Page 27 of Thorn & Ash

No heartbeat. So she was still dead, then.

No matter. Her body had been reunited with her soul. Whatever Evander had been doing must have worked.

Another laugh bubbled up her throat, and Mona covered her face with her hands, overjoyed to feel the sting of tears in her eyes. The salty moisture coated her fingers, and she laughed again. Everything was a marvel. The dirt against her bare feet, the wind in her hair, the smells around her…

Mona’s gaze fell to her dress. It was emerald green, flowing around her like the gown of a princess. It was certainly nothing she’d ever worn in Krenia. Where had it come from?

Twigs snapped from within the forest, and Mona stiffened, looking up. Was it Evander? Or was it… something else?

A pair of silvery eyes shone from the darkness, followed by a tall, lean form she recognized immediately. It was Evander.

And yet… it wasn’t.

Mona’s breaths quickened, her stomach churning with unease as the figure emerged fully. She felt everything acutely. The unease swirling through her. The fear tightening in her chest. The prickles of awareness raising bumps along her arms.

The man’s face belonged to Evander—the same silver eyes and hair, the same handsome features. But his eyes were rimmed with red. Long claws protruded from his hands, and huge wings extended from his back, a mixture of red and black, like leather. The wings were skeletal, the bones and tendons visible beneath a sheer layer of skin. Sharp talons extended from the points of the wings as they flared behind him.

Without thinking, Mona turned and ran from him. Branches and shrubs whipped past her as she fled, and the heavy footsteps behind her indicated he was chasing after her. A pained cry broke from her throat as she pushed onward, but rocks and sticks scraped at her feet, slowing her pace. Heavy breathing sounded behind her, and Mona knew he would reach her any moment.

The forest grew thicker the deeper she went, each step slowing her down as the trees blocked her path. She could no longer hear the river behind her; there was nothing but the dense wood, caging her in, blocking her escape.

Hands gripped her, turning and pinning her against a tree. Mona’s head slammed into the bark, and she screamed, eyes shut tight against whatever monstrous thing she would find in Evander’s face.

The dark magic had indeed consumed him. And he belonged to someone else now. Something else.

A low groan echoed around her, and she flinched, expecting his claws to shred her to pieces. But nothing happened.

“Mona.”

Mona gasped, her eyes flying open. Evander stood only a breath away from her, his chest pinned against hers, his arms braced on either side of her, caging her against the tree. He was panting as if the chase had winded him, but energy lit up his gaze. His great wings spread behind him, shading them from the sun.

A whiff of pine and river water filled Mona’s nose, and she realized it was Evander’s scent. It smelled like… her song. It smelled like something familiar and safe.

“Evander,” she said uncertainly. “What—what happened to you?”

Evander leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. “Mona,” he repeated.

But his voice sounded different. It was deeper and more feral. She felt a rumble in his chest, reverberating against hers.

Somehow, amazingly, she wasn’t afraid. He could’ve attacked her. He could’ve wounded her. But he seemed… oddly protective of her. Something deep inside her resonated with this dark being in front of her.

She knew him. And he knew her.

“Evander,” she said again, bringing her hand up to his cheek. Evander went perfectly still, his eyes closing from her touch. “You’re still here.”

Evander bared his teeth, exposing long fangs, but Mona still wasn’t afraid.

“You don’t frighten me,” she said. “I know you.”

He opened his eyes, the red bleeding into his irises now. He shook his head as if trying to convey something important to her. His gaze drifted down her body, and he scrutinized her dress as if just now noticing she was corporeal instead of a spirit.

Hunger and desire flared in his eyes, and before Mona could react, he pressed his mouth to hers.

She froze as his lips roved over hers, claiming her, his hips grinding against her. She knew she should push him away. This was her first kiss, and it shouldn’t have been like this—some dark, possessed demon crushing her against a tree.

But as she felt his hot breath mingle with hers, something awakened inside her. A roar of delight, a bolt of pure longing. With her newfound body, she could sense every tendril of heat coiling tightly inside her, fueling her with a desperation she couldn’t contain. Every part of her flesh ached for him, to be touched, to be held. Goddess, she wanted to feel all of it. And the taste of his tongue awakened that need deep inside her.

She moaned and clutched his face in her hands, returning his kiss with violent urgency. Her teeth captured his lip and tugged, and his tongue filled her mouth, ravishing her entirely. His hands found her hips, hiking up her skirts, and she let him. Because no logical voice of reason could break through the desire pounding through her blood.

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