Page 29 of The Hidden Guardian

I sigh. “I was, am I that transparent?”

“To him you are,” she comments, starting to wrap his arm in a bandage. “It’s been said that soulbonded Guardians and wolves can communicate telepathically.”

“Soulbonded?”

“Oh yes, they are extremely rare, but the bond itself leaves you very in tune to each other and their needs. I mean, that’s the whole point now, isn’t it. To balance and protect each other.”

“Soulbonded,” I whisper again to myself.

“Renall believes you to be at least heartbonded, he told my father he heard it call to him.”

“Heard what?”

“Your heart, your heart was in pain. It’s what caused him to leave the cave. You called him.”

“I called him? I was, am, in pain—my brother … he felt that? He came to help me?”

My eyes meet Renall’s. He’s watching me with that inquisitive look as if he’s trying to read every emotion either on my face or through our bond.

Once Onai’s finished tying the bandage, she taps Renall on his good shoulder and growls something because he rises and comes over to inspect me.

“How come my blood didn’t affect him like the others?” I ask Onai while keeping my eyes trained on Renall’s inspecting green eyes.

“Who says it didn’t?” Onai answers from behind me now, by the door.

My brows crease, “He doesn’tlookaffected.”

“Renall is one of our last warriors from the ancient Warrior Clan. It’s true, he’s been trained from birth to be fierce and vicious, trained to kill, but he’s also been emersed in the art of warfare. Patience and strategy. It seems he’s not going in for the short kill, he’s playing the long game with you … If you’ll let him.”

ChapterEighteen

AUTUMN

After Renall had realized I was okay after asking if I was okay, five more times, he left the cave. Probably to answer for the mutiny that happened today.

As the emptiness of the cave without him sinks in, the cramps start to surface, and that’s how I find myself in the large geode tub. With all its hard edges, I expect it to be rough and sharp but it’s surprisingly smooth on the inside. The purple rock shimmers along with the green moon rocks, causing a swirling pattern to illuminate the tiny space. Casting oil slick swirls all across the rounded ceiling. Tendrils of steam spiral up from the water as I sink into its depths.

My muscles are starting to relax, the cramps losing their strength as I attempt to calm my mind. Today was insane. Ever since I’d arrived at Luna Cavern, I’ve been almost killed twice. If Renall hadn’t saved me … I don’t know if I’d be here right now. I shiver in the warm bath because I’ve never been the type to need saving. After Mother passed, I was the strong one. I had to be. Now here in this place, for the first time in my life—I’m the weakest link. How much longer can I survive here? No, something has to be done. To put it quite simply, I’ll need to learn this new flower power, quickly, or I’ll have to leave.

My skin tingles. A weird sensation swirls in my gut until it turns into emotions. A flash of anger roils through me before it slowly simmers to a dull roar. Angst, and finally a need that I can’t quite place. It feels something like safety or being safe, maybe providing safety in some capacity. I understand now, this sixth sense I feel with Renall—it’s a different bond than me and Colton had. The feelings are stronger,intimateeven.

A bond, between me and a handsome, always-naked stranger. The long, lingering looks he gives me, the smirks and smiles even though he can’t understand a word I say. It’s downright sexy sometimes.

My face flushes. Power slowly seeping into my hands. The feeling surprises me and I clench my hands.

The door to the cave opens as I’m starting to stand to my feet. Vines spiral out of my hand and latch onto the wall. It spreads across its surface like a million spiders creeping into the shadows.

“Shit. Oh shit. No. no. no. no.”

Renall voice calls from the other side, “Rokay?”

Of course I’m not okay, look at what my life has become. “Yeah, okay,” I stammer, trying to rip the vines off the wall. I prick my finger on a vine and a flash of anger causes more vines to flutter across the wall and into the living room. “Shit.”

“Rokay?”

The more I try to reach for them, the more seem to unfurl from my hands and spread across the wall. I try to stop it by shoving my fisted hands under my bare arms so they don’t produce more vines.

Renall peeks his head in. I’m standing in the tub still, my arms crossed, hiding my fists as vines slowly stretch past the curtain and into the other room. I’m obviously not fine.

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