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“Stop.” I stepped back. “Don’t say it.”
He stepped closer, determination bolstering him. “Don’t say what?”
“Don’t say it!” I clapped my hands over my ears. Master of Light, don’t let him say it. The mortals’ ways—they just belted things out. They expressed how they felt in insignificant words, not realizing they couldn’t possibly describe what lay in the heart. But what did my heart feel as he kissed me?
Kelyn couldn’t read into my soul as I read into Aneirin’s, but Kelyn would say words without a guarantee of reciprocation, so carelessly.
No. No! I could promise nothing.
He laughed and pulled my hands off my ears. “You don’t need to fear my love, Niawen.” He gathered me in his arms. “Love is never anything to fear.”
“I fear it. You wouldn’t understand.” Love hurt. It scraped. It gouged.
“Let me love you, Niawen. I’ll give you my whole heart.”
“Kelyn, you don’t know what giving me your whole heart means.” He couldn’t. Could a mortal bond with an immortal? I didn’t know. It was too soon to find out.
I’ve known him for only a few weeks!
He buried his face in my hair. “I have an idea. If it’s anything like the past few minutes, my Niawen, then I know all too well.”
My breath caught. My Niawen. He was claiming me—for his own, as if I could be his.
I felt light-headed.
Shutting my eyes, I allowed my head to spin as I nuzzled deeper into Kelyn’s chest. I loved the attention I received from him. Being loved was wonderful, but giving love… so much harder.
I studied my heart-center. Tell me what I should do?
Nothing. Do nothing, my soul murmured. Now is not the time for decision.
Before I could argue with my intuition, I was distracted by the nearby village’s lights. They started moving—fast. Scrambling, scattering. I reached for them with my light.
Alarm. Confusion. Chaos.
The village was in danger.
I pulled away from Kelyn as I caught the smell of smoke. Fire.
Seren’s sight encroached on mine. She was arriving at camp, bringing messages from home, generously flying back and forth every few days to bring reports. She had a clear view of flames licking rooftops, families running off into the night, and men, on horses, lighting homes with torches.
The rabble had descended on their next target.
“Alert the men!” I shouted. “A raid’s happening now, to the north.”
Kelyn leapt into action, shouting commands. He turned back and grumbled. “It’s fifteen minutes away by horseback. The village is as good as destroyed.”
“We’ll get to them in time.”
“Our position must have spurred the enemy to act.”
I drew in a breath. “To draw us into a fight. It’s a trap.”
Kelyn was going to climb onto his horse. I grabbed the reins. “Leave him.”
“I must.”
“Seren will fly us there faster.”
