Page 35 of Ties of Death

But I wasn’t intending to tell him either. I can’t really blame him for not wanting to admit it.

Knowing he can sense my every secret emotion makes me feel exposed, vulnerable.

“I’m sorry. I should have said something. I just didn’t want you to feel like… that.” His hand flickers to gesture to me; he must mean the vulnerability I’m drowning in right now.

It’s surprisingly thoughtful of him. Far more reminiscent of my Daenn than King Daenn.

But it also reminds me of where this conversation started. I take a step back and cross my arms. The space is good. It helps me clear my head, to breathe in the wet, earthy scent of the jungle around us instead of him. To not be so close he could scoop me into his arms with no effort.

“I can appreciate not wanting to admit to knowing about the bond, whatever reasons for it. But lying, Daenn? We’re not skipping past that like it didn’t happen.”

He stands, and suddenly he’s in my space again, even closer than before. My heart kicks into another gallop, but it’s not panic causing it. It’s him. His proximity. His intense gaze, wholly focused on me, tracing over my face. His scent, woodsy and fresh, like our mountain home, crowding out the jungle odors. The way his hair frames his face, loose and ruffled.

Everything about him is making my head spin, my heart pound.

“Do you want me to tell you I’m sorry?” His voice is low, sending a sweep of tingles through my limbs that makes me wobbly. “I’m not. What good does it do you to know that the bracer is eating away at the magic, but it’s also eating away at me? I’m the only thing standing between you and whatever lurks in this jungle. You don’t need to worry that I’ll fall and you’ll be left alone.”

“I think I deserve to know if that’s a danger.”

“It’s not.” His voice is a growl. A promise. “I won’t leave you unprotected, Emana. I’ll stay cursed with this magic for my entire life before I’ll risk that.”

He means every word of that. Fierce sincerity burns through him to me, bright and hot. I want to wrap it around me like a blanket.

I wanthimto wrap around me, enclose me in his arms and bury me against his chest.

The thought comes out of nowhere, shocking me to my senses.

It’s madness. This man is not my Daenn. I know that.

But it’s getting harder and harder to remember it, to remember why I hate him.

His gaze darkens. Hope curls around my heart. He reaches for me—

And Storm releases a battle shriek as a monster dives out of the jungle toward us.

20

Eyes among the Foliage

Amassive monster streaks from the trees. It’s bigger than Storm, with a long, thin body and limbs, and a dark purple-brown carapace. Its two forearms look like sawblades with jagged little teeth running along their edges. Its mandibles clack horrendously, and venom drips from its jaws, dropping and burning away the foliage on the forest floor; this is the source of the burns we saw before.

It’s a monster insect from someone’s nightmares.

I hate this jungle.

It flies at us, sword-like arms raised as it lets out a shriek that will give me nightmares if we survive this. Daenn steps in front of me, already drawing his sword.

But the monster is intercepted. Storm charges in from the side, slamming into the beast and bowling it over. It snaps at him, narrowly missing his neck with those dripping jaws. His beak clamps down on one of its wings. There’s a crack, almost like a breaking branch.

I’m mesmerized watching them, terrified some of that acidic venom will land on Storm and burn him.

“Emana, get down!”

I obey on instinct, dropping to the jungle floor and rolling just in time to see Daenn clash with a second monster where Iwas only moments before. The monster’s arms slide along the blade of Daenn’s sword, and Daenn has to duck and spin away when the monster darts in to snap at him with its mandibles.

I scramble farther away, out from under their feet, and scan the edges of the clearing. If there are two, are there more?

Storm shrieks triumphantly as he uses his claws to tear the monster’s head off. He gives it a small shake and then drops it, turning to where Daenn faces off against the second one.

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