Page 135 of When Sisters Collide
Soulmates or not, he would keep Alena safe—from their enemies, and from himself.
He resumed his training, focusing on a bush of peonies, trying to channel his magic into freezing the blossoms one petal at a time. That was when he sensed a presence behind him.
Leukos turned and found Alena watching from the colonnaded corridor. The moment their gazes met, he had a hard time remembering how to breathe, and the ice-blue glow in his hands flickered and died.
She crossed into the courtyard, torchlight at her back casting threads of gold through her auburn hair. Loose curls cascaded in soft waves, catching the light with every step. The mother-of-pearl armour was gone, replaced by a muted green chiton that flowed around her like water, skimming her figure with every step. An olive cloak draped from her shoulder, its folds hugging the gentle curves of her body.
Moonlight caressed her skin, softening the delicate lines of her throat, but it was the gleam of her eyes in the night that held him captive.
“You were following my advice,” she said, a hint of surprise in her voice, as though she hadn’t expected him to listen.
Leukos swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. “If it worked for you, I’m willing to try. Even if the advice came from the Amazon,” he added, a touch bitterly.
He ignored her reproachful look. He’d sooner kiss the North Wind’s feet than forget how the Amazon had played him.
As Alena moved past, her familiar scent enveloped him—warm, floral, edged with fig. The wave of longing that followed nearly undid him. His fingers twitched at his side, aching to pull her close.
He wanted to kiss her, the need burning hotter than ever. To feel her warmth against him, to bury his face in the curve of her neck and drown in the soft scent of her skin. But the ice shattered at his feet, glittering like broken glass, reminded him of the danger he carried. His desire ebbed beneath the cold weight of restraint.
She stopped by the peonies, leaning in to study the half-frozen blossoms, unaware of the storm she stirred within him. “Did you freeze them one petal at a time?”
“Tried to,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
He’d managed to freeze one or two outer petals with precision, but then the whole bloom had succumbed, encased ina block of ice. He nudged the ruined flowers littering the ground with his sandal.
Alena straightened, giving him a thoughtful look. “What if the problem is with your hands? Have you tried touching others… in some other way?”
Her suggestion caught him off guard, and he let out a dry, humourless chuckle. “Well, I did kick Nik in the chest with my bare foot during a spar. Annoyingly, he didn’t freeze.”
“What about your face?” she blurted before she could stop herself.
It wasn’t the first time her curiosity had gotten the better of her, but this question lingered, unexpected and intimate.
Leukos arched an eyebrow. “My face? You mean have I touched someone with my chin or nose?” He leaned in, lowering his voice. “Or do you mean my lips?”
The words left his mouth like a challenge, layered with something deeper—an unspoken desire he could no longer hide. “What are you really asking me, Alena?”
He held her gaze, waiting, daring her to respond. A deep blush bloomed across her cheeks, visible even in the moonlight.
“Nothing,” she mumbled, turning her back on him. “Forget I asked.”
But he couldn’t let her sidestep his question. He stepped forward, closing the distance until her warmth reached him through the night air, her back a breath away from his chest.
Her body tensed at his nearness, but she didn’t move away, and that small detail sent fire rushing through his veins.
“Because if you want to know if I’ve kissed anyone since you”—he was proud of himself for sounding so calm despite the tumult inside—“then the answer is no.”
The words hung in the air, leaving no room for denial, daring her to turn and face him, to acknowledge the connection they both felt. They had been reunited for only a day, yet already thedistance of months seemed to collapse, drawing them back into something neither had ever truly let go.
And though his Gift forced him to keep his distance, the need to be near her—just this once—outweighed his fear of losing control.
If she truly is your soulmate, that’s not something you can just push aside.
Damn Theo for always being right.
Leukos leaned in closer, unable to resist the pull any longer. He needed to know—needed to feel her response, her reaction—if only to prove the pull was not his alone. He reached out, careful not to startle her, and gently brushed her hair aside. The soft cascade of auburn slipped through his fingers like silk, baring the delicate skin beneath her ear.
Moonlight glinted off her throat, and he caught the faint hitch of her breath.
