Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,65

shows up to take your head.”

“We do what we have to do to survive.” I swallowed and watched her shoulders slumping in defeat.

“Pray to the goddess that the Hecate witches choose us, right?” Esme frowned, her brows pushing together as she gazed at the children.

I could have said who I was, but I didn’t trust her yet. Also, my suicidal action from the day had weakened me. I hadn’t had enough time to rest and heal. I needed sleep, food, and enough time to regain my strength before I did anything, or told anyone about myself.

Things went downhill in the Nine Realms within a blink of an eye, and I didn’t want to end up captured or on my back unless it was with Knox above me. I touched my bare shoulder, and it burned as if my entire soul felt the loss of his claim. Hot tears pricked the back of my eyes, but I shoved them away.

Smiling, I recalled the look of intrigue burning in Knox’s eyes when he’d figured out I had other women dressed in my clothes to send him searching for me in all the wrong places. A child moved to me, kneeling, as her grubby hand touched mine, and I smiled at her.

“To bed with you both,” Esme snapped, glaring at the child who slid past without touching her, rushing into the other room. “I don’t know if you’re here to save us, or to curse us, Aria. I hope it’s not the latter, or you’ll regret it immensely. I may not look like much, but I am distantly related to the Hecate royal bloodline.”

“Indeed, you are.” I could feel her, which meant she had more magic than she thought, running through her veins.

I smiled as my eyes slid shut, and her resounding snort echoed in the tiny room. The single light in the home extinguished, bathing the room in shadows and darkness. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes, drifting between sleep and consciousness.

My body grew weightless, and before I could stop the spell, I closed my eyes, succumbing to sleep. I felt like I was falling and unable to stop myself. Opening my eyes, I peered down at the warrior on a fur-covered, makeshift bed, frowning at the sight of him without his armor or clothes.

I’d forgotten about the spell I’d used before laying siege to the castle. It was an experiment I hadn’t figured would even work. I’d just projected my image in a semi-corporal form inside Knox’s tent, bypassing the barriers and protection spell.

Interesting…

Chapter Twenty-Two

I touched my face, slowly acknowledging how real my body felt in this state. My eyes never left Knox’s slumbering form, noting that in sleep, and unguarded, he looked younger, but still just as intense.

Dark lashes dusted against the tops of his cheeks, his brows furrowing as his lips formed silent words. My gaze slid to his tattoo-covered chest, marveling at its chiseled perfection as it rose and fell with each breath he took.

The man was sex incarnate, and my fingers itched to trace every inch of his body. Relaxing a bit, I smiled, continuing to admire the sexiness of his muscular form, which he’d left on display for my inspection.

Easing closer, I noticed a white piece of parchment resting loosely in his right hand, bending closer still, trying to see what it held.

This spell I’d used was new. I’d been experimenting with it to find a way to visit my family without placing them in danger. I’d wanted to test it on Knox and had swallowed the potion needed to enhance the spell. Then I realized he was marching to the same keep I’d been battling to accomplish my first task; to take the lightning. As far as I knew, I couldn’t be hurt while using the spell.

I’d been testing my magic ever since arriving in the Nine Realms because time was something I had in abundance here. Idle magic was like hands. It needed something to do, or it would become a problem. I had failures and wins that made me bolder with the spells I used, or cast, like now, for instance.

Leaning over Knox to pilfer the scrap of paper from his grasp, I placed my knee on the bed, hovering over him. My fingers nearly pinched the paper important enough that he’d held it in his sleep, only for him to grab me, rolling me beneath him with his elbow against my throat. The rattle in his chest sounded low, deadly,