“Good night,Mi Cielo,” she murmurs.
“Your sky?” I ask, curious and slightly starved for her conversation.
She smiles. “Yes. But for my people… it’s a bit more like, darling. It can be affectionate. Or sarcastic.”
I laugh. “Which one would you use for me?”
She turns. “Both.” Then she kisses me.
It’s soft. Slow. Gentle.
The jungle outside is alive with sounds, but inside the tent, we’re in our own world. Nothing more happens after the kiss and she falls asleep first, as she often does. I focus on the steady sound of her breathing as my mind races.
What we shared two nights ago had not been trivial. It had marked a colossal shift in my heart. It was the first time I’d been with a woman in so long, and it had been unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I crave it—crave her.
I want to see her arch into my touch and cry out.
But we need to sleep. And more than that… I don’t deserve to have her under me until I tell her the truth.
Soon.
For tonight, rest.
Not long afterwe fall asleep, the calm is broken. The sound of movement breaks through the quiet—a rustle in the underbrush, followed by a low growl.
My eyes snap open, looking down at the woman in my arms. Arlet is still sleeping, with no signs of any disturbance.
Ugh. For fuck’s sake, what now?
I am, quite literally, exhausted. Everything feels slower. More sluggish.
Hopefully, this is just an animal.
I reach for a knife while I hold my breath, listening.
There is definitely movement—heavy, deliberate, footsteps. Leaves shaking against each other outside our space.
Something distorts my hearing, so I creep to the front of the tent to inspect the scene. Except, the second I come into view, a thick hand grabs me.
Before I can protest, a sharp, numbing wave of magic courses through me, I feel my limbs lock, my senses fade, and my last thought is of Arlet.
Then everything goes black.
Chapter 35
ARLET
Iwake to the scent of herbs and the murmur of voices too low to distinguish. A sharp pain across my ankle makes me hiss. My head throbs, and I blink, my vision slow to adjust.
I’m lying on something hard, barely cushioned with a rough fabric. Something marginally softer props my head up. Above me is a rough stone ceiling, lit only by the flickering glow of firelight.
Stone.
For a moment, a sense of relief hits. I’m back in a cavern, safe. My journey is over.
Except… there are no crystals, nor is there a familiar hum. Around me is bare and silent.
The realization sends a rush of panic through me. If I’m not in Enduvida, then what is this place?