Page 3 of Awakened Light

“So, only your family can do spells?”

I nodded. “Yes. We can all harness nature to perform our spells... wind, water, earth, fire, and lightning. But only our leader gets full powers when they ascend. The leader of our tribe is all-powerful and can perform spells far more formidable than my little fireballs. I’ll inherit them when I take over our tribe after my mother steps down and I ascend her throne.”

“And when does that happen?” He drew a smiling face in the sand next to the map I started drawing with my finger.

Anxiety twisted a knot into my stomach knowing my ascension loomed so close. “At the end of this year. We reign for fifty years and then pass on the honor to our firstborn child.”

“Fifty years, huh? That’s a long time.”

Shaking my head, I placed the necklace my mother had given me on the sand map of our island. “It’s how it’s always been. Our tradition.”

His tone softened. “And what happens if your leader dies before an heir is born? Who leads then?”

“The leader of our tribe can’t die. While we reign, we’re immortal. After we step down, our immortality passes to the new leader.”

“Not too shabby,” he said. “I mean, not as impressive as my six centuries of immortality and counting, but not bad at all.”

Narrowing my eyes, I scolded him with a stare. “You only got your immortality from my people... and then you betrayed us.”

“Ah, come on, Cat. That was a long time ago. Let’s let bygones be bygones. Water under the bridge and all that shit.”

My spine bristled. “I still hate your kind.”

“My kind, but not me.”

I caught his cocky grin out of the corner of my eye but refused to look straight at him before my eyes revealed the truth.

Ignoring his taunt, I held my hand over my mother’s necklace.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“A locator spell. This is my mother’s necklace, and when I perform the spell, the necklace will move on this map to wherever she is on the island.”

“Seriously?” He leaned closer over the map.

“Just be quiet so I can concentrate.”

“Sorry,” he whispered.

Focusing all my energy onto the necklace, I closed my eyes and recited the words I’d learned from my mother long ago. The magic swirled inside me, charging me up with an energy that felt like vibrations beneath my skin. When I opened my eyes, I saw the necklace slowly dragging through the sand on its own toward the center of the island map. It stopped when it reached the drawings that represented our huts.

I pointed. “There. She’s at the center of the village, likely in her hut.”

“That’s amazing.” He shook his head. “Seriously. I mean, I’m a vampire and all, so I know magic exists, but I’ve never gotten to see it practiced until I met you. It’s incredible.”

“That’s nothing.” I shrugged and sat back. “My mother, now she has powers. Hell, I’m surprised she hasn’t dropped a lightning bolt on your head since you’ve refused to leave. Though she told me today that you must leave tonight. I don’t think she will overlook your presence out here anymore.”

Thorne sucked the air through his teeth and then burst into laughter. “I’m not going to lie... I’m surprised too. She’s certainly made it clear I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

“We all think you’ve overstayed your welcome. Actually, there was no welcome to overstay.” I arched a brow and he smiled wider. “Seriously. If you don’t leave soon, she really will find some way to eradicate you.”

He lay back in the sand and rested his head on folded arms. When he closed his eyes, I took the opportunity to let my gaze explore all his impressive features.

Though I’d never seen anyone from the outside world other than his family, I couldn’t imagine it was possible for someone to be more beautiful. Everywhere my eyes roved met perfection, from his dark hair to his masculine face with a straight nose and full lips. I wondered what he’d look like in the leather loincloth the men from my tribe wore. I could only imagine the muscles that lay hidden beneath his modern clothes.

As I worked my way back up his body, my gaze slid to a stop when it landed on the most incredible feature about him.

His eyes.