Chapter 10: The whispering woods
554 Words
The mountain path quickly gave way to a dense, suffocating canopy of ancient trees known as the Whispering Woods. The leaves overhead were a deep, bruised purple, entirely blocking out the sun and plunging the forest floor into a permanent, eerie twilight.
Cassian took the lead, his dark magic softly pulsing around his ankles to dispel the toxic fog rising from the damp earth. Kaelen walked closely behind Eva, his hand permanently resting on the hilt of his sword, his eyes constantly scanning the shifting shadows with raw, warrior focus.
The silence between the trio was thick with unexpressed desire and lethal tension. Every time Eva’s foot slipped on a wet root, Kaelen’s hand was instantly there, gripping her elbow with a firm, protective heat that lingered long after she regained her balance.
"We are entering the territory of the old factions," Kaelen muttered, his low voice cutting through the unnatural quiet of the forest. He stepped closer to Eva, his massive frame completely blocking the chilly wind. "The High Priests won't dare bring a full army in here, but they will send their specialized trackers. We need to keep a fast pace."
"Then perhaps you should stop slowing us down with your heavy footsteps, elf," Cassian mocked from the front, not even turning around. "The shadows in these woods are restless. They can smell the pure, untouched light radiating off our companion."
Eva frowned, adjusting the heavy leather cloak around her shoulders. "What do you mean they can smell me?"
Cassian halted abruptly, turning to face her. The ambient purple light of the forest caught the sharp, aristocratic planes of his face, making him look devastatingly beautiful and lethal all at once. "You spent your entire life bathing in the sacred pools of the ivory temple, Evadne. Your soul is a beacon of pure, unadulterated energy. To the creatures of the dark, you are a delicacy. A prize to be devoured."
He took a slow, predatory step toward her, completely ignoring Kaelen's immediate warning growl. Cassian reached out, his long, pale fingers gently brushing a stray lock of silver-white hair away from her face. His skin was shockingly hot against her cheek, sending a delicious, traitorous shiver straight down her spine.
"And to me," Cassian whispered, his voice dropping into an intimate, obsessive purr that locked her in place, "you are the ultimate temptation."
Eva didn't flinch or pull away. Instead, she leaned into his touch for a fraction of a second, her wide violet eyes narrowing with a fierce, dangerous challenge. "Then it is a good thing I have claws, Mage. Try to devour me, and you might find yourself choking."
Cassian’s breath hitched, his icy-blue eyes darkening to absolute midnight at her fiery defiance. He let out a low, dark chuckle, his thumb dragging slowly across her lower plump lip, parting them slightly in a fiercely dominant gesture.
Before the moment could spiral further into the deep, possessive spice hanging in the air, a bloodcurdling howl echoed through the trees, shattering the tension.
Kaelen shoved his way between them, his broadsword ripping from its scabbard with a deafening ring of golden energy. "Trackers," he snarled, his amber eyes wild with a feral readiness. "And they brought the hounds."
- Writer
