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BELLA
“Bella,” the guardian whispered. “Did you do that?”
I opened my eyes, feeling strange. Why had I closed them in the first place? It took a moment to adjust to the dim interior of the cave.
The opening had been a sort of triangle of soft moonlight before. Now I saw only darkness with tiny star-like dots of light bleeding through.
“We’re hidden by the vines,” he whispered. “They grew over the opening while you were… doing whatever you were doing.”
“I-I can’t believe it,” I stammered.
I had been trying my best to communicate with plants all day. And now I had brought out their magic without even trying.
Maybe the magic was just my natural reaction to danger. It seemed to only come out when I was about to be hurt.
“What did you say was out there?” I asked, sure I’d misheard him.
“A hellhound,” he said, like it was something that a normal person would say. “It’s gone now, but we can’t leave yet. It may only be waiting for us.”
I breathed an inward sigh of relief. It was best if we waited in here a bit. I had no idea how to undo whatever I had done with the vines, and they looked like they would be difficult to open up. I could only hope that the magic would wear off before I had to tell him I had no idea how to get us out.
“What is a hellhound?” I asked.
“It’s the kind of thing I protect you from,” he said gruffly, letting go of me.
I felt the absence of his body like he had taken a piece of me with him, though he was no more than a few inches away. I wanted to find any reason to press myself against him again.
“That’s a conveniently vague answer,” I said instead.
“There are people out there who would like nothing more than to capture a witch like you,” he said. “They send their minions to hunt for the vulnerable.”
I didn’t have time to be offended about being called vulnerable. I was too busy being shocked at the idea that something was hunting me.
“Why would they want me?” I asked.
“They would twist your magic to their own dark ends,” he explained. “It’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“So if I decide to stay with you, you’ll protect me?” I asked.
“I’ll protect you to the death,” he growled. “Whether you decide to stay with me or not.”
I stared at him in confusion, glad it was too dark for him to see my face.
He sounded so angry, like he was being forced to protect me against his will. Buthewas the one who pickedme. I hadn’t asked to be chosen. I was only on this mountain so that I could learn to help my brother. And he was taking that away from me.
I was tired, angry and overwhelmed. The frigid air suddenly seeped into my bones and I began to shiver. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm.
“You’re cold,” he said, his voice gentler. “Come.”
I moved to him in spite of myself, my body doing his bidding automatically, even as my mind rebelled.
Then he was wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close, and I forgot about my fear and anger.
When he held me before, I was slammed into the rock wall, heart pounding and terrified. But this was something different.
He pulled me tenderly to his chest, one huge hand splayed between my shoulder blades, the other cradling my head. His body was feverishly hot. It was no wonder he was wandering around the woods in October with no shirt on. His intense heat enveloped me, warming me through deliciously.
Against my will, I felt my guard going down.
