so vibrant and pure that my breath caught in my chest.
“She did that yesterday, too,” Ozias whispered beside me, all his weight pressed into the balls of his feet.
I couldn’t explain the sudden pull. The insistent swell of energy that begged me to leap across the clearing and take her in my arms. Was this her charm? Or something else? It was more than a physical drive. She was the fire that threatened to melt the frozen cage I’d constructed. And no matter how hard I tried to keep things distant, every action of hers begged me to persist. Her very existence gave life to something deep and long buried in my heart.
“She’s incredible,” said Calem, muted awe evident in his voice.
Kost removed his glasses and blinked several times before replacing them. “Is anyone else experiencing feelings of elation? This is quite spectacular.”
Calem and Ozias grunted in agreement, but the description fell flat. My mind teased me, dragging up possibilities of a future where Leena and I existed on the same plane. One without cool detachments and lines in the sand.
I clenched my hands into fists. No. Thinking like that wasn’t an option. Between the bounty and my curse, her fate was set. I tried to force myself to view her as merely another being, another job, and not an impossible future.
She brought herself within a few feet of the Poi, hands outstretched and fingers beckoning. Pain stabbed my gut at the sight of the poison, but the light around her diminished the severity of her situation. She was light. Love. A promise. And the Poi had the opportunity to take it.
Slowly, the Poi stepped over the roots to sit directly in front of her. Large ears flicked up to the sky, and he tilted his head to the side as he sniffed her hand. With gentle fingers, she tickled the underside of his chin. The swirling cloudy orb on his head cleared, a sparkling, radiant gem winking in the light of the morning sun.
And then Leena laughed. Pure, untainted, joyous. The Poi made a soft barking sound, and a flare of light exploded beneath her fingers. When the surrounding air dimmed, she turned her head to us and smiled. “Come on, it’s safe.”
I reached her seconds before the rest, but I couldn’t drop the darkness as I so desperately wanted. I needed the shadows to lessen her light. “Everything go as planned?”
She frowned, eyeing the creeping blackness licking my extremities. “Yes. There isn’t any danger.” She turned back to the Poi. “He’s going to draw out the venom now.”
Rows of pointed teeth sank into her flesh, but Leena didn’t flinch. When he released her, he licked the puncture holes and a thick coating of saliva sealed the wound.
“I need to take him to the beast realm.” She stood, brushing dirt off her pants. “When I get back, I’ll have a key for you, Kost. Unless you don’t want him.” She kept her back to him, ignoring his presence and focusing entirely on the creature at her feet.
Kost sighed. “This beast suits me.”
“So be it.” Rosewood glow erupted from her hand, and an invisible door swung open. Leena and the Poi winked out of existence.
Calem tugged on his hair, pulling it out of its bun. “What do you think the beast realm is like?”
“I’m sure we’ll never know.” Kost stared at the empty space where Leena used to be. I could sense traces of her in the air. The faint scent of her perfume. The leftover warmth of her charm.
Ozias placed a hand on my shoulder. “You can come out now.”
It was meant to be a tease, but I flinched. Ozias raised a brow and tightened his grip on my shoulder. An unspoken question. With a heavy breath, I released the curling darkness and capped my power.
“Everything all right?” Kost studied me with more knowing than the other two.
“I’m good.”
His eyes formed fine slits. “Calem, Ozias, go get the Zeelahs and our gear. We should leave the moment she returns.”
The two shared a silent exchange before disappearing. We’d already packed our things, but Leena had demanded we leave the Zeelahs behind so as not to spook the Poi.
“She’s getting to you, isn’t she?” Kost pressed his hands along his buttoned tunic, searching for nonexistent wrinkles.
“It was just her charm.”
“Was it?”
“Yes.” No. I didn’t know. Kost knew that, too.
He adjusted his glasses, eyes boring into me. “You need to be careful. It’s been years since Bowen—”
“Don’t.” A heavy breeze worked its