Page 60 of Kingdom of Chaos
Safe. Strong.
Two things that I’ve struggled to feel my whole life.
“Now look inside yourself,” Talon says, his voice no louder than a whispered murmur. “Picture that inner strength. Where does it live? What does it look like?”
With my eyes still closed, I imagine diving inside my own body, flowing through the different parts of me, finally funneling to my heart, where there’s a pulsating ball of silver and gold threads. It feels like the strands are knotted in a way they shouldn’t be, so without any more prompting from Talon, I imagine the threads untangling.
Talon gasps softly beside me, but I’m too focused on the unraveling to fully register it.
“That’s it,” he says, voice low and encouraging, like he can somehow see what I’m doing.
It takes several long minutes, but eventually the knots come free. The threads flow outward from the center of me, spreading through my body like veins of light. A soft glow radiates from within, head to toe.
It’s beautiful. At least in my mind’s eye.
Who knew I had such a vivid imagination?
“Open your eyes, Freckles,” Talon says, and my heart stutters at the sound of the nickname he hasn’t used in days.
I let my lids drift open and my breath catches.
We’re wrapped in shadows so dense I can’t see the trees or the sky anymore. The world beyond us has vanished, swallowed in darkness. But we’re not alone in the void. Threads of silver and gold float around between us, glowing softly, pulsing in time with the beat of my heart.
I follow a few of the strands and realize they’re flowing out from me, reaching across the shadows and attaching to Talon, tethering us together.
Just like they did the night of the final Chaos trial.
With a gasp, I step back and swipe my arm through the air between us, trying to sever the threads. The last time we were connected like this, Shadow Striker was transferring its magic from Talon to me, and it nearly killed him. But before I can do anything more, Talon catches my wrist, stopping me.
“It’s okay. You’re not hurting me,” he says.
“What’s happening?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“This is your magic.”
I trace a golden strand from my fingertip to Talon’s. The glow from the threads between us casts a warm light across him, making his storm-colored eyes look almost silver and softening the bronze of his skin, giving it a luminous, ethereal quality.
The shadows swirl around us like a living current, and I can’t help but get lost in the beauty of the moment. In the magic.Mymagic.
“How is this even possible?” I whisper, looking up into his eyes, breathless with awe. “I’m human. This shouldn’t be real.”
Somehow, we’ve moved closer without me noticing, like the threads connecting us have drawn us together. We’re not touching, but we’re close. So close I can see the striations in his eyes, starbursts of deep blue radiating from a metallic-gray center.
“With you,” he murmurs, lifting a hand to gently trace the curve of my cheek, “anything is possible.”
I catch my breath as Talon’s fingers glide beneath my chin, gently tipping my head back. My world narrows to just the two of us as he gently tucks my hair behind my ear. His fingers trail over the curve of it, lingering for a breath, then slide to the back of my head, where his palm settles with quiet intent.
The magic churning around and through me silences everything, stealing away any thought beyond this moment.
His other hand brushes against my hip before sliding to the small of my back. His touch is steady, grounding, and when he draws me closer, I go without resistance.
The shadows respond to the shift in us. They swirl faster, circling in an unseen breeze that lifts strands of our hair and makes them dance around us. I’m only dimly aware of it, the edges of the world blurring, because all I can focus on is the warmth of Talon’s body and the way the space between us disappears.
When he lowers his head, a rush of emotion, sharp and consuming, stirs in me. It’s not the same as what I feel for Becks, but it’s just as powerful. In some ways, it’s more intense.
More immediate.
More dangerous.
