12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

L ight filtered through the window, and I pushed back the sheet, cool crisp air giving me relief from the too-hot covers. The sleep-addled haze faded enough for me to notice that I wasn't lying on my pillow; my head rested on Caelus's hard chest as it rose and fell softly. He's still asleep. Thank gods.

My hand lay on his stomach, and I fought the itch to trail my fingers along the toned muscles. His arm was wrapped around my waist, and one of his legs was tucked between mine.

The scene seemed wholly inappropriate. Maybe it was because I was a Divine or because Klareth's punishment had never been worth the risk.

It was early morning, and I wasn't sure how to escape without waking him. Instead, I went with the adult thing to do—pretend to still be sleeping.

I wasn't sure how much time passed before he stirred. His finger made idle shapes on my waist. After several moments, it became quite clear that he wasn't going to "wake" me up.

Stifling the urge to sigh, I shifted and opened my eyes.

"Finally tired of pretending? If you wanted to use me as a pillow, all you had to do was ask."

My face burned, and I slapped his chest, groaning. I headed for the bathing room, closing the door behind me.

Chuckling erupted behind the closed door.

Once we were both dressed and ready for the road, I waited outside the inn while Caelus retrieved the horse. Which was fine by me. After being indecently wrapped around all those hard muscles and waking up to his handsome face, I wanted a little space. More like, a lot of space. But that wouldn't happen while we were traveling.

I couldn't afford distractions. Not until I found Teeg.

Caelus returned with his black horse, and the sight of it made me groan inwardly. My body wasn't used to riding for long hours. My muscles were sore, and my back had barely recovered overnight from the day before.

"What's his name?" I asked, delaying the inevitable.

He raised a brow and patted the horse's neck. "Kast."

I stepped up. Kast smelled as though he'd had a bath. My fingers brushed through his coarse mane. He grunted softly and I smiled. "He's beautiful."

Caelus helped me up and then seated himself behind me. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're trying to make me jealous."

We took a break to stretch our legs and let Kast drink from a river, and I combed my fingers through the horse's mane to avoid moving my aching muscles.

"It'd be better if you walked around," Caelus said, stretching in the shade of a nearby cedar.

I frowned. "I'm content over here with Kast."

He laughed. "How about practicing your power?"

It wasn't really a question, since I'd agreed to try last night. And I doubted there was anything I could say to this man to get out of it. Not sure what he had in mind, I reluctantly nodded.

He smiled. "I was thinking—"

"That must be new for you."

"You'd be surprised." He plucked a handful of leaves from a shrub with red berries. "Your Divine title is Tempest, but storms are more than thunder and lightning. There's also wind and rain." He made a motion with his hand, and a breeze stirred the leaves, sending them whirling upward in a small circle. Citrus filled the area—his scent. "Air is harmless in comparison."

"That's nice in theory," I said, patting the thick neck of the horse as it drank from the river. "But that doesn't explain how to do it, assuming I even can."

"It's about visualization and letting esprit flow through you. Simply believe the power is yours. Over time, it'll become second nature."

I fought a smile. "You sound like you've taught others before."

He stiffened. "My friends tell me my talents are wasted as a crown's guard and I should be an instructor."

"But . . . ?"

Caelus's gaze fell to the flowing river. "A story for another day. For now, focus. Visualize."

Visualization was easy enough. It was how I healed people for the Copper Jackals—the only thing I felt confident in my ability to do. "The power of gods shouldn't be played with."

"Except that it is yours ."

"The gods choose Divine. Nothing about this is mine."

He sighed. "You were born with it. It's up to you to embrace it."

I pulled my dark cloak tightly around me. Being born with it didn't make it my power. But he couldn't understand. "Is hand motioning necessary?"

"No, but it does help beginners direct their esprit. It may be helpful to you."

Doing as he said, I imagined the leaves moving in the same way he had. I twisted my hand in a swirling motion, mimicking Caelus.

Nothing happened. "I feel like a fool," I muttered under my breath.

"You're far from it," he said, now standing behind me. "Try again."

When did he move? I hadn't heard him.

Doing the hand motion again, I pictured the leaves whirling in a circle only a few inches above the ground. Nothing happened.

"Again," Caelus whispered against my ear. Warmth seeped through my veins.

"I'm doing exactly what you said."

"But you're not doing the most important part," he murmured.

My heart raced, and I took several steps away before turning to face him. "I'm doing exactly what you said." I repeated, balling my hands into fists. "The leaves aren't moving. We don't even know if I can control the air."

Those infuriating eyes filled with amusement. "Then why did they lift once you became flustered?"

He was right; the leaves were now swirling around me. I took a slow, deep breath in and let it out, releasing the frustration within as I'd been taught. They glided to the ground. "Is that what you wanted?" I asked.

