“Now, Calem!”
Shadows shot outward, fleeing from his body and escaping into the night, and he elbowed me to the side. My face smacked into the dirt, and I pulled my knees to my chest, giving him as much room as possible. Before she could raise her head, he reached out and placed a gentle hand along the down-soft feathers of her neck.
She cooed, raising her eyes to him, and the bond was sealed. Awestruck, Calem stared at his beast. Eyes wide. Lips parted, but slightly curled in the beginnings of a smile. His muted-red stare flared bright like a ruby. The Effreft cooed, and she knocked her beak against his nose. Already totally devoted to her master.
I couldn’t help but grin. “Thank the gods.” I rolled to my back, eyeing the heavens. Adrenaline left me in a rush, and a cool shiver danced over me. “She’s all yours.”
Calem moved his fingers down her back, easing the tension between her wings. “I think I’ll call you Effie.” Effie clucked, rubbing her head along his shins.
I pushed myself up and offered Effie my hand. She nudged it once, but turned back to Calem. “She encourages life. Sprouts reach maturity in an instant, plants grow regardless of season or weather, and the dirt beneath her feet is the most fertile soil in the world. Watch.” Reaching behind her, I snagged an apple and bit into it, exposing the core. After extracting a seed, I burrowed it in the earth and signaled to Effie. “We’d better take a step back.”
Eager to please, she spread her wings wide. A radiant light dropped down from her feathers, and snowy particles of magic floated to the earth. The ground rumbled, massive roots puckering through fresh dirt as a thick and healthy tree reached for the heavens. Apple-laden branches crawled outward, and I snagged one from above my head.
“I guarantee this will be the juiciest apple you’ve ever eaten.”
Calem took it from me, sinking his teeth into the skin. Nectar dribbled, and his eyes went wide. “This is amazing. She’s amazing.”
“Now you can feed anyone, whenever you want.”
My words were barely a whisper, but Calem went rigid, turning his back to me. I shouldn’t have said anything. But damn if I didn’t want to know why, if I didn’t want to help or understand, even though it was the last thing I should have been doing.
Effie flew the short distance to him, circling his feet and leaning into him. Concerned chirps slipped past her beak.
Placing a gentle hand between his shoulder blades, I spoke into the fabric of his tunic. “Calem?” His body convulsed once, and then suddenly he turned, real emotions buried beneath a wall so strong I knew I’d never be able to crack it.
“Thank you, Leena.”
I chewed my lower lip and sat with the silence before finally caving. “You know, Calem, I might actually miss you when this is all said and done.”
He clenched his jaw tight. “Me too. So what do we do next?”
Tracing the emblem on the back of my hand, I knelt beside Effie. “I take her to the beast realm, make you a key, and then she’s permanently yours.”
“She can’t stay here?”
I shook my head. “Unlike wild beasts, tamed beasts need to return to the realm when it’s time to replenish their powers. The stronger the bond between master and beast, the longer the creature can remain at your side. Strengthen your connection with her, and you’ll be able to call on her whenever you wish. Though, newer beasts do have a tendency to slip out of the realm on their own, especially if their masters aren’t Charmers. Just be careful.”
Calem dropped to the ground, sprawling out on his back and casting his gaze to the night sky. “All right, do your thing. I trust you.”
Trust. Immobilized by the weight of that word, I fought for control over the sudden spike in my pulse.Trust. I couldn’t say the same. Part of me wanted to—the lonely and scared girl I thought I’d left behind in Hireath poking her head up—and I winced at the flux of eagerness. Reality was a much darker place. I was bound to them until they had their beasts, and that kind of relationship didn’t encourage hope. If I couldn’t even believe in my brethren, in Wynn, how could I ever trust an assassin?
Shifting in the grass, Calem turned his head to me. “Well? We’d better get back before the gang tears up Ortega Key looking for us.”
My heart squirmed. Yes, I would miss Calem and Oz and… Andhim. But being alone was the safest route, and I wasn’t about to change direction now. Hand outstretched, I opened the door to the beast realm and tried to leave my emotions behind.
The only problem was, sooner or later, I’d always have to comeback.
Fifteen
Noc
So much time away from Leena made me more irritable than I cared to admit. We’d just returned from hours of mindless training, hours of me hoping control of the shadows could counteract the sharp light she’d used to slice me open, and I was already seeking her out.
Slipping my hands into the pockets of my black trousers, I took the stairs to the second floor of the inn. Apparitions of Leena’s eyes kept peering at me in the darkness, assessing my weaknesses and deeming me unworthy. Because I’d fled. I’d left her injured and alone, and while nothing permanent could ever happen between us, I couldn’t stand the thought of her doling out judgment. I wanted to be worthy.
As I hit the last stair, her bright laugh floated down the hallway. My gaze snapped to her doorway. The flickering light of the wall lamps illuminated her, but there was someone standing before her. A man dressed in all black.
Feet and hips pivoted toward her as he brought a hand to her cheek. “You’ve got dirt on your face.”
