Page 181 of Rebirth Of Order
“Okay, now it’s your turn to explain.”
He folds his arms, pushing muscle against muscle, and I mentally thank him for the distraction. Once my bearings are back in place, I go over this small ability of mine. A vanishing shield. Hiding his shock well, he still has a faint slack to his jaw, either impressed or disbelieving. Either way, step one depends on me.
“Remember, I’ve tried it about six times, so bear with me.”
“And how many of those were successful?” His brow arches.
“Semantics.” Waving him off, I mask my anxiety with a false smile. “Let me know if you can see me.” He does a slight bow, and I pray.Please let this work.
Energy bursts from my aura once the dams are dropped. A river of hungry power rushes to the furthest parts of my ligaments, building and begging for release. Jace’s video helped the other experimental tries, and this is no different. As I envision nothing and everything at once, layer by layer, magic pulls from my core.
It takes a whole two seconds, give or take one, before Niro whistles from a short distance.
“Damn, you really do live up to your hype.” His sparkling blue eyes dance around my body.
“I’m going to ignore that, but can you see me?”
“Unfortunately, no,” he says, peering just over my shoulder.
“Unfortunate?”
“You’re hidden. My hope was to never let you out of my sight.”Damn it. Cheesy, but it’s working.
Clearing my throat and allowing the shield to dissolve, I see his face light up as though he has gone months without seeing me. “There you are, little troublemaker.”Stop. It.But as always, my body spends most of its time betraying me, so this isn’t any different. Broad smile and spotty cheeks.He’s a problem
“Anyway,” I mutter, searching for something more to stare at. Perfect, a fallen branch. It will do. “Stand close, once we’re disguised, we run like hell until we reach the other side. It’s my job to keep you safe. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from those mean gloomies,” I taunt him with an overly confident smirk.
“Playing your damsel in distress sounds quite fun.” He grins, reaching for my hand once the shield goes up. “Let’s go.”
I gasp; my legs have never taken off at the speed he is running. Furthermore, I can’t protect him if he is dragging me along. But there is no way in hell I’m matching his pace. It’s as though I’m being pulled through air. Dimming rays of light pass in a blur and trees blend from brown and green, into a seamless hue of blues and reds.
We aren’t far off from the others location, and based on Alex’s map, this thickened forest has to be, bare minimum, a mile deep. It’s hard to shout as I feel my heart and lungs press into my ass, so my eyes remain wide whilst he jerks left and right through the forest.
Is…he…a vampire?My thoughts are left behind.
Any traces of light have vanished, leaving a mystical, blue gleam from the overhead moon. We emerge into another open field, the trees now behind us, and Niro halts in a heartbeat. Skidding a short distance, he breathes as though we’ve been on a light walk.
“We’ve arrived.” He lets go of my hand, and all at once, everything begins spinning–turning upside down, and my shield fades. Bile erupts over the grass, and I retch to keep my chest from exploding. “Oh, I should have warned you,” he says, but my eardrums are having a full-on concert. He can wait his turn.
Gentle back pats and soothing rubs help, but I blame him for notpreparing me. Letting it pass, my spine erects whilst breathing in the night’s air. Cool, crisp, and buzzing with energy, my nerves replenish.
“Were you trying to kill me?” I question, still feeling the zipping motion of his speed.
His laugh is dangerous. Not in a threatening sense, but the sonance is too lulling on my ears. “Let me apologize, I’m–”
“A vampire, I know. Who else can move this fast?” Huffing whilst circling my vision, I see Niro smirk, placing a hand on his chin that suggests he is impressed by my knowledge. “Okay, where do we go from here?”
We retrieve our map and see red dots stutter in close proximity. “These are the other pairs. From what I can tell, we should be able to see them from here.”
He and I both peer into an open field. Fresh cut grass and newly sprouted flowers stretch for miles, leading our gaze to a towering mountain. Snow covers the tip as transparent clouds coat its tallest spikes, breathing the moon’s gleam along its ridges.
I’m lost in the beauty of it all, taking each detail and placing it in my long-term memory. Heat spreads beneath my skin, combating the weather, and nothing but stars shine on us like miniature spotlights.
“We should go before my mind decides to stay. This scenery holds a divine, picturesque quality.”
“Agreed, the longer I remain, the more challenging it is to leave.” I catch a faint breath lingering as his eyes drop to mine.Do we have to go?
Being held by an unnatural force, my aura blooms a ripple, which vibrates from my core, spreading outwards.Yep, time to go.He gestures towards the mountains, and we take off into a light jog, conserving energy, or should I say, I’m conserving energy. Niro has no problem getting there in seconds.
