Page 25 of Blood Lord

14

Selene

Real magic.

Raziel's words send a thrill of excitement shooting through me, and I cram a mouthful of dried fruit into my mouth and start tugging the clothes on. I've barely seen any magic from him, and I'm curious what there is if he says he is more powerful than a dark elf.

He chuckles as I shove bread into my mouth and yank my pants up at the same time, and I drain the canteen before shooting up to my feet and grinning wildly. "I'm ready."

He holds a hand out to me, and I take it. As he leads me toward the mouth of the cave, though, anxiety starts to swirl in my stomach, and I tug him to a stop just outside the first rays that cast into the cave.

I know I just saw him go outside, but I still see flashes of his burned body every time I look toward the sunrays. I bite my lip, looking up at him nervously. I'm not sure why, but I have grown protective over this vrakken—this powerful, flying creature. Like I need to protect him.

Raziel turns toward me, and he takes one look at my face before tracing his thumb along my skin and giving me a smile that nearly makes my heart stop. "I can glamour, Selene." Just the way his musical voice says my name makes my knees weak. "You don't have to worry about me."

I nod, a flush working its way up my body. Just being near him makes me lose my head, and the way my body reacts to him is so distracting.

I think he can tell, especially when he turns to face me, cupping my jaw and tilting my head back as he presses a kiss to my lips. I tremble in his touch, and he pulls back just slightly, his dark eyes wide as he searches mine. "Stay close to me."

Forgetting all my worries, he leads me toward the mouth of the cave and out into the surrounding forest. I keep peeking at him, but the sun bathes his skin the same as it does mine. There's no burns, no pain, and I let out a breath I've been holding.

"Are you going to show me what you can do?"

He looks at me, his eyes sparkling. "Do you want me to?"

My gaze darts back to his wings, and with a low chuckle that sends tingles through my body, they flex, stretching out to a length I couldn't have imagined. I gasp, dropping his hand as my eyes go wide.

His smile wavers as I take a step back, his wings drooping, and I shake my head. "I want to see them."

With an arched eyebrow, he stretches them out again, and I lean forward to touch them. They are thick membrane, not soft and feathered, and yet, they feel like well tanned leather, smooth and buttery.

I glide my hand up them, following the curve, and a soft moan falls across his lips. My lips quirk, and I look at him as I do it again. Raziel's eyes flutter and start to roll back in his head, his wings stuttering.

"Holy First, Selene, you are going to make me take you back in that cave."

I giggle. "That feels good?"

Faster than I can blink, he's in front of me, his wings curved around us with his hands on my hips. "It feelsincredible," he whispers.

"Good to know." My frame quivers, but I push the thoughts away. There is too much I want to see. "What is therealmagic?"

The lust clears from his eyes, and he retracts his wings, looking around. "This."

My eyes scan the trees around us. "A forest?"

He shakes his head, chuckling. "It's not just a forest," he explains. "Look closer."

And I do. I guess I had gotten used to the throbbing moss and shiftling lights of the quartz in the cave. I nearly forgot how different it is.

But as I look around the forest, I realize that nothing here is like the forests I've been in before. They're similar, so similar that I almost overlooked it at first, but as Raziel tugs at me, guiding me between trees and down paths so that I can see more, it hits me.

This forest isalive.I haven't seen anything like before, but the trees sway, not with wind but they bend to brush against Raziel and me and others. The vines slip down like snakes, caressing our arms and legs.

The flowers reach for us, and they almost look like little animals, like tiny pets that want us to greet them. I giggle, squatting down to hold my hand out to them, and they clamor over each other to brush my palm.

The wind blows past us, and on it, I can hear soft music, soft colors flashing before me. Even the dirt seems to be reactive, and when I stumble over a tree root, the ground shifts around my foot to catch me and the plants leap forward to stop me from falling.

Raziel grips my hands as I'm righted, his face lit up as he watches me, and I can't help but laugh. "What is this place?"

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