Page 69 of A Soul to Guide

Raewyn squirmed in his hold, unsure of why her body decided to pulsate at the idea of ‘cleansing’ him herself, with soapy water and her hands. From what she’d briefly felt, his fur would be soft, and his muscles squishy – two wonderful textures.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” she grumbled while turning her face away.

“Oh no, whatever shall I do? She no longer wishes to speak with me. I’m so torn up inside.”

She could almost imagine him rolling his eyes if he had any. She did feel his shoulders move, like he’d rolled his head.

Raewyn bit her lips to stop them from curling in humour. She had a soft spot for sarcasm – which is why she’d enjoyed Cykran’s company so much.

“I could talk your ear off instead,” she warned.

“That would require me to have fleshy ears, which I do not.” Okay, he had a good point. “However, I am curious about your world. So, if you wish to talk about it, my ear holes are open. Perhaps that would be a better travelling discussion for you?”

“Nowyou wish to be chatty with me?” she asked, just wanting to poke his ire.

“Things have changed. There was no point in our knowing each other when we had been planning to separate after the temple. There is much I wish to know, and there are things youmustknow about me. Just as I said earlier, choose your questions wisely, for you may not like what you discover.” Then, with a tone that held a deep and foreboding warning, he added, “And I am not forgiving, Raewyn. Your reactions and words are not something you can take back.”

She took his warning to heart, having already uncovered that truth today.

Merikh stared down at the sleeping Elf, cradled in his arms. Her face was smooshed against his chest, her body limp as it bounced, her legs swaying. Merikh ignored the fact that one of her hands clutched his shirt.

He’d never had a soft spot for... well, anything before. Raewyn, however, was funny in a cute sort of way.

She’s bubbly.He hadn’t expected that of her.

He’d also never had anyone be that way with him. It often stumped him because he was unsure of how to react.

Her world sounds beautiful.

She had explained what it looked like from when she’d still had her sight, and he could almost picture it in his mind’s eye.

Apparently, their foliage was a mix between dark blue, bright purple, and medium pink. Some tree trunks were black, their centres a sticky brown, but there were many that were white, as though sun bleached.

Those blue, purple, and pink leaves, as well as many of their flowers, would glow in the night, due to absorbing the radiation from the suns. They used it, rather than polluting the air with toxins.

The grass was blue, and their sky changed from green to purple, depending on which sun was closest.

The world seemed alive, just by its environment.

Even if he had to spend the rest of his life alone in that world, at least it would be pretty – rather than the darkness Merikh was accustomed to here.

She’d also told him, in detail, about the city in which she lived. Most of the roofs were painted white to keep cool from the three suns that beat down upon them. Yet, many also had glass domes, or they painted their outer walls in various colours.

Gold, silver, and bronze were common throughout the city. They were resources not used for trade, but rather for housing, since their world had an oversaturation of it.

Their central tree was their main shade, and they’d used magic to grow it so they could live within it before they built the city surrounding it. Outside the city’s protective, oily barrier was a valley with mountains on three sides and a river running through it, whereas the other side was a beach.

Finally, she informed him they had begun allowing Demons to live among them, once they had fully evolved past their base instincts. Those who had fully formed skin, were of thought, and wanted nothing more than the destruction to stop, lived with them as equals.

When she’d told him this, Merikh, in his opinion, had foolishly allowed hope to swell within him. He’d once promised himself he wouldn’t feel true hope, to be excited for it, but it was hard not to let it birth inside him after what she’d told him.

Could they accept me?

His heart would stutter when he remembered they had accepted Demons who had formed a face. It would be easy to blend in that way, but Merikh would always stand out among a crowd.

He was tall, his face of bone, and even he knew his appearance was frightful to most.

Hope twirled like a tornado, mixing with his longing and low expectations.

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