He shrugged. "No, but it proves you can do it. We'll keep practicing."

I wasn't certain I knew how to do as he asked, but I nodded all the same.

I'd never been given any reason to believe in the power I'd been gifted, especially as it wasn't mine, but the gods. It always seemed like some cruel joke that they had gifted me esprit so volatile, knowing it wouldn't be easy to control . . . if I could control it at all. That didn't stop me from hoping that maybe—just maybe—I could manage it.

Caelus's body grew rigid, and he uttered, "People are approaching."

Rustling sounded a moment later, and out popped three individuals. Each bore a silver wolf pin on their chest. The signet of the Midnight Wolves. But what were they doing so close to Dusmir?

A woman with muddy brown hair and a large frame stepped forward first. "Fancy meeting two copper pups out here. Heard your guild leader died."

They thought we were both with the Copper Jackals? The jackal emblem. Someone must have seen it on the bridle in the trading town.

"That's none of your concern," Caelus said, placing himself between me and the Midnight Wolves.

The man to her right, who had a scar along the side of his face, snarled.

I'd heard stories that the members of the Midnight Wolves and the leader of their guild could be cruel, often starting fights. I peered around Caelus to keep an eye on them and hoped that wouldn't be the case here. "Excuse me. We're not looking for any trouble," I said, then winced at my lame attempt to avoid confrontation.

The woman eyed me up and down. "What do we have here? Maybe we should take you back to the guild, make you one of ours."

I took a step back. That only caused her to grin wildly.

"We'll be on our way. Isn't that right?" Caelus asked, glancing at me.

I nodded and took a step toward Kast.

"Fuck," Caelus said, before the world around me shifted.

I stumbled forward, no longer standing where I'd been. I faced Caelus. He stood where I had been, near the horse. An arrow protruded from his chest, near his left shoulder. His face contorted.

I turned. Another arrow flew at me. Citrus wind whirled around me and sent the arrow careening toward a tree. Caelus saved me.

With his right hand, Caelus unsheathed a dagger and stalked toward the woman. She drew her sword and then advanced, slashing at him. He pivoted, avoiding her attacks. She groaned and scowled at him. Caelus dashed forward, one hand grabbing her wrist. The hand holding his dagger lunged toward her chest.

I started to shout—to stop him from killing her—but a burly arm wrapped around me. A hand slammed down over my mouth before I could scream. The man began pulling me away into the trees. "Perrin was right about you," a rough male voice said.

I dug my heels into the ground, trying to stop him. He didn't slow, continuing to drag me farther away. I squirmed in his grasp, but my cloak hindered my ability to free myself. He adjusted his grip, trapping me against his chest. With aching muscles, I kicked at his knees, but his hold didn't loosen.

My heart thundered. The tingling power wanted to be free. I clamped my eyes shut. Breathe. I didn't want another death on my conscience, but I couldn't let him take me.

He removed the hand covering my mouth.

I started to scream, but cool metal pressed against my throat, squelching it.

"I would hate to ruin that pretty face," he said against my ear.

My breath hitched. Any semblance of calm ceased.

"Come and may—" he started.

My fingertips prickled. I inhaled a deep breath to keep the tempest at bay. But the intensity of it grew and lightning broke free, snaking up my arm toward him.

He jerked and seized and then fell away, releasing me.

I collapsed forward, but quickly straightened and faced him. Arcing energy continued to race along my fingers.

The scar along the right side of his face disappeared beneath a thick beard. He grinned, making it seem to take up more space. "You're coming with me, little Divine."

Sounds of fighting behind me ceased. I fought the urge to turn around—to see if Caelus was alive. He was a crown's guard, but could he win three on one?

The scarred half-dwarf peered past me. "Seems time's running out."

I turned, but there wasn't anything through the cedars.

It was a bluff, and I fell for it.

Before I could turn back, he pinned me to the ground. A hot, shooting pain radiated below my shoulder blade. He pulled my head up by my hair. I tried reaching behind me, only to aggravate the wound. The lightning that had been my savior fizzled out, and my focus split between the pain in my back and the stinging sharp pull from my scalp.

The knife's sharp edge glided across the base of my throat. "Tsk. He finally noticed you were missing."

Caelus appeared in front of us. The arrow penetrating close to the shoulder was now broken in half. He focused on the man pinning me to the ground and stepped forward like a true wolf stalking its prey.

"Ah, ah. I wouldn't come closer if you don't want something to happen to the girl." He pressed the blade harder against my neck, breaking the skin. Air hissed through my teeth.

Caelus's jaw flexed. Then he vanished.

A grunt sounded behind me, and the grip on my hair loosened. I scrambled forward and pushed myself up. I whipped around, the lightning teeming at the surface now that I was free.

