Page 49 of Unbound

"Malakai… come on," I say, scooting back more, though there's not much room to escape on the small magical rectangle of water. "For once, just be a decent human being."

He snorts through his nose. "You've got no gods damned idea what kind of human being I am. Keep the echo. And don’t think this changes a fucking thing between us, Thorne." Without another word, he pushes off the water platform and disappears beneath the depths of the lake.

I let out a long breath and collapse, body shivering as I clutch the pearl-like echo as if my life depends on it.

Alive. I'm alive, and with any luck, my friends will be too when the trial is over.

For the first time in weeks, I think maybe we actually have a chance of making it to Confluence Day. I showed down there I'm finally getting some grasp of my powers.

No. More than some. I fought Malakai off by myself. I survived coming face to face with whatever that thing was.

I lay on my back, eyes closed as the sun warms my nearly-frozen body. A small smile spreads across my lips.

I can do this. It's never going to be easy. It's never going to be pretty. But I can fucking do this.

11

I'm barefoot as I pad my way to the spot on top of the castle walls. I hug my arms close, wishing I'd had the foresight to put on more clothes before stepping out here. It seems like winter decided to offer a preview tonight, with bitter cold wind blowing in from the snow-capped mountains to the west of campus.

But I stubbornly keep climbing the steps to the highest wall. I may not want to admit it, but I know the reason I've left my room isn't for fresh air tonight. It's because I'm hoping I'll find him again.

Raith.

I may have survived the water trial and faced whatever the hell that creature was, but the nightmares are only getting worse. I still see it… him… her… hells if I know—in my dreams, and they're more vivid every single night. Each time I close my eyes, those glowing blue depths are waiting, pulling me under. Memories of dark red clouds of blood that had been Malakai’s allies stain the waters, their deaths feeling somehow like my fault.

I suppress a full-body shudder as I round the corner and freeze, pulse immediately racing.

In the center of the wall, silhouetted against the stars, stands Raith.

He turns his head as soon as I'm in view and gives the slightest nod.

Maybe I hoped to find him here, but it doesn’t stop the instinctive fear he triggers in me. I might as well approach a wolf in the forest. Something about him screams danger, yet I'm still drawn forward, danger be damned.

With one deep, calming breath, I head toward him.

"You're going to freeze," he growls.

"Does that bother you?"

Raith looks annoyed and concerned as he kneels and actually places his big hands on my bare feet. Steam rises from his skin, making the air shimmer and glow faintly orange.

"What are—oh"

I sigh with relief as heat doesn't just pass between our skin, but it also envelops my chilled feet and legs. The stone beneath me even seems to warm as the scent of smoke and campfires fills the air. That wonderful cocoon of heat spreads from my toes and creeps up my body, almost like a lover's caress, warming me to the bone. It feels like being wrapped in the world's most perfect blanket, banishing the chill in an instant.

And part of me wonders if those invisible hands of fire are Raiths—if he can feel the perfect touch sliding up my body, whispering along my curves and most sensitive places.

It's done in seconds, and Raith stands, assessing me with those molten gold eyes. "Better?"

"Much… thank you."

He rests his forearms on the half-height wall and leans out, surveying the darkened landscape beyond.

"I haven't seen you here since the first time," I say after a while. "Does that mean your bad dreams stopped?"

Raith doesn't answer immediately. "No…"

"So you've been avoiding me?"

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