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“I’ve done so many things wrong: I accused you, pushed you away, and stole magic from you...”
He studied me for a moment. “Is this an apology, Eden?”
I lowered my eyes, unable to look into his own without feeling tempted to step closer and bridge our unbearable distance. “Last week Bolt told me what happened. It was only after he did that I realized I already knew the truth.” There was a multitude of things I knew I also needed to say, but embarrassment kept me silent.
Darius hooked his fingers beneath my chin to lift my gaze to meet his once more, his own so incredibly kind. How could he look at me like that after everything? “You knew I didn’t betray you?”
“My heart did, I just didn’t listen to it.”
His lips twitched. “You are rather stubborn.”
And prideful and vindictive and so many other terrible things. Shame burned my cheeks. “It makes my actions even more horrible. I’m so sorry, Darius.”
A half smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “It’s alright, Eden.”
Guilt churned my stomach as I frantically shook my head. No, he couldn’t forgive me. I didn’t deserve it. “I stole magic from you.”
“Well, considering it’s already yours, I think I can overlook such an offense.” He leaned closer so that his breath caressed my ear. “Just ask next time, alright, Nemesis?”
The sob I’d been trying to hold back escaped. Darius immediately pulled me into a hug.
“It’s going to be alright, Eden. I promise.”
I clutched him close, afraid if I loosened my hold he’d slip away from me. I wasn’t strong enough to lose him again. “How?”
“I’ll help you one step at a time, starting now.” He carefully wiped my wet eyelids with his thumb, his touch incredibly gentle. Then his hand trailed down my arm to intertwine our hands once more. “Will you allow me to take you somewhere?”
And even though I was still afraid of trusting my still fragile heart to Darius—despite wanting no one but him to have it—I had no doubt he was worth overcoming my fears for.
At my nod, Darius gently tugged on my hand and led me to his mysterious destination, which turned out to be a secluded path that twisted away from the clearing and through the forest until it opened up to a meadow. He kept his hand securely wound with mine as we walked through the fiery grass and black blossoms. With every step he rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, each touch sending pulses of heat up and down my arm.
The path eventually sloped upward towards the base of the jagged mountains whose summit was masked by swirls of silvery fog. Stepping through the mist shrouding the base allowed me to glimpse the peaks, dusky violet and dotted with small shrubs and trees arranged in artistic patterns.
My mouth fell agape at the wondrous sight. Darius seemed pleased with my reaction. “Lovely, isn’t it? Our destination is at the top. Are you up for a climb?”
I’d never been fond of hiking, but the thought of a strenuous hike with Darius seemed nothing but appealing, especially after aching for his presence for so long. What were the difficulties of a mountain climb compared to laying claim upon the heart I so desperately wanted?
We began our ascent. My legs began to burn as the trail gradually grew more steep. Darius didn’t remove his touch from the base of my back except to wrap his hands around my waist to help me over a particularly large incline. My heart leapt to my throat at his touch and I was immensely pleased when it lingered.
He offered me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, this is steeper than I remember. I’d have brought Midnight or Stardust to carry us up, but I wanted to be alone with you.”
“Who’s Midnight?” I asked, still breathless from the effect of his touch.
“I haven’t introduced you to my cloud yet? He’s quite a character. You’ll meet him if I can ever persuade Shade to part from him; he’s more her cloud than mine considering she has him wrapped around her finger.”
I shook my head at his casual reference to the girl that until recently I’d been passionately jealous of. “I still can’t believe you two are twins. You never mentioned having a sister.”
He chuckled and the sound washed over me like the sunlight I hadn’t seen in so long. “I truly thought you knew, for it’s usually the first thing Shade mentions upon meeting anyone. I never could understand your strange hostility towards someone I consider impossible to dislike. It all makes sense now.”
He smiled indulgently at the mention of Shade, and now that I understood the true nature of their relationship, I could see that it wasn’t a romantic smile but instead a brotherly one. It wasn’t the first thing I’d been blind towards—first my insistence on doing my weavings my way when I’d first entered the Dream World, and now this. The thought caused embarrassment to taint my fierce relief.
Darius’s smile faltered when he noticed my blush. He lightly traced it with his fingertip, his expression softening. “I can’t believe you thought we were paired. In all our time together I’d have hoped you knew me better. As much as I love my sister, the Universe would never connect souls as ill-matched as ours.”
I wrinkled my nose at the thought. As sweet as Shade was, she didn’t fit with Darius in the way Blaze and Trinity did or Angel and Caspian. “Are Pairs always compatible?”
“All the ones I’ve seen. Pairs are the most powerful magic in the Universe, and each is perfectly suited.” His look smoldered as he stared into my eyes and I found myself staring hungrily back.
“Have you found your Pair?” I asked breathlessly.
