Page 95 of A Trial of the Heart

“Thank the Mother and Father above.”

“I know, I know. I’m impressive.” I kept my eyes shut as another wave of pain rolled through my body.

I heard Daxton’s half-hearted chuckle of amusement and knew he was shaking his head. “How fortunate that the Gods made shifters as tough as nails. I doubt many High Fae, and definitely far fewer humans, would’ve survived tumbling halfway down the mountainside as you did.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I murmured, followed by Daxton’s chuckle that teetered on the side of laughter. “High Fae might have the upper hand with magic and good looks, but shifters are built for strength and durability.” I forced myself to smile, adjusting my shoulders and gritting through the pain, remembering I had been through much worse than this.

My eyes fluttered open to see Daxton leaning over me in a spacious room that I had spent little to no time in at all while I was here. The open window to my left looked across the wild mountain pines that separated the Summit from the training grounds. The sweet fragrance of the forest mingled with the crisp air of the fast-approaching winter season.

“I knew you would eventually appreciate a room with one of the better views,” Dax said softly, resting his hand on my knee atop the blanket. He knew the essence of nature had a calming, healing effect on me that settled the aches in my bones.

I couldn’t help smiling. Daxton remembered how, in the healing quarters in Solace, I wanted—no, needed—to feel connected to nature within the confines of the walls.

My bed was remarkably soft, with silk sheets paired with a down-feathered blanket that made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. The room’s walls were accented with darker gray colors along the window side and lighter shades on the others. Silver swirls mimicking the cold mountain winds whirled along the high vaulted ceilings. Directly ahead of me, near the door leading to the washroom, was a painting of Mount Meja with the hanging valley below its summit highlighted in the orange and yellow rays of the sunrise.

“Glad you found me,” I said with a half-cracked smile as I looked at Daxton, trying to ease the worry pinched between his brows.

Despite his calm demeanor, Daxton’s posture was tense. Dark circles of exhaustion formed under his hardened eyes. His lips pressed into a thin line. He was barely holding himself together.

“I will always find you, Spitfire,” he answered, sensing my need for his touch or perhaps fulfilling his own. He reached for my uninjured hand, cradling it before threading my fingers with his. “We will always find each other.”

A familiar sense of tranquility settled into my chest. I could feel my animal stirring and flooding me with magic that united me and Dax through an invisible tether. The connection I had with him was frighteningly beautiful and all-consuming at the same time. Gods, Mother, and Father help me. I had fallen so hard for him it was a wonder how I hadn’t recognized it sooner.

His lips brushed the back of my hand, sending a pulse of heat along my flesh and melting my core. Hooded eyes blinked upward to meet mine before he stood and walked to the large double doors, opening them to speak out into the hall.

Maybe, justmaybe, he was falling for me, too?

“She’s awake,” Daxton said into the hallway.

Without waiting for a further invitation, Gunnar came rushing in with Idris, Adohan, and Zola following suit.

“What were you thinking, Skylar?” Gunnar practically shouted at me as he came barreling toward the right side of my bed. “H-have you gone insane? Did the trial of the mind really fuck with you that much, and it’s only now catching up?”

Idris promptly marched up behind Gunnar and gave him a firm smack on the back of the head. “Sometimes it’s best for you tonotspeak, Gunnar.”

“You shouldn’t be walking around,” I cautioned Idris, “or I guess waddling is perhaps a more accurate description of what you’re doing.”

She waved me off. “Don’t try to change the subject, Skylar. Besides, do you really think Adohan would let mewalkanywhere? Overprotective males,” she groaned. “He was holding me in his arms outside the door like a frail female or infant! I had to threaten to burn his hair off in his sleep if he didn’t let me walk across the room. And don’t even think I’m done with you yet, either.”

“Smart,” I stated, catching Adohan’s eyes. He gave me a half-smirk in reply because while Idris continued scolding me for another minute, he caught the intent of my compliment.

Daxton moved to sit in the chair to my left, his back toward the open window. He carefully watched the room and patiently waited for the others to have their moment.

“I’m guessing I was unconscious for at least a day or so?”

Daxton nodded.

“Yes! That’s another fucking trick I didn’t know about you shifters,” Gunnar cursed, looking around the room. “After Dax caught you in mid-fall and teleported you to the Summit, I ran as fast as I could to make sure you were not dead. When you still weren’t awake that evening … or the next morning, I was a mess.” Gunnar slumped onto the bed, folding to lay at my feet. “I had no clue how he,” Gunnar said, gesturing at Daxton, “was so gods-damned calm!”

“The injuries she sustained would not have been enough to kill her. I’ve sensed her near death’s door once before, and she was far from that state. She wassleeping off her injuries so her body could quickly heal them,” Daxton answered.

The stiffness in his jaw suggested that Daxton might have known I would survive, but he was not as calm about it as he appeared to everyone else. “Also … panicking does not help a situation.”

“I wasnotpanicking,” Gunnar rebutted in a flat tone, sitting up and crossing his arms with a scowl. “I’m the general of the Silver Meadows armies. I do not … panic.”

“Once you understood she was just healing… yes, I agree. You were not panicking then, but before that…” Zola said, stepping out from the shadows. Her black leathers molded to her strong, petite frame, exposing the midnight shadow marks along the dark brown skin of her exposed arms and throat. “Well, that’s a different story.”

“How long?” Time was a plague on my life. I had to know how much was wasted on this mishap.

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