Page 60 of A Sky of Emerald Stars

Navin shook his head, water dripping from his brow, nose, and lips with every movement. “We thank Rahm in our songs,but I cannot summon storms. Even if it was possible, I think that would be greater magic, and I wouldn’t want to pay that price.”

“Like creating sorcerers,” I said.

Navin wiped the rain out of his eyes. “Yes.”

I walked slowly around the heptagonal space, my feet sliding across the slick tiles. Navin fell into stride beside me. “You hummed to keep that beast from attacking us,” I said as we turned another side. My pulse raced as it all started to come together. All the things he hid from me. All the magic in plain sight.

“Yes,” was his only response.

“You used your song to lose Maez and me in Taigos.”

“Yes.”

“You saved yourself from falling with magic.”

“Yes.”

I choked on the last words. “You made me fall in love with you.”

His footsteps faltered and I kept walking, not knowing if the hot liquid on my cheeks was rain or tears. That’s what this was after all, wasn’t it? Love. There was no other explanation. He’d warped my mind, twisted and confused me into falling for him. Every ounce of logic in me told me he was a bad idea, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him, couldn’t stopwantinghim, even when I knew he’d lied to me.

“Sadie,” he said, reaching for me.

“It was all just magic,” I muttered, easily maneuvering out of his hold.

As I rounded the next corner, he sidestepped me, his tall frame blocking my path. “You don’t get to just say that and walk away from me,” he panted, rain bucketing down upon us.

“Of course I do.” I tried to duck under one of the palm leaves to move around him, but his hand splayed across my belly and pushed me back, turning me until I leaned against the slippery tiled walls.

Our eyes locked, and I knew he was thinking of that day I held a knife to his throat, knew he was remembering my threat:know that every time you put your hands on me it is only because I’ve allowed you to.

When I didn’t move, Navin pinned me to the wall with his chest, the wet fabric of our clothes meeting. I could’ve slipped from his hold, I could’ve twisted his arm or broken his wrist, but instead I stood stock-still, staring up into his eyes with hurt in my own. How dare he make me feel this way for him?

His hand reached out, sweeping wet strands of my hair behind my ear as he gently shook his head. “There is no magic in the world that can do that,” he said, his hand bracketing my jaw as his thumb swept across my bottom lip. “And you, Sadie Rauxtide, would be the last person compelled to feel anything you did not want to. You’re more stubborn than any magic.”

I stared up into his dark eyes as they crinkled at the sides, a quick flash of a smile before his gaze drifted back to my mouth. I panted as though I’d been running, trying to catch a full breath as the skies poured down upon us.

“I shouldn’t feel anything for you.”

Navin’s cheeks dimpled. “Nor I you,” he said. “I spent my life vowing to protect humans from Wolves, not falling in love with them.”

His words hit me all at once and my eyes flared. He loved me.Weloved each other. I could still hate him, still guard my heart from this terrible, traitorous feeling, but there was no denying that feeling had a name. And it made no sense and it probably never should’ve been, but it was true.

“This was always a terrible idea,” I said, half-heartedly shoving on his chest. “Even before I knew you had magic, we never made any sense.”

I shoved him again, and Navin caught my wrists and held them to his chest as if he knew exactly how I needed him to fight with me, to show his backbone and not let me walk away.

“We make sensebecauseof my magic,” he said. “I don’t know how, but you fell for the real me, not the ruse. Somewhere deep down you knew I was more than what I seemed. A guardian ofmagic and a Wolf soldier are not as dissimilar as you wish to believe.” I pulled against his grip, testing him again, but he pulled me back into him, his ever-tightening hold making my lips part as his piercing eyes dropped to my mouth. “We both serve a higher purpose. We’re both loyal to our chosen families. We’ve both fought and grieved and suffered to protect those we care about.”

I scoffed. “You’re no fighter.”

A challenge. One my Wolf needed to see fulfilled: fight me, chase me. For once, Gods, let you be the predator and me your prey.

His eyes darkened, fueling my desire. “You still think that?” His grip tightened on my wrists, his large hands easily cuffing them like manacles, and my skin rippled with gooseflesh. “Then why do you think you fell for me? Not magic. The real answer.”

My lips curved into a smile. Time to see how much he could really do. He thought he could immobilize me so easily? By simplyholdingmy wrists? Fast as a snow snake, I twisted, driving my elbow into his sternum. He let out a grunt of air as I stomped on his foot and ripped my hands free. Except he was faster than I anticipated. His hands looped around my center, hoisting me into the air and dragging me back against him. I twisted in his hold, elbowing him in the ear and kicking out his knee. When he dropped, I hit the ground and ran through the nearest hallway, through the waterfall, spilling into the hallway on the other side. My feet slipped under me like I was running on ice, but I kept my balance.

Navin had caught up to me in two short strides. He grabbed me and I whirled, punching him in the side with a laugh. Dodging out of the next blow, he chuckled and spun me back into the wall. Before I could land another punch, his broad hand lifted my jaw and his lips landed on mine. All sense of battle vanished as I lifted on my toes, finally allowing the frenzy of fighting to morph into a frenzy of lust.

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