The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,119

herself. That was so stupid! She'd been in this world beneath the mist for too long, surrounded by its magic. She'd forgotten to be afraid. She'd forgotten that in her world she was something to fear. "It's me. The same me I've always been."

"Who are you?" he shouted, so loudly she flinched.

"I'm Lyana. I promise, I'm me. Do you remember when we were learning how to fly and Luka fell off the staircase in the crystal palace? You thought he broke his leg, but then he got up and he was fine. That was me. I healed him."

"No." He shook his head with such ferocity she worried it might snap off. "No. That's a lie. Stop."

"And that time you slammed a practice sword into Cassi so hard you thought she broke a rib? You were horrified, and we snuck you into her room so you could apologize, but then she jumped out of bed and terrified you, uninjured and fine? That was me. I healed her too."

"No! I don't believe you!"

"Please, Elias—"

"No! Stop! No!"

"Please!"

With a scream, he clamped his hands over his ears, dropped to his knees, and crouched over, spreading his tan wings around himself in a cocoon. He swayed back and forth, murmuring to himself, "No. Don't listen. It's Vesevios. He's trying to trick you. Don't listen. No. Stop. No."

Lyana pressed her palm to her mouth as it fell open, trapping her cry inside. She reached for him, then paused, not sure if her touch would only make it worse. He was terrified. Of her. Of this world. Of the magic he'd been taught his whole life to fear. And right now, he was too deep into his panic to hear logic, to hear the truth. Right now, the only thing she could do was make him more afraid. No matter what she said or did, it would only cause him more pain. So she ran, out the door and into the hall, where Malek was waiting to catch her.

They didn’t need words.

One look into her eyes and he knew.

One look into his and she did too—he'd been right to forbid her from returning to the world above to warn her people. They weren't ready, and maybe they never would be. Elias was like a brother to her, yet the first sight of her magic had brought him to his knees. If he didn’t understand, what hope did she have of convincing anyone else? What could she do, just one person against a lifetime of fear?

Lyana clutched the front of Malek's shirt as she cried against his chest. He held her until her tears ran dry and long after. Their hearts beat as one, no sound in these dark halls except their ragged breathing.

There was no telling how much time had passed when she finally pulled away, but it was enough to feel a change in the air. As she found his stormy eyes, the space between them thickened. He stared at her the way he always did, as though he could see right through her, into her very soul. Heat flooded up her neck as Malek slowly lifted his hands to her cheeks and brushed her tears away. He slid his fingers through her loose braids, then settled one palm at the back of her head as the other came to rest upon the side of her throat.

She didn’t know what to do.

Chaotic and uncertain, her heart ached with despair yet pulsed with a new sort of yearning. He was her king. She was his queen. This was what destiny had foretold. As he leaned forward, she couldn’t move, trapped between the desire to give in and the voice in the back of her head telling her to run.

Malek paused before touching her lips, his breath tickling her skin as he studied her expression. He wanted this. She could feel it in his spirit, a longing he'd never quite been able to hide, but there was a certain disappointment there too. Still, he closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together, and she let him.

The kiss lasted only for a moment. He pulled back with a sigh and dropped his hands from her, releasing his hold. Lyana breathed as though coming up from the depths of the ocean for air. Had she been suffocating? Her chest burned.

"I—" Malek paused.

"I want to stay," Lyana jumped in quickly, not sure what he was going to say, but also positive she didn't want to hear it. "Here, with Elias,