Page 69 of The Discovered
Daelon’s lips were blue, and I realized that I was shivering as well. My warmth magick must’ve been snuffed out in the panic.
“Like… my mothers. Praying or doing magick—it’s hard to tell the difference. I think it was the spell they cast to conceive me.”
Daelon reached for my hand, his eyes still carrying the wonder and awe that they had when I let him into my power. It was reverent and… unnerving.
We walked back ashore to where our clothes lay, both shaking in the cool air. The sun was starting to descend in the sky.
“Sit,” Daelon ordered, laying out his shirt on the sand for me. He closed his eyes, chanting something under his breath.
I knew instinctively that it had something to do with fire, and right on cue flames sprung up on the piece of driftwood to our right. They were golden and mesmerizing, their energetic imprint a reflection of Daelon’s protective energy.
I sat down on the shirt, the sand warm on my skin from soaking up heat from the sun.
Daelon pulled on his jeans and reached for my jacket, kneeling to drape it over my shoulders before sitting down beside me.
“I feel like the waves are telling me a story,” I said, still staring at the flames, even as Daelon pulled me into his lap and held me close to his chest. I reveled in the soothing heat from his body. “But it’s so fragmented, that it’s impossible to see the whole picture. I think because magick doesn’t seem bound by linear time, or by any sort of order at all.”
“Timeless,” Daelon murmured.
“Timeless and nameless and formless,” I echoed, suddenly feeling as though we were speaking in a secret language, one that we understood on a level deeper than could be vocalized.
“I have a dear friend who speaks often of these things—the mystical. You two would have a lot to discuss,” Daelon said unexpectedly.
My heart sped up a bit. Daelonnevertalked about anyone he knew, or his past. Thinking about how much of a mystery he still was led me right back into my persistent doubts and confusion about whether I could fully trust him. So, instead, I drew no attention to it in the hopes he would divulge more.
“So, youdohave some good friends,” I tried, pulling some humor into my voice in an attempt to disarm him.
He stiffened slightly. “This is true.”
Oh, come on.
Just when I thought he wasn’t going to say anything more, he clasped my hand and started again.
“We can never be normal, and I can’t express enough how sorry I am for that. But I vow to you that no matter what our lives look like, I will never lie to you. I will never stop protecting you and fighting for you… as long as you still want me to. I will never stop—caring for you.” He faltered, and I wondered if he wanted to say something more but stopped himself.
My heart beat wildly in my chest, but I felt a wave of calm wash over me. It was like he knew exactly what I needed to hear in this moment.
I knew what I wanted to say—what he no doubt wanted to hear—but I wasn’t going to say it. I leaned into him, breathing deeply. “I hope I never want you to stop,” was all I could manage for now.
He sighed, kissing the top of my head. We sat in silence for a while, but it was a comfortable stillness—the kind shared between two people who were always destined to be here in this moment. There was never any other outcome.
“I’m glad we’re here for the sunset. It’s the most beautiful in the realm—well, anywhere, I’d say,” Daelon said.
“That’s what my mothers said.”
As the sun began to descend, the sky’s deep blue slowly transformed into a swirl of delicate purples, pinks, and oranges over the rolling waves. The sand sparkled and the water shimmered. There was so much magick here. I could see now why Momma Celeste said the waves washed the badness away.
This land felt like Daelon did. It felt like home.
Here in his arms, I’d never felt closer to him. The loneliness I’d felt before dissipated, replaced by a profound sense of connection. I was glad he was a part of this cosmic story with me.
I shifted around to straddle him, snaking my arms around his neck.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, smiling.
“No, you,” I said, leaning forward to meet his lips. I was desperate to be as close to him as possible—for this moment to be even more perfect than it already was. I wanted to say with a kiss what I couldn’t with my voice.
He met my intensity, his hands trailing down to rest low on my back. Our lips moved hungrily, devotedly, getting lost in each other. Soon there was nothing but us. Everything else faded away.
