Page 24 of Chains of Love

"The ground's too hard here." He pats down another layer of moss. "You'll wake up sore."

"Since when do you care if I'm sore?"

He glances up, crimson eyes reflecting the dying firelight. "Since you stopped being just my captor."

Heat creeps up my neck. I busy myself with my satchel, pulling out my blanket just to have something to do with my hands.

When the fuck did that happen?

The stars peek through the canopy above us as we settle in for the night. Darak lies just a foot away, close enough that I can hear his steady breathing. The fire crackles softly, casting dancing shadows across his sharp features.

My mind drifts to the kiss, to his hand on my waist, steadying me. The press of his lips against mine, gentle at first, then hungry. The way his fingers felt against my face?—

"What are you thinking about?" His voice cuts through my thoughts.

I swallow hard, grateful for the darkness hiding my flushed cheeks. "The port. We should reach it tomorrow night if we keep this pace."

"Hmm." He shifts, and I can feel his gaze on me. "Is that all?"

"What else would I be thinking about?"

He doesn't answer, but I swear I can hear him smiling.

The night wraps around us like a thick blanket, stars peeking through gaps in the canopy above. My muscles ache from the ritual, but sleep refuses to come.

"What were you doing that night?" Darak's voice breaks through the darkness. "In the forest, when you summoned me?"

I tense, waiting for the anger that usually accompanies any mention of his summoning. "Are we really doing this now?"

"I'm just curious." The leaves rustle as he shifts beside me. "No accusations this time. Promise."

My fingers trace the edge of my blanket. "You'll think it's foolish."

"Try me."

I take a deep breath, inhaling the crisp night air. "Have you ever heard of Valentia?"

"Can't say that I have."

"She was a Purna, centuries ago." The words come easier than expected, memories of the stories I grew up with flooding back. "They say she loved so deeply, so completely, that she gave her life to save not one, but several men she cherished. Her magic couldn't choose between them, so she chose all of them – even though it meant her death."

"That sounds..." Darak pauses. "Impractical."

A laugh bubbles up unexpectedly. "Of course you'd say that." I roll onto my side, facing him in the darkness. "But every year, I go to where she made her sacrifice. It's tradition, at least for me. The Day of Valentia can be celebrated anywhere, but I prefer to honor her here, where it happened."

"And that's when you snatched me, so to say?"

"That's when I performed the ritual, yes." I leave out the rest. Some truths are better left in darkness.

"You really believe in all that? Love powerful enough to die for?"

"I believe in her." My voice comes out softer than intended. "Sometimes that's enough."

13

DARAK

The oil lamps of Kestral cast weak circles of light through the darkness, barely illuminating the cobblestone streets. Lirien stumbles beside me, her footsteps growing heavier with each passing moment.

---