~Laurent
“Laurent? What are you doing here?”
The voice made my heart stop.
I froze where I was, still half-kneeling in the grass, blood drying on my sleeve. I turned slowly, dreading who I’d see.
Ciela stood a few paces away, sunlight curling through her yellow hair like gold wire. Her brown eyes widened as she took in the sight of me.
“I—uh…” My brain scrambled. I couldn’t exactly tell her I’d just returned from fighting a crypt full of undead. “I dropped something. Must’ve rolled under the shrubs.”
Her brows lifted. “You’re lying on the ground because of a lost pencil?”
I forced a weak laugh. “Not a pencil. Something more important. You don’t have to worry about it. I’m sure I’ll find it. What are you doing out here though?”
Something in her face softened. She hesitated, then smi
