Page 21 of Ecliptic

I felt Rowen’s eyes tracing over all the wrong areas of my demonstration, not observing the angles of my knees or the placement of my feet. “I do enjoy watching your ass in the air like that,” he said, confirming my suspicions.

“Focus. I don’t want any excuses when I beat you.”

“Apologies. Please, continue.”

“Then you wait for the signal to, ‘go’,” I said, relaxing out of my stance. “Starting like that enhances the speed of your take-off. The first step is the most important. It’s how you shoot out that really sets the tone of the race.”

Rowen mirrored my positions. “How do I look?” he asked with a crooked smirk.

His massive thighs and firm ass flexed as he lifted his hips, and the tendons in his forearms bulged as he distributed his weight. I couldn’t help but admire his form. “You make a perfect student.”

“Don’t let me distract you now,” he said, jolting me from my admiring.

“You wish,” I said, situating myself back into position. “On my mark . . . set . . . Go!”

I exploded from my stance as muscle memory kicked into place. As much as I loved running, it also filled me with terror. I had conditioned myself to believe that I was safe when I ran, that fleeing from everyone and everything was the only way to escape the threats closing in around me. But now, as the rhythm of my footfalls harmonized with the man beside me, running changed. It was no longer a solitary journey but a shared path with the man I loved.

Rowen was a formidable opponent, but I beat him to the tree with a few moments to spare.

“Best two out of three?” he asked with a wild grin.

“I know what the loser gets to do,” I panted.

“What’s that?”

“Sleep on the floor.”

“Absolutely not,” Rowen said as if the suggestion were criminal.

“What if I accidentally touch you? Takoda said one more touch from me could stop your heart.”

“I’ve had to live believing I lost you. Twice now. Living through that type of anguish shredded my soul. I don’t think Icould live through that again. And I’ll be spirits-damned if I won’t be as close to you as I possibly can.”

My eyes trailed up the tree that Rowen had selected so quickly. But it wasn’t one tree at all; it was two, spiraling around each other in a tender duet. “This is the entwined souls tree,” I said, recalling the story Ven had shared with me on one of our adventures. He spoke of how, when Rowen first came to live in the village, many elves invited him to the tree that looked like two lovers embracing, growing together, and supporting one another. Forever intertwined.

He had declined every invitation, and I could see why. The entwined souls tree was a symbol of love, unity, and everlasting commitment.

“It is,” he replied, a deep fire burning in his eyes.

“Oh. We can go. I know you like to avoid this tree.”

“I want to be here,” he said, his expression sincere and anchoring. “With my soul flame.”

My breath caught in my throat. “You and Takoda have said those words before.Soul flame.”

My eyes locked with Rowen’s, and our breaths quickened. We were nearing the precipice we’d been edging toward since that first day in the forest. The anticipation thickened in the air like honey, sweet and heavy, knowing that once we fell, there would be no turning back. “Yes,” he said in a low rumble. “How does that make you feel?”

“It sounds pretty intense,” I whispered.

“You had to travel from another world for me to find you. That’s as intense as it gets.”

“What . . . what is it?” I asked, gulping as I read the look in his eyes that, in one glance, shot across the universe as it landed on me.

“You know,” he said, his voice like a finger trailing down my spine.

“I know we aresomething,” I replied, my knees trembling.

“We are most assuredly more thansomething,”he said as his gaze held mine infinitely, and I shivered.“You are not just my perfect match but the beacon to my soul. And I to you. We each carry a piece of each other’s innermost flame, forging a celestial bond that transcends worldly limitations. It’s the deepest connection two souls can make. I always suspected, but it wasn’t until I joined you in the Hymma that I knew for sure.”

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