Page 113 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“Yes. Now hush.”
Dharma and the other potentials were already waiting up ahead, along with a bunch of men and women I hadn’t seen before and some that I had, like Jasha and Pashim.
We joined them just as a gust of air hit us, and Guru Mihir landed a few feet away, his drohi, Padmini, in tow.
“The vortex will arrive in a moment,” he said. “Get ready to descend.”
Pashim took a step toward me, but Araz slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me close.
I caught the flash of hurt in Pashim’s eyes before he turned away.
“You should ride with me,” Araz said, his voice low. “I’m your drohi, but you’re free to travel beside him once we reach the ground. I’ll remain close.”
“What? I d?—”
“Time to move!” Guru Mihir said.
Thewhooshof air drowned out my thoughts, and when Araz lifted me up and said, “Wrap your legs around my waist,” they completely shattered.
I obliged, stomach erupting in moths as our bodies fitted together as if they were meant to be.
His nostrils flared, and he looked me in the eye, his molten gaze darkening in increments that matched the beat of the pulse in my throat as one huge hand sliddown to brace my ass. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be naked with him. Naked and sweaty?—
“Stop that.” His command reverberated between us.
My cheeks burned. “I didn’tdoanything.”
“Your thoughts are mapped out on your face.”
I dropped my chin. “Fuck.”
His grip on my ass tightened, and I swallowed a gasp.
“Make sure you grip with your thighs.” He carried us to the edge of the bridge.
I looked down at the vortex and the inky black abyss at its center. “Shit…” I clutched him tighter, burying my face in the curve of his neck.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes. No. Don’t let go.”
“Never.”
“Then I’m ready.”
My stomach shot up into my ribcage as we dropped, my scream vibrating against Araz’s neck. But he held firm, his body a cage that I was desperate to stay in.
“Look at me,” Araz said against the shell of my ear. “Leela, look at me.”
I cut off my scream and slowly lifted my head to meet his gaze, warm and smiling. “Look around.”
I did as he instructed, still clinging to him as if mylife depended on it. A miasma of colors swirled around us. It reminded me of the tunnel in the ether.
“Oh…Oh wow…”
“There is nothing to be afraid of in a Pavan vortex. You are safe.”
I glanced back at him to find him watching me with an intensity that echoed the longing buried deep in my soul. He quickly looked away, shuttering his emotions, and I dropped my head to his neck once more, closing my eyes to find that look in my mind’s eye and etch it into my memory.
