Maybe it was that burning ember scent of his.
Maybe it was the fact that he’d already saved my life.
Or maybe it’s because that spirit told you to trust him.
“SAFFIE?”
I jumped at the sound of Savannah’s voice. When I looked up, I found her and Gigi rushing toward us with wide eyes. And then I saw the very moment they realized who was with me because they froze in place. Their jaws dropped. Any hope they’d act casual and calm flew out the window.
Savannah’s sapphire gaze latched onto Riah’s hand squeezing my shoulder. Then she looked to me, then back to his hand. My cheeks warmed and I knew I was blushing, but it was a welcome relief to the bone-chilling cold before Riah had found me. I peeked over at his hand and hated that I noticed he’d switched which hand his ring was on. But I did notice. Sometimes it was on his right pointer finger, and sometimes – like right that moment – it was on his left middle.
Gigi cleared her throat. “What’s…what’s going on, eh?”
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Savannah glanced back and forth between us.
Riah’s hand slid down onto my upper arm and then he squeezed for a split second before pulling his arm back. The very instant his touch vanished that soul-crushing chill crashed back down around me. I felt heavy and weak. My body trembled and I stumbled forward. Savannah jumped out and caught me with wide eyes.
“Leave,” Riah snapped. His voice was sharp, sharper than it had been a moment ago when it was just us. But I must have made a face at him, because his eyes softened just a smidge. He arched one eyebrow. “Go home. Now.”
Savannah and Gigi looked to me with a million questions in their eyes.
But I had no strength to answer them. My teeth rattled against each other. The tears I’d been holding back rushed to the surface and my vision blurred. “I go home. Home. Now. Home.”
Chapter Twenty
Riah
I should not be here.
But I was nevertheless. I’d battled against my own better judgement for hours before succumbing to weakness. I had to see her with mine own eyes. I had to see that she was all right. For hours my mind replayed our encounter over and over. Each time my heart broke a little bit more. The fear in her eyes. The shaking of her body. The desperation in her expression. It was only a moment but the memory haunted me all through the night.
So there I was, standing in front of her temporary home just before dawn. The sky was barely beginning to lighten to the east. Not that that mattered. No one would see me. I glanced down to my right hand just to be sure my cloaking ring was in its correct place on my right pointer finger. It was.
I see you.
My heart fluttered as her words rang through my ears. And she had seen me, though I had not expected it. She’d gotten stronger, much more powerful than she ever had been. I had wondered if she’d seen me Friday in the park during photography class but convinced myself it was something else that had spooked her. Now I knew for sure she had. I was going to have to inspect Ms. Kelly’s camera. I’d followed her the rest of that day and night. I’d been sitting near them at that pizza place, and followed them to the medium for her reading.
She hadn’t seen me at either. Nor had she seen me all day yesterday as I followed her. I’d kept my distance both days as much as I could. Invading her privacy was not part of my job. I had to just keep her safe. I had not expected for her to see me through the hag stone, she shouldn’t have been able to.
Quit stalling.
I sighed and marched up the front steps. When I got to the door I reached out and turned the handle but it was locked. Thankfully. I may have lost my mind if it had been unlocked. I squeezed the handle tighter and pushed with my mind. My silver magic flashed from under my hand. The silver smoke wrapped around the handle and then the door popped open. I slipped inside quickly and carefully, then closed it behind me.
Once inside, I hurried up the stairs. My steps made no sound, I was but a ghost flying through the house. On the second floor, Landreia stepped out into the hall right in front of me. I froze so I would not run into her. She whistled while she walked, almost dancing down the hallway. She did not see me or even register my presence. Saraphina would have felt me.
As soon as Landreia was inside another room, I flew up to the third floor where Saraphina’s room sat overlooking the street. It was my job to know where her room was, though I’d only been inside of it with her once to see where it was. Since then, I’d tried to respect her privacy – even if she was unaware of my presence at all. If Prince Thorne knew the extent of the distance I’d been providing her, he would have my sword…but spying on the one I love the most was overwhelmingly wrong.
I was only here to protect her from harm.
Her energy radiated out of her room all the way over to the stairs. The smell of roses seeped through the cracks in the door and rolled down the hall. The scent knocked the breath from my lungs each time. I licked my lips and opened her door.
The sun had not yet reached her windows, but the light of the moon glistened against her skin. Her hair was vibrant and shimmering. See. She is safe. Turn thyself and leave.
My feet carried me forward until I stopped beside her bed. My chest grew tight and heat filled my lungs. It was hard to breathe this close to her. I rubbed my chest and sucked in a raspy breath.
In her sleep, without her fierce personality radiating from her eyes, she appeared tiny and delicate. My pulse fluttered uncontrollably. Warmth spread through my body. I should not be here still. I must go. Yet I found myself crouched down so that mine eyes were level with hers.
And that was when I registered the fear billowing out of her. She slept curled in a ball, with her knees pulled up tight to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, her knuckles white from how tightly she held herself. Sweat beaded along her temple and down the side of her throat. There was a shimmer to her bare shoulder, like a layer of sweat coated her.
I frowned and glanced around the room. There was nothing to fear in here. Yet her body trembled and rocked. Her eyes danced beneath her closed eyelids and her lips quivered. Sharp, raw, hot pain scorched through my chest. I hissed through clenched teeth. My gold translucent wings sprouted from my back, casting her small frame in a brighter golden haze.
Saraphina cried out in her sleep. Her face scrunched up and she shook her head wildly. Her red hair fell into her face. She shivered so hard her teeth rattled. Soft whimpers slipped between her teeth.
Again, there was nothing in here but — me? Is she afraid of me?
I knew I shouldn’t, but I was helpless to stop myself. I reached out and pushed those strands back behind her ear. As my fingertips brushed her skin, the tips of her ears elongated until they were as sharply pointed as mine own. Now that I was touching her, I seemed too weak to stop. I ran the backs of my fingers along her jaw and her cheeks warmed under my touch. Her skin flushed.
She sucked in a deep breath then exhaled slowly. The shivering stopped. Her mouth parted. I cocked my head to the side then traced my fingertips over her shoulder. Her muscles loosened as she released her tight grip on herself. She sighed then stretched like a feline, arching her back — pale pink translucent wings shot out from her back and fluttered in the moonlight.