Page 7 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Erik twisted as a twin arrow flew directly past his throat, watching as it struck the rock they were using for cover, inches between Janelle and Lea’s heads. A soldier stepped from the treeline—a boy no older than twenty—likely attempting to get a clearer shot. In an instant, Erik set his wooden bow aflame. Fire engulfed the soldier’s hands. He screamed as he turned to flee, but there was no escape. Erik killed him swiftly with a slash of his sword to the young soldier’s neck before he’d even fully turned, his head severing from his body in one powerful swipe.

Why is it always the head?Lea thought as the urge to vomit into the grass filled her belly.

Blood soaked the ground as Erik held his hands in front of him, sending flames shooting toward the dead guard. It was unnecessary. His spirit was already on its way somewhere beyond the veil, but Erik continued to funnel the might of his power into the corpse at his feet. His muscles were tight as his face reddened with the effort, a look in his eyes Lea had never seen from him before.

"Gods help whoever tries to hurt her…" he whispered to the corpse, the wind carrying his threat to Lea’s ears; words spoken softly, darkly, before Erik pulled his flames back inside himself.

Erik ran back to them but stopped abruptly, his eyes wide and face creased with concern. Lea turned, jumping to her feet when she saw Emma standing above Claire’s body, her shaking hands held out in front of her.

"There’s nothing I can do!" Emma howled at the empty air in front of her, pausing for several seconds before continuing to speak. "I don’t know! I can’t help you!"

"Hey!" Lea grabbed Emma’s face and turned it, forcing her to meet her eyes. "What is happening, Emma? Tell me what you’re seeing." Never in her life had Lea seen such terror, suchhorrorin someone’s eyes. They were bloodshot, wide and frantic.

"Make her stop.Please!" she begged.

Tears spilled across Emma’s cheeks, tracks of sorrow trailing down her delicate face as Erik returned to them, walking to Janelle and leaning forward to speak into her ear. Did he know what was happening? "Erik, what’s—"

"It’s Claire," Emma sobbed, grabbing at the sleeves of Lea’s smoke stained wedding dress. "She wants me to bring her back! But, I can’t! Ican’t!" she shrieked at Claire’s body before crumpling into Lea’s arms. "I don’t know how. Just tell her I can’t, Lea."

Lea and Erik shared a look as he moved to grab her again. They needed to get her to safety, but Emma abruptly jumped away, letting out a blood-curdling scream. "I said Ican’t! Don’t touch me!" Emma howled as her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed. Erik caught her before she could hit the ground and lifted her to his chest. His eyes turned to Lea’s for guidance. "What should we do?"

Janelle’s head whipped backward to look behind them. "No time for that. Someone’s coming.Run!"

Without hesitation, they took off, following behind Janelle with complete trust. Lea looked behind her once more at Claire’s lifeless body, the flames from battle now licking at her boots as she lay alone in the blood-drenched grass. She hadn’t liked her, certainly hadn’t trusted her, but Lea was surprised at the sharp sting of sadness she felt at seeing her dead.

This wasn’t the first death of the war, but it was the first death of someone sheknew, someone whose name she had spoken. The thought brought tears to her eyes, her chest burning and making it difficult to breathe. She’d willingly joined the rebellion tonight—and she didn’t regret it. But could she survive this war if it meant that all the people she loved might not?

Chapter 4

Lea

Thenighthadsomehowgrown darker, as if the stars had been unable to witness the bloodshed and had hidden beneath a thick sheet of clouds. Lea, Janelle, and Erik stumbled through the pitch black forest, Erik somehow holding Emma tight as they tripped over gnarled roots that seemed to reach toward their feet in an effort to stop their escape. Lea’s lungs burned as the scent of smoke and death from the village turned into the damp, earthy odor of the woods, each breath sending pinpricks of fire through her airways. Sweat dripped down her back as she followed behind Janelle, eyes scanning the dark shadows around them for threats.

While every step separated Lea from Gray a little bit more, she kept her connection to him open, searching deep into the corners of their bond for clues to his emotions. Would he be able to find her? She couldn’t see any sort of sensible path they were following, now at Erik’s lead, but surely Gray would be able to feel her through their bond at the very least. Digging deep, she found the resolve to push through their connection that she was safe. His need for her pulsed against her heart in response—worry that she was running through the dark without him, anxiety that she wouldn’t make it safely, followed by a calm wave of reassurance.You are powerful,it seemed to say to her.You will not be defeated. His confidence in Lea bolstered her movements, sending a zap of energy through her limbs.

Their pace was clipped as they moved deeper into the bowels of the forest. Pumping her legs harder, Lea tried to ignore the burning in her muscles. She’d need to work on her endurance if they'd be traveling all the way to Calir, a journey that would takeweeks. Escaping the castle was only the beginning. A stab of worry gnawed at Lea’s stomach—if she couldn’t run through one village without her body feeling exhausted, how were they going to make it to an entirely different kingdom?

Breathing through the pain, Lea focused on the ancient trees enveloping them. They had to be thousands of years old, Lea guessed, based on their size. Their rough, bark-covered trunks were so thick she didn’t think that even the four of them could reach all the way around them hand in hand.

Erik turned abruptly to his left, changing course as he passed through a gap between two enormous trunks. He paused, ushering them through the narrow opening before following behind. A brush of power washed over Lea’s body—the whisper of somethingotherthat danced across her skin and spoke to her own magic coiled behind her breastbone.

The rush caused her to stumble, and she tripped, flying into a large clearing filled with rebels. Some were huddled in groups speaking with lowered heads and hushed whispers, while others sat nursing minor injuries near the small fires dotting the open area, providing warmth and a soft, flickering light. None, at least that she could see, appeared gravely injured, but several men and women had blood-soaked patches on their tunics and lacerations on their faces and arms.

No less than forty of the gigantic trees surrounded them, grown so tightly together she doubted she could fit an arm in the gaps between their trunks. They were so tall that she had to crane her head back to look at their canopies, where star-shaped leaves in different shades of deep green rustled in the wind. Along the back of the enormous clearing were more than a dozen horses, fully packed with what she assumed were supplies and weapons.How long have they been preparing for tonight?

Safe for the moment, Lea allowed her body to relax, stretching the tight muscles of her neck and arms as she looked toward the entrance. Gray would be here soon. He had to be.

Gray…The air was ripped violently from Lea’s lungs. She threw a hand to her heart, and panic filled her chest as she realized her connection to her mate had been severed. She couldn’t feel him.Why can’t I feel him?

Images of Gray lying on the ground, his eyes glazing over as fire burned around him, flashed through her mind. If she couldn’t feel him, did it mean…No. It can’t.A sob tore from Lea’s throat as she turned around, tensing her muscles as she prepared her body to sprint back toward town, toward the battle where she had once again left him fighting alone, but a large hand wrapped around her biceps, stopping her.

Erik turned her to face him, and his eyebrows lowered in concern. "Stop right there. I know what you're thinking. He’s fine, Sunshine." Erik leaned down to eye level. "Gray enchanted this place himself. No magic can travel through those trees. Not even the bond you’re searching for."

Erik’s eyes were kind, his anger from earlier only a memory as he gave her a small, reassuring smile. "He’ll feel the loss as well and know that you’re here safe. It will allow him to concentrate on ending the battle and returning to you."

Lea sucked in a deep breath, nodding as she wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand.He’s fine.The words became a chant, thumping again and again through her mind along with the rhythm of her racing heart.

"Now," Erik pulled her against his side, "Here’s your second lesson. You are strong. This is not the first time we will face combat. Gray is not the type to leave men behind. You might have to leave him, but he will always find you, Sunshine."

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