The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,148

might try to run away. No matter the consequences, he'd never been able to run anywhere except toward her. Lyana lifted her fingers to skim his torso, then left one palm against his chest as the other continued to rise. She ran her fingers through his hair, sending a soothing shiver down his spine, and cupped his cheek. Her thumb brushed over his skin.

"Rafe," she said, her voice deep and dangerously alluring. "If there's one thing I know, despite everything that's happened between us, it's that you will never hurt me."

"I might."

"You won't."

"I—" He closed his eyes against the truth and dropped his forehead until it touched hers, breathing in her magic and her spirit, letting the sensation of her ground him as nothing ever had before. He'd spent so much of his life building his walls and hiding behind them, he still didn’t know how to be open and honest. But there was nothing he wanted more than for someone to see him, to truly see him, and not turn away. "Ana," he murmured, his heart thumping in his chest. "I'm afraid."

"Look at me, Rafe. Please, look at me."

Her voice wrapped around him like a cocoon, so safe and warm that his eyes slid open before he could stop them. He and Lyana were so close he could see nothing in the world but her, the dark planes of her skin, the vibrant greens of her irises, the ebony depths of her pupils made somehow bright by the emotions swirling within them.

"I'm afraid, too," she confessed, his breath halting at the words. "I'm afraid of so many things. I'm afraid I'll forever be trapped in a life I'm not sure I want. I'm afraid I'm not the person so many people need me to be. I'm afraid of my failure. I'm afraid of my success. I'm afraid I'll never be free. I'm so afraid, Rafe, and yes, I'm even afraid of you. But not of your wings or of this new spirit you share. The only thing about you that's ever scared me is the feelings you stir inside my heart, because I can't fight them, no matter what I do."

He inhaled sharply, finally remembering to breathe. A sting burned the corners of his eyes as his chest swelled.

"If you must be afraid of yourself," she whispered, "be afraid of the courageous and caring man I see when I look at you, because trust me, Rafe, he's a fearsome sight to behold."

He didn’t know what to say, so he kept silent.

Rafe stayed where he was, holding her as she held him, willing time to stop so he could stay in this moment forever.

47

Malek

A groan spilled from Malek's lips and he blinked the dark spots from his eyes. Ash filled his lungs as he sucked in a deep breath, then immediately coughed, his chest burning. Splintered pieces of wood clinked against the ground with the movement and sharp edges cut into his back, the debris of the warehouse. He'd finished the soul joining, and started to leave, then…

Lyana.

She hadn't wanted to come with him. She'd wanted to stay by the raven's side. He’d tried to force her to come, but she held him off, her power stronger than he'd ever felt before. As though she and raven were one force, he'd been pushed from the table, across the room and almost to the door, when the world exploded.

Lyana!

Ignoring his own pain, Malek jumped to his feet as his heart lurched. Why hadn't she come with him? Didn’t she know by now she was more important than anyone else? Especially a raven with no use beyond his magic? The world needed her. He needed her. If she was hurt— If she was gone— If—

Malek turned and froze, unable to process what he was seeing.

Lyana and the raven stood unharmed as the warehouse burned at their feet. Tendrils of flame reached up to lick the fog while ash flurries fell from the sky, a storm of smoke and fire billowing around a moment of perfect calm. One of Lyana's hands was pressed against the raven's chest and the other cupped his cheek as he held her close. Their foreheads touched, noses barely brushing, their gazes locked as though the rest of the world didn’t exist. A white jacket hung to her knees, the silk stained with dark splotches of soot and the skirt in tatters. The raven's black shirt was shredded, his leather trousers scorched, though no burns showed upon his pale