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“I was always curious to find out why she hides something so precious,” he whispers.
“Stay back,” I warn him. “No one’s allowed to touch us.”
Karona’s priestesses and handmaidens are to be the purest of all. Not even faithful followers of hers are allowed a friendly pat or encouraged to hold hands. All of us should be absolutely dedicated to her.
He frowns. “No one, huh?”
He takes a step forward, and his approach is predatory. Yet, something in his eyes, something wild and untamed, speaks of a deeper longing.
A knot forms in my throat. I’m getting overwhelmed with the intensity of our meeting. The fear, the desire, the curiosity that gnaws at my insides. It’s sending me over the edge, and I don’t know what to do.
It’s like being stuck in the middle of a ghastly storm. I'm trying to keep myself afloat while submerged in dangerous waters. But the swaying of the waves makes this anything but possible.
I retreat until the gazebo railing presses into my back. There’s nowhere left to run. My pulse is a frantic beat in the quiet night.
He stands in the middle of the gazebo, his form powerful and dominating. I shake all over, waiting for him to attack. But he remains still as the lake. The only difference is that I don’t know what swims underneath him.
The clicking of his feet, slow and stalking, echo. It’s the only sound that ties us together. Soon he’s right in front of me again, towering over my small and delicate body.
In a dance of shadows and moonlight, he reaches out. His fingers brush the fabric of my veil with a touch that suggests both a threat and a promise.
“Let me see you,” he commands.
His request is an invasion, yet laden with a need that resonates in the hollow of my bones. He retracts his hand and stares at his fingertips. There’s not another word from him until he clenches his hand into a fist.
“How can such a thin fabric feel so thick?” he asks, more to himself. His gaze snaps towards me again. “I want to see you,” he says once more. This time, his tone is a hiss.
I try to lean away from him. But, my resistance is cut short as the veil is torn away. My face is suddenly bare. The cool air hits my cheeks, and I feel myself stripped of my dignity.
My golden eyes reflect his astonishment and the dawning of desire.
“You…” he whispers.
The veil falls swiftly from his hand. He's taken aback by the sudden discovery of one of Karona’s precious priestesses.
Our gazes lock. Time freezes. The world’s reduced to the space between us. It's a collision course of fate and choice.
His sharp gaze softens the longer he looks at my exposed face. I can hear him swallow hard. His breathing’s as heavy as mine.
He leans in, eyes darkening. His intentions are as clear as day. My heart races, the forbidden act of my unveiling binding us together in a moment of reckoning.
6
CARUS
“You…”
The veil falls from my grasp and swiftly falls on the ground. Every sense of mine is dulled for a moment as I take in the revelation before me. Eyes as bright as amber stare back at me.
“Who are you?” she whispers.
“Carus, a child of Ishiyara.” I smile softly, trailing my fingertips along her chin. “And you are…”
The words trail off. Nothing more needs to be said. My heart knows her already.
She still breathes frantically, clutching the brush on her chest. A mix of fear and shock shows in those wondrous eyes of hers. Of all the women I’ve seen in my life, no one can compare to this sight right in front of me.
There’s no possible way she can be a priestess. She’s a deity disguising herself as a human. But here, right now, with her fragile frame and the blush on her fair skin, it’s proof she’s indeed mortal.
