Page 17 of A Kiss of Embers
Tingles shot up Ashryn’s arm as her body slowly regained movement. Agonizingly slowly. She itched to leap to her feet. She was desperate to reach for her weapons and rush after the Ember Queen. But judging by the dwindling flames several paces from her giving way to a dark forest, several hours had passed since the woman had taken Bastien.
Anything could have happened during that time.
A sob stuck fast to her throat as she spotted the blood smeared across the grass as if the victim of a murder had been stabbed and dragged away from the scene. She’d heard Bastien’s grunts of pain, and it had killed her not being able to do anything about it.
How foolish she felt. She should have been watching out for the threat. Not flirting with a man she fancied.
Her fingers twitched, followed by her toes. Slowly, her body thawed out from its petrified state like an icy lake giving way beneath warm sunlight. Raw determination worked through her as she fought for feeling, for movement. Beside her, Sylvain stirred as if he, too, battled the poison in his body.
She begged another patrol to pass by overhead. She willed her voice to work to allow her to scream for help.
But her tongue was as numb as the rest of her body. And no one came to their rescue.
“Ash…ryn,” Sylvain choked out beside her. A silent question. A pleading prayer.
She swallowed. And then swallowed again. Until her mouth thawed enough for her to speak. “I’m…fine.” She attempted to clear her throat, but it only came out as a garbled grunt. “Are…you…hurt?”
When her neck thawed enough to move, she turned her head, only to realize she was resting heavily against him, each tangled up with the other. Despite the seriousness of their situation, her cheeks heated as she recalled the feel of his body pressed against hers, the taste of him on her lips. She’d never felt a spark with anyone like she did with him.
And it ached knowing she needed to throw it away.
The man shook his head when his neck seemed to work better than his voice. An impatient, desperate silence ensued as they both struggled for movement. First, her fingers moved freely, and then her wrists, followed by her arms and torso. Her legs still felt heavy, and she didn’t dare attempt to stand when she knew she might topple over.
“Please,” Ashryn begged, turning to face Sylvain more fully. “Find another patrol. Tell them we were attacked by the Ember Queen.”
Sylvain stiffened beside her, his white hair shifting slightly before resting at the top of his shoulders once more. “You are planning to go after him.”
“Of course I am. I love him.” She winced and shook her head, amending with, “Not in a romantic way. He is my best friend.”
A hardness rooted within his eyes as he gazed at her with a deep intensity as if studying the very workings of her soul. “Tell me you feel nothing for me.”
The demand took her aback. She inhaled sharply, eyes wide as she pulled away to better take in the rigidness of his shoulders, the intent in his eyes. “I cannot.”
His jaw jumped as he reached for her hand. “Then I will come with you.”
A breath trembled from her lungs as she stared back at him, trying to figure out if he meant what she thought he meant. “I will be damned in this society. And I will damn you with me.”
“Because you plan to take the Ember girl.”
She nodded mutely. What more could she say? Bastien’s life meant more to her than her acceptance in Attleglade. But she refused to bring Sylvain down with her. “I must do it tonight while the patrols are still occupied and their attention is diverted from the settlement. While everyone is still asleep.” She squeezed his hand in earnest. “You must protect yourself. I will not strip you of your career, of your home, just to appease me.”
Sylvain ran a hand up her arm and cupped the side of her face. “I cannot pretend we don’t have anétincelle permanente.”
“What does that mean?” she whispered.
“In my culture, we use the term to describe a spark we find with our soulmate. I have found it with you, and I am not willing to let you go.” He moved closer until she spotted a dark gray freckle in his silver eyes. “I am with you to the end.”
The declaration thrummed through her like a steady beat of a drum. They’d known each other for less than a day, and already he was willing to go down fighting by her side.
And she knew she couldn’t deny the spark between them. She’d felt it the very moment she laid eyes on him.
They linked their fingers as they wobbled to standing, her legs still heavy but working, nonetheless. Whatever poison the Ember Queen had used on them was potent. She feared what she might have used on Bastien. What she might use in the future on him.
When their legs worked enough to walk without tripping, they crept through the forest and back toward the settlement. She knew every patrol group. She was aware of their rounds, where they would stop for the night when their shift ended, and where they wouldn’t be as well. She followed her own path through the trees, successfully evading each patrol.
And then they stopped at the edge of the settlement, the village quiet aside from the occasional footfall as the two inner patrol guards made their rounds. Sneaking past them would not be easy. She was ill-prepared, but there was no other choice in the matter. It had to be now before anyone found out what happened to Bastien.
She turned to Sylvain and found his eyes in the darkness. “Are you sure you want to help me?”
