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“Is that why you were in the forest waiting for me? How long were you there?”I asked.
“I felt drawn to you when you were a child, and have kept as close an eye on you as I could since then. The shifters didn’t like having me in their woods, so I had to move around continuously and wasn’t able to see you often.”
“Well, thank you for waiting for me, Bright.”
“It was a privilege, Nissa. I rather enjoy watching the plants bloom around you.”
“I do too,”I admitted.“I just wish I had some control over it.”
“You will learn.”Her simple belief in me was foreign after so many years in that damn tower. It made my throat swell with emotion.
She started to move faster—to jog, then to run, and we both grew quiet. My mind calmed as I felt the plants around me explode with life when we passed them.
I was fairly certain that our mate connection had given me access to Kierden’s magic, because the pull of my power was still much slower, as if the ice was chilling it somehow.
That made me appreciate our bond, at least a little bit.
We ran until the moment my stomach rumbled. When it did, Bright stopped abruptly next to a fruit tree and murmured,“You need to build your strength. You are very light.”
She was right, so I grabbed a piece of fruit.
Kierden and Death caught up to us a moment later. The king was glaring at me, and Death looked absolutely unsurprised to find me eating. I wondered if he’d spoken mentally to Bright when he realized she wasn’t behind him anymore.
“Did you tell them my name?”I asked Bright.
I was coming to like our bond tremendously, already.
“I did not. Neither of them asked me.”
Veil, what giant asses.
“Don’t tell them, please. If the king decides he cares about my name, he needs to ask for it himself.”
She chuffed again, and I took a large, irritated bite of the fruit in my hands.
Kierden scowled at me. “You ate less than an hour ago.”
I took another bite.
It felt incredibly good to eat, even if I was still annoyed with the king.
“Deathjaws wants to know why your stomach growled so quickly after eating,”Bright said.
“They starved me in the tower,”I admitted.
Her rage rolled through me and made my own anger about the years of mistreatment feel justified.
At least I knew I hadsomeoneon my side.
“I’m sorry, Nissa. If I had known, I would’ve intervened sooner.”
“It’s not your fault,”I assured her.“I don’t want Kierden to know, since he doesn’t care enough to ask my name.”
She didn’t seem convinced, but didn’t argue.“I won’t tell Deathjaws or the king.”
“Thank you.”
I finished the fruit, and then Bright carried me to a river to wash my hands. I ended up splashing my face and arms too, attempting to wash myself, and made her chuff a little more.
