* * *
Aisling
When night descended, Bale and Corson called a stop to our journey, which was beginning to feel pointless. Before there had been a goal, but now it felt aimless. Caim had spent a lot of time in the sky and covered a lot of land, but he discovered no sign of the horsemen.
I didn’t know what we would do if we couldn’t find them; we couldn’t go back to the wall without destroying them, but we couldn’t keep wandering the Wilds with no idea where we were going. That wouldn’t accomplish anything and seemed like an excellent way to end up dead.
I took off my pack before releasing it and resting my back against a rock as a giant raven descended with a flutter of wings. Caim transformed from his raven form and sauntered over to a cluster of trees. He slid down one of the trees to sit with his wings spread out like he was cooling them.
Bale pulled out her sword and settled it across her drawn-up knees as she gazed into the forest with a look promising death to anyone who attacked us. Lix walked a few feet away from Bale and removed his flask as he settled against a tree. The hounds lay within the shadows of the forest.
“I wanted to ask you something,” I said to Caim as Hawk settled beside me.
His rainbow eyes shone with amusement as he smiled. “I always love a good question. Ask away.”
“I can see people’s souls. I can tell if they’re good or bad by looking at them. Those people in the fog are some of the worst I’ve ever seen; we should have killed them.”
He rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”
“It’s something I’ve been able to do since birth, but I never knew why. When I became a demon, I assumed that’s why I had the ability, and it was just something I could always do; unlike my ability to create fire.”
“You can wield fire?” he asked.
“Yes, but I couldn’t do it until I became immortal.”
“I see. So what is your question?”
“Hawk said he didn’t think my ability to see souls was a demon power because demons have no souls, so it would be useless for them.”
“I agree with him,” Caim said.
“But he wondered if I was part angel too andthat’swhere the power originated?”
I refused to look at the others as I asked this question, but I could feel their eyes boring into me while they hung on every word.
Caim closed his wings. “Angels don’t have souls either, so the ability would be useless for us too. We were forged in the image of man, but we weren’t infused with souls. You were born with a gift—one meant to keep you safe from those who would harm you. Some humans are blessed that way.”
“I can handle being blessed,” I said.
He chuckled as he closed his eyes. Corson took Wren’s hand and started toward the woods with her. “We’ll be back in a little while,” he said to Bale who nodded.
I removed the small blanket in my pack and draped it over myself. Hawk’s arm brushed mine when I pulled it over him too. A bolt of need pierced through my exhaustion and struck straight into my soul as I leaned against him.
A tingling started in my newly awakened fangs, and before I knew what I was doing, I slid my hand into his beneath the blanket. My heart pounded as I rested my head on his shoulder. I was supposed to keep my distance until I got to know him better, but I wanted to strip off his clothes and forget the awful events of this day in his arms.
“Rest,” he murmured as he ran a hand over my hair and kissed my forehead.
I didn’t think there was any way I could rest after losing the horsemen and with being this close to him, but the stars danced in the sky when I opened my eyes again. Corson and Wren sat across from us; Wren had her head in his lap while she slept. Bale had also fallen asleep while sitting against the tree.
Lifting my head from Hawk’s shoulder, I surveyed the others before turning to him. Bright in the moonlight, his eyes shone as I traced my fingers over his cheek and jaw. I bit my lip when I recalled the way he felt inside me.
Even as I recalled the blissful feel of him, I noted the lines around his eyes and clamped mouth. Those lines hadn’t been there before, and neither had the stress in his rigid body.
“Want to go for a walk?” I asked.
I didn’t know if it was safe for us to leave here, but he unfolded himself from the ground before holding his hand out to me. I took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet. I suppressed a shiver when the blanket fell away and the chilly air caressed my skin. When Hawk slid his arm around my waist and pulled me close, I forgot about the cold air as he enveloped me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
