Page 22 of Ecliptic

“The Hymma joining,” I barely breathed. “Takoda said it’s dangerous to join another’s Hymma, that…”

“That only soul flames are capable of such a thing.”

The golden fire that lived deep within me flared. “That was a pretty big risk you took on a hunch. We could have both been lost. Trapped within the darkness of my mind.”

A wounded grunt escaped his lips. “I’d do it all again, Keira. I never thought I would be able to claim you as my soul flame, but I’d be spirits-damned if I was going to watch you shatter,” he said, so raw, open, and honest with no traces of the mask he’d once hidden behind. “I was a soulless corpse before I found you. I would rather walk lost within the darkness of your mind than take one step upon this earth without you.”

“If anything happened to me, you could find another.”

“Never say that. Never think it. There would be no one else. Ever. Soul flames are so rare, they were thought to no longer exist. That’s why I took you to the entwined souls tree. I want you to know, you are, and will forever be, my soul’s flame.”

That golden light erupted through my body, and I smiled, bursting with happiness. Rowen leaned in closer, his breath sweeping across my neck, causing a drip of desire to shiver down my spine.

“I felt the flare of our bond the second I stepped out of the Hymma,” I said, reveling in the one thing that felt safe—my connection with Rowen.

“As did I,” he said, looking like the last piece of his soul had found its way home. “It was one of the best and worst days of my life. Knowing you were mine but unable to take you in my arms and hold you forever.” His incandescent expression slowly shifted, and his brows furrowed. “Keira, you need to know. Though our bond fully snapped into place that day, something has happened to it.”

My heart plummeted. “How do you know?”

“When Aliphoura held you prisoner, I should have been able to locate you immediately,” he said, the words mangled as they left his lips. “Our connection should have surpassed her curse on me, but it didn’t. And again, when you were with Erovos. I should have found you much faster.”

“Is it my fault?” I asked, my hand flying to my chest to protect our bond.

His gaze softened. “I don’t believe so. But we will figure it out.”

The golden light within me shattered and rained down on my insides. Even though our bond was strong and enforced with celestial light, there was the possibility that we might never touch again. “What if I can’t get myself under control? What if I’m always on the brink of an attack that could stop your heart and snuff out your flame forever?”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Rowen vowed.

“How?” I whispered, my eyes trailing up his towering frame, locking onto the green pools of his eyes.

“We will find our way back to each other. We always do,” he said, his voice low and unwavering, like a promise forged in the depths of his soul. “I will hold you again. Have you call out my name in ecstasy as my fingers and tongue are deep inside of you.” He looked me up and down, clearly recalling the way he could make my body writhe and beg beneath him.

I nodded, trusting that our bond was strong enough to bringus back together. That our shared beacon of light would guide me back to myself, to him.

Eventually, the best two out of three races turned into the best three out of five, and so on, until we both lost count of how many times I’d beaten him.

Sweat poured off Rowen’s body as he held the stitch at his side, laughing through the pain. Whereas I had barely broken a sweat. Which was odd. I’d always been a sprinter and hated running for miles on end.

“Do you have the waterskin?” I asked, my throat mildly parched after hours of running.

“Yes, but drink sparingly,” he replied, handing me the water.

My eyebrows creased as I took a small gulp. “Why?”

“Since your absence, the condition of the village has worsened. Our water supply is dwindling as the rivers run dry. We have been suffering from drought.”

My face paled. No wonder Nepta looked so worried. The blight she’d managed to keep at bay had finally breached her home.

I stood in disbelief, weighing the canteen that wasn’t even half full.

“We all knew this could happen, yet now that it’s here, it feels unreal,” I said, somehow believing the Wyn village was immune. “But when it comes to a world eater, nowhere is safe."

Rowen’s eyes glistened with understanding. “Let’s get you cleaned up. There is still water to wash up with, though not much.”

“I barely broke a sweat,” I said, wanting to preserve as much water as possible. “I can meet you after.”

“Keira, I think it would be best if you came to the bathing suite,” he said, straightening from his crouch. His eyes traced my body with the same look he’d given me the night I’d returned. “There are things you need to see.”

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