I blinked. “Yes, but—”
“Good night.” He rose, the tent flap shuddering as he stalked out.
I stared helplessly after him. Understanding Noc was not part of the bargain. Get his beasts, get out. But he had a way of consuming me without even trying, and as sleep tugged on my consciousness, once again the aroma of honey teased my senses and haunted my dreams.
Ten
Noc
Leena left her tent at first light. We followed a short distance behind her, quiet. Onyx lines scratched across her skin like patchwork stitching, spanning her shoulders and reaching toward her cleavage. A slick sheen clung to her, dampening the fabric of her blouse.
“Noc—”
I shot Kost a glare, and he buried his words with a subtle gulp. Shadows hugged us, masking our presence to give Leena the best possible chance of taming the Poi. She trailed left and right, studying patterns in the dirt I couldn’t see. A dance between Charmer and prey. Eventually, she came to a standstill, and her head snapped toward a tree along the edge of the wheatgrass field.
Nestled among overgrown roots, the Poi lorded over the edge of his territory. Brown eyes speared her, and Leena smiled. Endless minutes stretched on as neither of them moved, a battle of wits. Then, without preamble, Leena’s skin burst into a pale glow so vibrant and pure that my breath caught in my chest.
“She did that yesterday, too,” Ozias whispered beside me, all his weight pressed into the balls of his feet.
I couldn’t explain the sudden pull. The insistent swell of energy that begged me to leap across the clearing and take her in my arms. Was this her charm? Or something else? It was more than a physical drive. She was the fire that threatened to melt the frozen cage I’d constructed. And no matter how hard I tried to keep things distant, every action of hers begged me to persist. Her very existence gave life to something deep and long buried in my heart.
“She’s incredible,” said Calem, muted awe evident in his voice.
Kost removed his glasses and blinked several times before replacing them. “Is anyone else experiencing feelings of elation? This is quite spectacular.”
Calem and Ozias grunted in agreement, but the description fell flat. My mind teased me, dragging up possibilities of a future where Leena and I existed on the same plane. One without cool detachments and lines in the sand.
I clenched my hands into fists.No.Thinking like that wasn’t an option. Between the bounty and my curse, her fate was set. I tried to force myself to view her as merely another being, another job, and not an impossible future.
She brought herself within a few feet of the Poi, hands outstretched and fingers beckoning. Pain stabbed my gut at the sight of the poison, but the light around her diminished the severity of her situation. Shewaslight. Love. A promise. And the Poi had the opportunity to take it.
Slowly, the Poi stepped over the roots to sit directly in front of her. Large ears flicked up to the sky, and he tilted his head to the side as he sniffed her hand. With gentle fingers, she tickled the underside of his chin. The swirling cloudy orb on his head cleared, a sparkling, radiant gem winking in the light of the morning sun.
And then Leena laughed. Pure, untainted, joyous. The Poi made a soft barking sound, and a flare of light exploded beneath her fingers. When the surrounding air dimmed, she turned her head to us and smiled. “Come on, it’s safe.”
I reached her seconds before the rest, but I couldn’t drop the darkness as I so desperately wanted. I needed the shadows to lessen her light. “Everything go as planned?”
She frowned, eyeing the creeping blackness licking my extremities. “Yes. There isn’t any danger.” She turned back to the Poi. “He’s going to draw out the venom now.”
Rows of pointed teeth sank into her flesh, but Leena didn’t flinch. When he released her, he licked the puncture holes and a thick coating of saliva sealed the wound.
“I need to take him to the beast realm.” She stood, brushing dirt off her pants. “When I get back, I’ll have a key for you, Kost. Unless you don’t want him.” She kept her back to him, ignoring his presence and focusing entirely on the creature at her feet.
Kost sighed. “This beast suits me.”
“So be it.” Rosewood glow erupted from her hand, and an invisible door swung open. Leena and the Poi winked out of existence.
Calem tugged on his hair, pulling it out of its bun. “What do you think the beast realm is like?”
“I’m sure we’ll never know.” Kost stared at the empty space where Leena used to be. I could sense traces of her in the air. The faint scent of her perfume. The leftover warmth of her charm.
Ozias placed a hand on my shoulder. “You can come out now.”
It was meant to be a tease, but I flinched. Ozias raised a brow and tightened his grip on my shoulder. An unspoken question. With a heavy breath, I released the curling darkness and capped my power.
“Everything all right?” Kost studied me with more knowing than the other two.
“I’m good.”
