Page 17 of The Book of Legends
He repeats it slowly, his tongue curling around the syllables like he’s savoring it. “Selene.” Something in his voice warms my skin, heating me from the inside out. I swallow hard. “You’re human.”
I glance at myself, at my ash-covered hands, my purple sweater still twisted from where I was on the floor by the bed. “Is that a problem?”
His smile sharpens. “No. Just… rare.”
My pulse jolts.
“How did you cross the river?”
Something in his tone changes.
“I—I didn’t,” I stammer. “One minute I was standing in front of a mirror, and then?—”
His expression flashes with something I don’t understand. “A mirror?”
I nod.
His eyes glow subtly, the depths turning molten. “That doesn’t explain much,” he murmurs, almost to himself. “A mirror.”
Before I can ask what that means, his hand lifts toward me. “Are you thirsty?”
The moment he says it, my throat turns to sandpaper.
I nod, despite every instinct warning me not to.
“Come,” he says smoothly, gesturing toward the trees behind him. “Let me offer you a drink. A song. You must be tired.”
A song?
Every hair on my body rises. But my tongue is dry, my limbs aching, my head still spinning. What choice do I have?
Inside, the cabin is warm, lit by a fire crackling in the hearth. The walls feel closer than they should be. The shadows stir unnaturally. But then the air shifts, slowly thickening. The firelight flickers strangely. I adjust my glasses again, but something is off.
Eryndor hands me a glass. I blink down at it, noticing the liquid is black or it’s a trick from the firelight. “What is it?” My voice is thick, slow.
“Mineral water,” he says smoothly. “Drink.”
My tongue is so dry it hurts. The air thickens, heavy and honeyed. The fire flickers blue, then red, then gold. My heartbeat slows, my skin tingling as if touched by unseen hands. I feel him watching me, not sure if I should.
“It’s infused with… nutrients,” he says convincingly. “To keep you hydrated.”
“Oh.” I take a long sip, holding my breath to avoid the bitter aftertaste as much as possible, and then chug. I’m so thirsty I could drink mud water, and I wouldn’t care.
My eyes find him over the glass, watching me. I place the glass down on the table.
“Would you like to hear some music?” It’s the second time he’s mentioned it. I’m not sure what his obsession with listening to music is. I’m about to decline when I hear the wind howl outside, followed by a loud crack of thunder. Shit.
“It’s about to rain,” he says with a smile. “It’s good when it rains.”
“You don’t get much of it?”
“Not really. I guess it’s a good thing I invited you to my home, or you’d be out there alone, walking in the dark under the pouring rain.”
An uneasy feeling slams into me when he points that out, like he’s reminding me he’s doing me a favor and I should be kissing the ground he walks on.
“How about that music?” It’s not like I have a choice now. It’s better in here than being out there. How bad can his music be?
I scan the space for a speaker or some type of device but come up empty.
