Page 23 of A Trial of Fate

Castor’s eyes widened in a look of surprise. “Dax—” He cautioned.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. They were both the epitome of strength. Whatever was causing them to cringe like this was something worth noting.

“You need to leave.” Castor’s once airy sing-song demeanor suddenly changed. He no longer held a light, carefree expression—but one of fear.

I turned my attention to Daxton, feeling his tension and uneasiness continuing to rise. “Daxton?”

Suddenly, his body was towering over me in the chair in a flash of silver light. Daxton’s eyes were dark and ominous—embodying fear itself captured inside a glass bottle, ready to shatter and break free with just the right prick.

I was acutely aware of every inch of my skin as he stood over me. The proximity of his body covering mine sent chills down my spine combined with a warmth spreading in my core. The strength and the power I felt from Daxton was intoxicating. My animal stirred inside my chest, answering his call of power with our own rush of magic. My blazing amber eyes sprang to life, meeting his challenge withouthesitation.

“There seems to bemoreto you… than I expected,” Daxton whispered in a low tone that vibrated through all my senses. It was like a lover’s caress without ever touching my skin. Deep and delicious. Dammit, this High Fae’s magic was intense.

“How did you do that?” I asked. One second, he was forming icicles on top of the fireplace, and the next, he was standing over me and crossing the span of the room in the blink of an eye.

“Later,” he whispered as he grasped my hand.

His touch wasn’t as forceful as I anticipated it to be. The callouses on his palms and fingers from countless years of holding a sword were rough but oddly gentle. He paused for a moment, examining the way in which his fingers intertwined with mine.

“Right now,” he said with a hesitant, raspy voice, “I need to get you to safety.”

What danger was I in? We were in the alpha’s home, so technically, this was the safest place for me to be. Before I could respond, the world disappeared before my eyes. One moment, I was leaning back in a chair with a warrior prince straddling over me, and then the next, I was outside.

Wait, outside? How the hell did we get outside?

My feet brushed the familiar wet grass along the forest floor with rain falling from the sky. Before I toppled backward onto the soaked ground, Daxton reached out his other arm, encircling my waist, and pulled me upright against his chest.

Electricity.My skin ignited from his touch. From being held in his arms, our bodies flush against each other. I remained utterly still.

Keeping his arm around my waist, Daxton slowly released our laced fingers, meticulously sliding his palm down toward the bite mark he left just below my wrist. His eyes scanned over the mark that would eventually heal and leave a scar.

“Why didn’t you heal this?” he asked.

It was a common question asked when people learned about my healing magic. “It’s not how my magic works. I can heal others—just not myself. I will end up carrying this scar for the rest of my life.” I tried to smile and laugh to release the tension building in my middle. “Didn’t know you were leaving me with a souvenir, did ya?”

Daxton creased his brow. “I didn’t mean to harm you. I just reacted out of instinct.” He paused his gaze, never leaving his mark, and I had to admit I believed him. I couldn’t explain why, I just had a feeling, and I could tell my animal agreed. “I have to go now.” Therewas hesitation in his voice, and it almost sounded like he didn’t want to leave.

“Right, and go as in… How did you get us here anyway?” This time, he didn’t conceal his half-smirk, and the small dimple on his right cheek reappeared.

“You have gifts from your mother, as do I. Mine grant me the magical gift of teleportation—instantly being in one place and then another. A very powerful ability of the mind. I envision where I want to be and then appear there.”

“The silver flash!” I spoke. “How far can you travel? Does the distance or frequency of the jump strain your magic? How many can you carry with you? Does this interfere with your ice magic, or do they work together?”

“Do you always have this many questions?” Daxton asked with a half-toothless grin, revealing the dimple I couldn’t seem to ignore.

“Of course. As I said before, it’s kind of my thing.”

“Never a negative trait for a female in my opinion.”

“Is that yetanothercompliment from you tonight?”

Daxton huffed a laugh. “To answer one of your endless questions… Yes. That flash of silver light is from my magic. Luckily, there is no indication of where I will go, only where I just was. It is a useful skill to have in battle or when trying to ferry a spitfire shifter from my quarters.”

I felt him tense again as his grip tightened around me, pulling me in close as he forcefully shut his eyes. He cringed like he was experiencing intense agony with no known source. He abruptly angled his body away, letting me go, and shaking his head to try and regain his composure.

“Are you all right?” I asked with genuine concern, reaching out to stroke his cheek with my palm. I had no idea what drove me to reach out and touch him like this.

To my surprise, he didn’t flinch or push me away. He placed his hand on top of mine and held it there, his eyes darting back toward the window of his third-floor room.

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