this new life or my new family.
We haven’t spoken since Jasik explained saving Liv is a lost cause. I’m angry with him for siding with Amicia over me. I wonder if he’d still care for his precious Amicia if he knew about the dark promise she forced me to make. Would he be upset knowing she basically cornered me and gave me no other option besides homelessness?
Every time I want to spill the beans about his fearless leader, something prevents me from speaking. I want him to feel my pain, my anger, but I don’t want him to be mad at me.
I want to be wrong about Amicia. I want to believe her and trust in the blood oath. I want my home and family to be safe, but I can’t fight the rising anguish that threatens to overwhelm me. I hate that I doubt her, but I can’t help myself.
The deeper into the woods we travel, the more difficult the trek. I kick at a lush pile of snow with my military boots, and the tip of my shoe is dusted with fluff. The contrast between the stark white woodlands and my black hunting attire is jarring. Jasik is dressed to match, and I now understand why human hunters spend so much time in the apparel department. A rogue could spot us with very little effort.
The forest seems to travel for miles and miles, as if it has no end, but I know this isn’t true. In fact, it ends rather abruptly where it touches Darkhaven. In one step, the world goes from endless rows of trees to a concrete slab, from nature to city in the blink of an eye.
I scan the trees, my gaze settling on the expansive wilderness. I see trees and more trees and even more trees in the distance. The air is cool and makes my skin tingle. I’ve learned this is how my senses distinguish different temperatures, because I’m essentially unaffected by them. I know it’s cold, but I don’t feel it. Walking the woods on this dark winter eve, I am content.
“It’s snowing,” Jasik says.
I glance at him. Just as I’m about to point out it’s not snowing, a single flurry flutters before me and lands on my nose. I cross my eyes, trying to fixate on it. My vision blurs, eyes straining to focus on something so close and so small. I reach for the flake, accidentally squashing it with my fingertip.
I frown at my hand, where there is now a droplet of water. It’s so small I almost can’t see it. A human certainly couldn’t. I turn to face Jasik, and the sky erupts. We are showered and coated in white. I laugh and brush off the snow that has covered Jasik’s shoulders. He smiles when more covers the space I’ve just cleared.
Arms flanked out at my sides, I stare at the sky and spin in circles, watching as flakes drift all around me. Some small and some so large I can see their crystallized forms, they smack against my skin, sending a rush of vibrations down my spine at the startling sensation of being assaulted by something so weak.
Jasik stares at me, smiling widely as I enjoy the rush. A bolt of electricity surges through me at the charge from my heightened senses. The snow falls in a perfect swirling tornado of soft white bliss. The cold drops of shimmery ice speckle my face, sending goose bumps down my arms. I feel my skin prickle even under my jacket, and I shudder at the sensation. My nose is wet and pink, my lips dry and tight. But my heart is happy, and my pain is gone.
In these moments, when life seems so perfect, I forget clarity comes with a price. In Darkhaven, there is no such thing as peace.
I’m giggling, eyes wide with joy and heart racing from excitement, when we make eye contact.
Several yards away, he stands beside a tree. Blocked partially by a fallen branch, his form is obscured behind the brush, but I don’t miss his eyes. One set of crimson irises that have an icy glow, laser-targeted right at me.
I’m running before Jasik even realizes what’s happened. I hear him call out to me, shouting for me to stop, to wait, but inside, I’m burning. My magic is bubbling within my core, and it aches to be released.
Chapter Four
The snowfall is heavy. Unlike Jasik, I didn’t sense the incoming storm, and I certainly didn’t plan