Having lost the man she loved to the cold clutches of suicide, Amara's impulsive decision to join him leads her to accept the marriage proposal of a mysterious stranger she shares a drink with at a bar.
Xelan's weddings were an awful affair, with ea...
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For a moment, it felt like she was back in the Fleeting Pool. The crystal blue waters crept up on the boulder, creeping up to her shoes. She struggled to stand but her body was nothing more but lead. Then she was in another body or rather floating above her own. Watching the water reach up to her toes and ankles, her brain processing the feeling she had experienced when she channelled aura at the ball. Only this was more excruciating, filling something inside of her until she could accept no more, her senses threatening to burst. Until it did, in a great burst of light same as what had wounded Tyrell, her blood-curdling screams echoing through the night.
The next moment, she was jerking awake, her skin ice cold and her heart racing, resting in the bed she had made hers for the past week. Xelan stood from where he sat, safe at the edge of the room near the door. A part of her, much vulnerable and distressed, wished he would come to her. But she looked away to suppress those traitorous desires.
"Miss Amara," he called, standing up to move to her but she stopped him.
"Please, stay," she said. She couldn't trust herself not to give in to her emotions. He seemed to understand as well, his reluctant agreement visible in their unwanted connection. So he stayed put, though still standing.
"How are you?" he asked with concern. She raised a brow at his tone, rubbing her neck that had been strangled the previous day.
"I'm fine really, asides from the fresh batch of nightmares your friend from last night gave me," she replied, sighing as the chill in her spine from her dream slowly subsidized.
His brows furrowed. "That was two days ago."
Her eyes widened as she whipped her head sideways to stare out the balcony. The setting sun had draped its fiery gold rays over the entire deck, creeping into the room.
"I was out that long?!" she exclaimed, thinking more to herself than asking him.
"You nodded off in my arms before I could even bring you home. For some reason, you had done something strenuous enough to affect your aura level. What happened?"
The images of Duncan's cold smile and Tyrell's knife pressed against her throat flooded her mind. She hugged herself involuntarily.
"Your friend came after me and I tried running away. But his goon, Tyrell, caught me. While we were struggling, there was this bright light coming out of me and flinging him across the courtyard..." She paused when she saw the grim look on Xelan's face. "What?"
He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "You can experience everything now," he said with resignation in his voice, making her brows furrow.
"Everything?" she asked. He sat down as if prepping himself for bad news instead of relaying it.
"Emotions and a heightened sense of feeling aren't the only aspects of the Aftermath. Normally, couples can tap into their spouse's powers."
"Powers, as in that burst from light coming from me was from you?" She asked, a little lightheaded.
