Page 23 of Awakened Light

I slid the paddles over my lap and leaned forward and took her hands. “Do you want me to take you back? I can. I don’t want you to do this if you don’t want to. You have a choice here, and I want you to know that.”

“A choice?” she asked, her worried eyes meeting with mine. “I don’t even know what that means. I’ve never had a choice in my life. Ever. I just do what’s asked of me.”

“Well, you have a choice now. If you want to go back, I’ll turn around right now. But if you want to go forward, I promise I’ll keep you safe and bring you back the minute you want to return. The choice is yours, and I’ll understand if you want to go back.”

She chewed on her lip while she glanced back over her shoulder at the island we could no longer see. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and shook her head. “No. I can help you find her.”

“Are you sure?” I asked again, wanting to be certain she knew that for the first time in her life someone wanted to know what she wanted.

She nodded. “Yes. I’m sure. I will live on that island for the rest of my life, and I’ve always wanted to know what’s out there in the world. This is my chance, my one chance, to see it before I rise to power and can never leave again.”

“So, we’re doing this?” I arched a brow and struggled to suppress the giddy grin starting on my lips.

“Yes.” She smiled back. “We’re doing this. Keep going.”

Our grins grew to match as I slipped the paddles back into the water. “You’re gonna love it out here.”

“And you’ll keep me safe? If something happens to me, my mother will find a way to decimate you all.”

Keep her safe. From looking at her, no one would ever think she needed anyone to protect her. A fearless warrior. A powerful witch. But in her eyes, I could see the wariness as I took her toward a world she’d never seen.

And never in my life had I been more driven to protect something as I was to protect Catrain. I would never allow harm to come to her.

“I promise you I will get you back home safe. You have my word.”

She snorted. “The word of a vampire. Never thought that would be something I’d have faith in.”

The air between us thickened. “But you do? Have faith in me?”

She held my gaze for a moment before nodding. “I do.”

Hearing those words set my world on fire, and I couldn’t contain my grin. “My, my. Did the Pict just admit she trusts a vampire?”

“Don’t push it,” she warned, but I saw the playful twinkle in her eyes.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

We shared a smile, then I paddled faster and pushed the boat across the lake. When we landed on the other side, I saw the unease return to her face.

“Well, this is it.” I hopped out of the boat and tugged it up onto shore. “First steps onto the mainland. You ready?”

She looked at my extended hand, then took a big breath and grabbed it. With one tentative step, she placed her foot onto the ground.

“Congrats. You’re officially out in the world.”

Her face lit up as she lifted her other leg over the edge of the boat and stood. “Wow. I’m not on the island.”

“Nope.” I smiled. “How does it feel?”

“Strange.” She looked around at the rolling fields surrounding us. “And big.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until you see our home. It’s beautiful. Been in the family for centuries.”

“How do we get there?” she asked.

The second she said it, I slumped my shoulders and laughed. “Shit. I wasn’t planning to bring you back with me, so I didn’t bring a ride. I ran here.”

“So, we run back?”