Caelus stood behind him. The man unsheathed the sword at his hip. He slashed at Caelus. Caelus sidestepped, pulling back his fist. It collided with the man's scarred face. Wind sent strands of my hair flying into my eyes. The scarred man flew several feet away, crashing into a tree. There was no movement from where he lay on the ground.

Caelus turned. In a single step, he stood in front of me. This time a gentle breeze stirred the air around us. It was the last thing that mattered, but I couldn't stop myself from blurting out, "The air smells like you."

One side of his lips raised, and he reached out, halting just before his blood-soaked fingers touched my cheek. "An unfortunate side effect of my esprit."

I thought of all the times I'd smelled citrus around him or before I saw him. He'd been using his esprit all along. "Nifty trick."

His eyes drifted down to the cut on my neck. "You're hurt."

I touched the tender cut at my throat; my fingers came back red and began to tremble. "What about you?"

He glanced at the remainder of the arrow sticking from his chest as if he'd forgotten all about it, then took my shaking hand. Tingling shot up my arm, and the storm beneath the surface calmed. I let him guide me back toward the horse and past the three bloodied bodies lying on the ground.

He reached into the saddlebag and pulled out two lavender rose petals and held them as though he thought they might break. I eyed them, unsure of his plan.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing toward me.

"What are you going to do?"

His thumb ran across a velvet petal. "It's from one of Reina's roses. It has the ability to heal wounds. Since it's yours, I thought you wouldn't mind."

"Mine?"

"You didn't know?"

"That's why it was missing," I said. I shook my head. "It was a gift from Marus."

"He gifted it without telling you? Intriguing."

Reina, the goddess of love and peace, had wanted to share her love with mortals, according to stories. She'd blessed a garden of roses in the mortal world. The petals from her roses could heal any wound. It explained why it hadn't needed water in years.

"We should use it on you," I said, reaching for one.

He eyed the shaft again. "I'll be fine. But you shouldn't have been hurt."

The concern in his eyes had me nodding my head. Even if he wouldn't use it on himself, I could heal any of his injuries.

He stepped forward and placed a petal against my throat, his fingers brushing against the sensitive skin. A faint light appeared and sank into the cut. Warmth spread through my body. He placed another against the wound below my shoulder blade. In seconds, all my injuries were healed, thanks to Reina's rose.

I reached for my neck, touching where the cut had once been. There was nothing left of it. I rotated my shoulder, and there wasn't any pain or tension there either.

"Let me take care of the arrow," I said.

He looked ready to protest but seemed to decide against it. He leaned against a cedar and took a deep breath.

I examined the arrow lodged in his chest, and I glanced at him. "I've never done this before," I admitted.

"Pull it fast. Slow will hurt more."

I nodded and placed a hand against his sternum for support, feeling the steady thumping of his heart. With a deep breath, I wrapped the other around the shaft and yanked.

A grunt of pain sounded from Caelus, and I imagined that thread connecting us. Arcs of bright blue light danced along my hand and across his torso.

His eyes flitted closed as he hissed in a breath. The flesh began to mend together. He tipped his head back against the tree. "So, healing a wound is easy, but believing the power is yours isn't?"

The lightning skittered across his chest as though it were drawn to him. "Like it was easy for you to kill those people?"

His eyes opened, landing on me. "They would have done the same, or worse, to me and you. Fuck, they were planning to, Eira."

I couldn't help thinking of what I'd done to Klareth—how I'd killed her as easily as he had killed the people who'd attacked us. "Does that make it right? To kill them?"

He placed his hand on mine, the beat of his heart thudding against it. "I've had to do terrible things in my life, Eira. Killing someone is never a simple choice. Humanity makes a difference. Some people lose theirs. Some aren't even born with it and live only to bring misery to others. Is it fair to let them live, knowing they'll go on to ruin someone else's life? Someone who can't defend themself?"

I didn't know how to answer that.

"Every death lingers—marks you in a new way. If it doesn't, maybe that's the time to be worried about, whether it's right or wrong."

If it lingers? Would that mean he wouldn't care if it was me who'd killed Klareth? He'd saved me. Bothered to care if I'd been hurt. There was good left in him, despite the deaths he'd caused here.

"You were right," I said. "When you said it was suspicious that Klareth is dead and that I'd come out of the same catacombs. No one else would have been down there."

"I know," he said, squeezing my hand. "You have nothing to worry about. What you did . . . She pushed you to that point over years, from what I could gather."

The lightning receded, but I didn't move, savoring the heat of his skin against my icy fingers. His heart thudded against my palm. "And why would you be gathering that kind of information?"

"A lonely Divine is as strange as it is intriguing."