Page 27 of The Scattered Bones

“You have to,” he says. “I do not wish to carry your splattered limbs from this place.”

“Then order the sun to stop moving.” It’s setting too fast. I’ll never reach it.

“My child, if I held the sun’s fate in my hands, I would.”

I believe him. Deep down, I trust The Stranger would do anything I asked if he could. I suspect something keeps him from helping me, from protecting me, but the way his voice always caresses the words‘my child’makes me feel like that’s what I am to him. A daughter. It’s sad to admit, but this man I rarely see with the eerie white eyes and the ability to speak into my mind is more my father than the one who birthed me.

“You’re almost there,” he encourages, and he’s right. The ledge is so close I can almost feel its security, but those feelings are hopeless dreams now.

The sun has set. I’m blind and trapped on the sheer side of the Verdens Kant with nothing but my fingers in a crease to hold me above the world.

The Lovers

SEASON OF THE HARVEST, CYCLE 78920

Lightning broke apart the sky, and the heavy rain cast the world into darkness. It was as if the gods raged in the heavens and punished us on earth with this vengeance, so when Kaid pounded on my window, I stood motionless in shock, convinced I’d imagined him. He beat on the glass again, timing his strikes with the storm’s power, and only then did I realize my thief hung outside in the flesh and not in my mind.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I flung open the window, water pelting my face. I had to shout to be heard over the downpour, but thankfully, its violence concealed our voices.

“I figured tonight was the perfect time to visit.” His smile twisted his scarred lips, and gods, was his smile enough to light up the world even on this stormy night. “It’s growing increasingly difficult to find cracks in the temple’s defenses, but right now the guards are huddled away from the rain.”

“For good reason,” I said, the cold droplets pelting my face as the Season of the Harvest stole the Growth’s heat. “Only a fool would venture out in this weather. You could’ve been struck by lightning.”

“I don’t care.” He leaned forward, pushing his dripping head into my room. “Kiss me and then I’ll leave.”

“Leave?” I asked as I captured his chiseled jaw in my hands, and I noticed the rain had washed his temples clean of Varas’ ashes. I hoped his god’s protection hadn’t abandoned him because of it. The stains helped him remain hidden, and while his skill could elude any mortal, I worried it wasn’t enough to hide him from Hreinasta. He needed his god’s shielding.

“I’m soaked,” he said against my mouth as I tasted his icy lips, and I kissed him deeply as if to force my warmth into him. “My clothes will drip all over your floor if I come in,” he groaned as my tongue licked the seam of his mouth. I’d grown bolder since our first touch, but no matter how many times I had his hands on me, his body pressed against mine, it was never enough. I was starving, and only he could satisfy the hollowness in my chest.

“So, take them off.” I pulled against his jaw, urging him inside.

“Sellah.” My name was a warning on his tongue.

“I’ll wrap you in a dry blanket,” I said, even though the thought of covering his body disappointed me. I was curious to know if he was as beautiful as I imagined.

“I’m not sure…”

“The storm will shield us,” I urged, kissing him again, and he lost his will to fight. He pulled himself through my window, and I shoved the couch out of the way to save it from the rain. Kaid peeled off his shirt and hung it out of the window so it wouldn’t trail puddles over the floor, but he froze when he caught me staring.

I’d never seen a man’s skin before. I’d never witnessed the curve of a man’s chest, the plains of his abs, the hard ridges and magnificent contours of his muscles. It was exquisite, and my fingers itched to run along his biceps, to brush against his peaked nipples, to trace every line of his stomach, every blue vein that rose on his forearms. He was divine, otherworldly, and he was mine.

“Sellah,” he chuckled so low my chest vibrated. “Do you want to turn around?”

“I…” My voice faltered. I didn’t know how to ask him for this favor. “Can I… never mind.” I turned away, but Kaid’s wet hand captured my wrist.

“Don’t be afraid to voice your thoughts.” He pulled me to face him. “You can trust me with them.”

“I want to see you.” I blushed with a soft giggle, and Kaid smiled silently, granting me the space to gather my confidence. “I’m afraid to ask because my entire life has taught me to fear touch, but I don’t want this anymore. I have no choice. I’m trapped in a life that was decided before I was born. You asked if I had known the truth about my pledge, would I have chosen differently? I have your answer now, Kaid. I would. I don’t want to disappear. I want friendship, love, a family. So may I see you?”

“You know I cannot refuse you anything.” With slow, deliberate movements, Kaid reached for his pants’ laces and undid them one by one as he kicked off his boots. My mouth went dry as the waist fell below his hip bones, baring the angled muscles of his pelvis. The cool night suddenly burned dangerously hot, and I couldn’t breathe. I was suffocating as I watched. I knew Kaid was my male perfection, but seeing him like this was like witnessing a god among men. None of the deities compared to the man before me, and I wanted to worship him with my hands, my mouth, my body.

“Sellah?” he whispered, the word a plea. His pants hung dangerously low, his arousal evident. He’d explained one night while we lay wrapped in each other’s arms the beauty of love, and so I understood what I saw beneath the fabric, but nothing prepared me to actually witness him.

“Tell me to stop,” he begged. “Tell me to leave.”

“Why?” My voice emerged raw and thick. Just moments ago, he’d been eager to grant my wish, and I couldn’t imagine why he suddenly wanted to escape my presence.

“Because if I do this.” He tugged at his pants as if to draw my attention, but it was unnecessary because they had already slipped lower, a hint of his curve escaping. “If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be able to stand over here alone. I know you simply wished to see me, but it’s too much. Please, Sellah, tell me to go. Make me go.”

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