Page 255 of Emylia

I bit my bottom lip, chewing on the nerves. “Something feels... off.”

His eyes scanned the trees, searching for threats, anything that might’ve triggered my unease—but we were alone.

“Do you think it’s because we’re close to Xayreia?”

“I... I don’t know,” I admitted, hugging my arms around myself.

“Last time we were here, you hadn’t tapped into your magik. Maybe it feels different now—stronger than Akaela.”

He had a point. Last time, I hadn’t known what I was. Hadn’tfeltthis power. Maybe now that I had, the forest’s power resonated deeper—louder.

“That would make sense,” I murmured.

“Do you want to head back?”

“No.” My response was immediate.

I had come here for a reason.

This was the first place Maalikai had taken me. The place he’d started to unravel me. The place where—without even trying—he’d stolen pieces of my heart.

And this was the place I wanted to give him his gift.

“Okay,” he said gently. “Let’s keep going.”

Maalikai reached for my hand, fingers threading through mine like my savior. We hadn’t walked far before the thrum in my chest settled into a steadier beat.

Sunlight broke through the canopy, scattering gold across the forest floor in fractured beams. Light danced through the leaves, chasing away the shadows that had followed me in. Soon, the trilling of birds filled the air—soft and familiar. The trepidation began to fade, chased back by the beauty around me.

“Princess.” The word slipped from him like a promise.

My eyes snapped to his, and everything else fell away. Swirls of azure and death-defying cerulean spun inside his irises, glowing with a light that didn’t belong to this world.

Luminescent.

Wild.

Beautiful.

My hand rose of its own accord, brushing against his cheek. His lashes fluttered open beneath my touch, and I swore—in that single breath—he stole what was left of my heart.

If there was anything left to steal.

“Come with me. I want to show you something special.”

My heart ricocheted, thrumming against my ribcage like it was trying to break free.

Without a murmur of objection, I followed Maalikai upstream. “What more could you possibly want to show me?”

He took my hand, guiding me across the old bridge, overgrown with vines and moss until it looked like something straight from a fairytale. He pressed a finger to his lips, urging me to stay quiet, then pointed to the branches above.

The last time we were here, the leaves had been a warm sunset orange—autumn in full bloom. But now, they shimmered, shifting color every few seconds: vibrant pink, fluorescent purple, iridescent blue, effervescent emerald. They changed like they pulsed to a heartbeat.

“What the heck?”

“I think… they’re butterflies,” Maalikai whispered.

My gaze snapped to his. “What?”

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