank. The poor place had been destroyed like it was a war zone.

There was no coming back for it. Not with most of its citizens dead as well. All I could do was hope that the ones that survived weren’t completely traumatized by what had happened today.

I had no idea what they had seen before we got there.

Did they know that their loved ones were corrupted? How many of them had been forced to fight off somebody that they normally would have given their lives to save?

The whole thing just made my chest ache for the victims. In some ways fighting for the human king was easier, at least there was a coldness to it that I could accept.

As I stood there, time passed, and I started to wonder if the one had forgotten about me. After all, I wasn't a normal member of his squad. I didn’t even know if he would want me to fight with them on a regular basis? Gods, I didn’t even know if the King and Queen of the moon court would allow me to fight.

I certainly wasn't a normal soldier, that much was true. The urge to help was still strong within me though, whether it was fighting battles or finding the source of this so-called corruption.

Before I could get distracted by my thoughts of the future and what it may or may not bring, movement caught my eye and I watched as other members of Thorn’s group began riding back toward the capital, taking the survivors with them.

Chapter

Nine

Senara

Just as myanger was starting to boil, I sensed Thorn was there next to me, the reins of his horse in his hand.

“What? Did you really think I forgot about you?” he asked, giving me a cheeky grin.

“I mean, I didn't want to think that,” I mumbled. It was the truth; most of the time when I was with Thorn I always felt like I was on my back foot, or playing catch up.

As I watched him now, he seemed freer, lighter, now that we were alone, which I understood. It hurt in a way as well, though. I wanted his comrades to like me. I wanted to be part of his life. But the way he seemed to separate me off from the others today had told me that he might not want that. If that was true, then I didn’t know how to handle that or how to behave around him.

Everything with Thorn had made me feel like a leaf caught in a storm. I was being jerked this way and that, and it all started because of a silly one-night stand.

The worst part was that I wanted more.

I wanted to know what it was like to be truly loved by him. Not just in the physical sense. I wanted to exult in his successes and comfort him in his troubles.

If we followed fae tradition then none of that would ever happen.

Could that be right, though?

How could it be right for two people to bond so closely and yet be considered so wrong? According to the healers, we were bonded so closely that our very souls were tied to each other. It seemed like something that should be celebrated to me, but apparently that was the furthest thing from what the courts wanted.

Thorn stepped toward me and the jovial side of him was gone. There was something menacing about his movements, something that was all predator. I was sure that this was the Thorn that struck fear into his enemies, but I wasn't an enemy. I wasn't sure what he was trying to do, but I wouldn't be scared of this man. Not for anything. Even if that was what he was trying to do.

“Do you think I'm not aware of you every second of every day? Of where you are? How are you feeling? I can sense you like I can sense the sun shining. You're the wind against my skin, the rain pattering on my head on a spring day. You're the sun that warms my soul. Yet you're also the winter storm that I have to shut out.

“When I thought you were about to be taken, and then worse, when I thought you were about to kill yourself, the emotions I–” His mouth worked but no words came out, like, he was trying to explain, but didn't have the vocabulary for it. And to be honest I understood because neither did I. There is something very humbling about that, frustrating, too.

“It's okay. I get it.”

“Do you?” he asked, his brows creasing. The two dark slashes that adorned his face seemed to draw together into one singular unit.

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