Page 3 of A Trial of Fate

Deep, slow breaths countered my own racing heart. Gilen slowly released me back onto the shore, his hands moving down my lower back, his touch lighter, but still a burning presence. A low growl emerged from deep within his chest that made the hairs on my neck stand at attention. Gilen’s scent surrounded my senses, causing my stomach to flip.

I dared to pull myself away and release my arms from around his shoulders, allowing my hands to trace the bulging muscles on his chest and arms. I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him just yet, though. I didn’t have the courage to look at him. What would he think of me now that he felt a taste of the true power I had tried to keep hidden?

“Look at me.” Gilen’s voice was deep and raspy. Almost like the claws of his animal had scrapped at his insides, trying to break free. I hesitated… afraid of how he would react or what he would say. “Now.”

My head turned, and my eyes snapped open to meet his.

Fire.

I knew he would see the fire glowing in my eyes from the well of magic I kept caged inside my soul. My amber eyes were rare, even among the High Fae and human races. When I allowed my power to break through the surface, my eyes danced to the freedom of the ignited blaze contained within.

Neither one of us moved, or uttered a sound. It felt like days, even months, in those few seconds together on the shifting sand. Gilen’s right hand reached up to cup the nape of my neck. His fingers laced through my long, wild hair, gently pulling it to his nose as his cheek brushed against mine. He inhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before snapping them open once more.

The fire, the hunger, I saw lingering in his golden depths took my breath away. Gilen had never looked at me like that before.

I didn’t know what to do, and I don’t think he knew either. This gesture of memorizing another’s scent was only reserved for mating among shifters. To allow another’s presence to mold into our memory so they were an extension of ourselves.

Gilen bent to whisper in my ear, “Your fire does not scare me, Skylar. I always knew it was there. It just needed to come out and find its match to help tame it.”

Holy, shit. If only he knew this was just a taste of what I fought to contain. What my animal held. Shifters respected power. It was irrefutable, undeniable, with our alpha always holding the deepest wells of it. But to reveal how much I truly had… as a half-breed. Well, I wasn’t brave enough to test how that theory would pan out withour pack.

A rush of heat danced across the surface of my skin where our half-naked bodies were still entangled together. I could sense his desire rise in turn with my own, causing a deep pulsing sensation to build between the apex of my legs. The thought of being with Gilen had crossed my mind more than a few times, but this reality held little to no comparison. I shifted in his arms to press my brow to his and felt myself sink deeper into his hold.

“I’m not a helpless, dainty female that you can easily claim,” I challenged as my amber eyes snapped open to meet his. “You’ll have to fight for me.” Gilen’s lips curled into a smile, mere breaths away from my own. I huffed a laugh and easily slithered out of his grasp. If he wanted to, I knew he could keep me there, but he allowed me to slip away.

“Race you to the cliffs,” I yelled as I took off at a sprint, knowing he was not far behind me.

Chapter Two

As expected, I reached the top of the cliff lengths ahead of Gilen. A beaming smile crossed my face as I saw our pack mates waiting at the top. I could have guessed the young ones were not jumping unsupervised, and our group loved doing this almost as much as they did. Rhea, Shaw, and Talon lounged near the edge of the overhang, waiting for us to join.

“Ha! Pay up,” Rhea taunted as she reached out her hand toward Shaw and Talon. “And… don’t whimper or complain. I don’t give two licks about your pride in this. I told you my girl Sky would win. You never should’ve doubted her,or me.” Neither of them acknowledged her demand, forcing Rhea to jump to her feet and strut over to them.

Rhea’s long, auburn-brown locks that curled at the middle of her back swayed in rhythm with her affirmative march. She had dark blue eyes paired with delicate freckles on her cheeks that enhanced her remarkable, cunning beauty. She swung her hair to the side before bending forward to whisper something in Talon’s ear. His own pale blue eyes widened, and he quickly reached over into his adopted brother Shaw’s pocket, retrieving one gold coin to pair with his own.

“Here,” Talon grunted, his dark brows narrowing as he glared at Rhea. “No need to start that fight up again.”

Talon was the stable, loyal peacemaker of the group and could always be found by his best friend Gilen’s side. Actually, when any of us needed him, Talon was there. He looked after us, added in a joke to lighten a mood, or tried to settle any disagreements in our inner circle. But recently, one female shifter in particular was able to get under his skin.

“You know it’s not ladylike to gloat,” Talon mumbled as he plopped the coins into Rhea’s outstretched hand, scuffing his crooked nose that was broken more than a few times in his youth.

“Who are you trying to fool? I’m a shifter, not some pampered highbrowlady.” Satisfied with her bounty, Rhea spun herself around and gave me a triumphant grin. “Sky, we are celebrating tonight! AndI’m buying.”

“Only fair, seeing that I earned it,” I added as I cooled myself on the breeze by the cliff face. I glanced back to see Gilen slow his pace and leisurely walk the remaining distance to the top.

“But my wisdom earned us this trove.” The ever-confident Rhea flaunted her victory in front of Talon and Shaw, shamelessly continuing to gloat.

That was a part of Rhea’s unique outspoken charm.

When we were kids, Rhea was the one who encouraged me to formally challenge the female shifter who teased me for my half-blood. She told me to never put up with their shit, that they were just jealous of what I could do. What I could become. Even though I lost that first challenge, she never let me stop fighting, and helped me pick myself up and try again.

“Where would I be without you, Rhea?” I asked sarcastically.

“Richer,” Talon scoffed quietly, knowing that we could all hear him with our enhanced hearing abilities as shifters.

Rhea pivoted around to face him, shooting her own challenging glare right back at him. Completely unafraid. And if it was possible, I admired her even more.

“What’s got your mangy fur twisted in knots, Talon?” I asked, continuing to push the tension. There was something brewing between these two, and everyone was ready for them to finally figure it out.

---