Page 19 of The Princess of Nothing
CHAPTER SEVEN
Flickers of touch ranbetween us while we walked. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I caught him looking at me. I forced our way through the thickening vines and overgrowth using my staff. Cedric occasionally influenced the animals around us. He had a way of warning them, almost like a kind of telepathy, which kept dangerous snakes and lizards away. I almost stepped on a salamander, but Cedric grabbed my stomach and pulled me back. “Careful.” He kicked a leaf near the small brown reptile, and it scuttered away to hide in the underbrush.
“You can communicate with them?” I asked, gesturing to where the creature had escaped.
“Sort of, but I don’t know how to describe it. The closest I would come to explaining it is, well, you know when you having a strong feeling of fear?”
I nodded. I knew that feeling all too well.
“It’s like that.” He said. “I push out the feeling from my body and the animals can sense it on me and they keep their distance most of the time. It’s the same if I were to push the feeling of joy outside of myself, I could attract animals to me. Its something only fae can do, to force the feeling beyond our own bodies, but it helps in situations like this. To keep animals safe and to keep dangerous ones away as much as possible.”
“I wish I had those powers.”
“You have your magic, remember?” He pointed at my staff. “You can do many things we can’t.”
I ran my hand over the wood. “I think all magic is beautiful, in every creature.”
“Even elemental?” He probed.
I didn’t know how to answer because I hadn’t thought about it too much. “I’m so hot.” I pulled my hair up at the back, keeping it out of my face.
“Here.” He wiped the sweat from his brows and forehead. “A clearing.” He touched the bark on one of the narrowing trees. “We must be close to the edge. Perhaps a mile or two.”
“I don’t know how much farther I can go,” I admitted. My legs were close to numb, and the heels of my feet ached with every step. “Do you think we can stop here for a bit?”
He nodded. “I had the same thought.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a canteen of water. He gulped it down, then offered it to me. We were almost out, but I could always summon more.
“How are you feeling?” His eyes regarded me carefully.
“Honestly.” I scratched the back of my neck. “Not great, but I’m glad they’re alive. It’s all I could have asked for.”
“Don’t hold onto the guilt forever.” He spotted a bright blue-and-yellow bird watching us from a low-hanging branch, then smiled. “A sign, you see.” He pointed at the bird. “They’re symbols of freedom.”
I gave him a look. “A sign. Really?”
“Why not? Free yourself, Winter. Let yourself enjoy being alive. I want to bet it’s something you’ve never done.”
I furrowed my brows. Had I? Maybe once. Fleetingly, with Jasper. Maybe even for a moment with Blaise. There were times when I felt happy, when my brother and I would run through the castle, practicing sword-fighting or pretending we were knights. “I can count the times I have on one hand,” I admitted. “It’s hard to enjoy life when no one wants to be around me and those who do end up hurt and always leave.” My mind flicked to Morgana. She was the only one who hadn’t, and where had it gotten her? My chest ached at the memory of her.
Sunlight arrowed through the branches, capturing my attention. Cedric’s hair shone in gold hues. Warmth blossomed in my stomach when his hand touched mine. His eyes appraised me, his lips curling into a wanting smile. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised. His words melted like honey as he hovered closer.
My heart fluttered. “Ever?” I half-smiled.
“Ever.”
His scent was the perfect blend of fruits, pastry, and berries from the last of the tarts he’d scarfed down earlier in the day. He caressed my cheek, and I placed my hand against his chest, spreading my fingers over where his heart was. Its beat quickened to my touch. I’d only kissed two others, Blaise and Jasper, and both were deliciously dark and exciting, but this was different, sweeter, deeper.
Cedric’s lips pressed against mine with urgency. The tenderness I expected never came.He wrapped his arms around my waist, and my legs buckled. He held me up, then deepened the kiss. The need to be with him pulsed through me. The want was stronger than anything. It was all-consuming.
My body moved in rhythm with his. He held me tighter, as if I might disappear at any moment. I ran my hands along his muscles and traced my fingers over his stomach. I felt like my heart would stop.
After a minute, we pulled apart to catch our breath. The rain began to patter down, only slowed by the large leaves that hung over our heads.
His eyes flashed brightly. I felt as if I were on fire, every inch of my skin set alight by his passion. I was dazed, breathless, and wanted to kiss him again.
