The Price She Paid: Shadow & Bone (Book 2)

Chapter 10: Next stop, destiny.

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For the first time in a long time, I felt rested. My dreams were filled with warm meadows and quiet waves. There was no heretics, no Fold, no Volcra, just peace and happiness. I woke up feeling more alive and more like myself then I had in weeks.

Today we would start our journey to the Fold, within the week we would tear it down and all of this would end. No more war with the Grisha, no more Aleksander. We could start a new life, one where Alina and I weren't the saints of anything.

I found a tray of breakfast by my bed and ate it quickly as I dressed. I caught a glance in the mirror and stopped. I looked different. I couldn't pinpoint what had changed exactly, but I looked better. My red hair seemed more vibrant, my curls falling down in perfect soft ringlets. My skin seemed to have gained a healthy glow it had been lacking. My green eyes looked brighter, like the color of fresh watered grass after a rainstorm.

Was it the power of the second amplifier? Had it already had this much of a positive effect on me?

I got up deck and noticed the mood was lighter. The sun was shinning and everything just seemed better.

I followed the sound of Alina's laughter to the top deck. She was leaning into Mal's arms, both of them laughing at something the other had said. I watched them for a second, it was like a weight had been lifted between them. They looked happier. I could almost picture them as young kids, running through the meadow near the orphanage as they chased each other, the sound of their laughter echoing off the trees.

I always knew they loved each other, but this was different. They didn't just love each other; they were in love with each other. I could see it in the way they looked at each other, the way their bodies naturally gravitated towards each other. What they had was real, there was no tricks, no lies, no ulterior motives, just love.

That's what I wanted, pure, child like love. I wanted to love someone so much that I believed in soul mates, that I could believe the stars aligned just so we would meet. I wanted to love someone so much I believed in fairy tales.

Alina looked up at me, sensing my nearness. Her smile widened, a bright flicker of joy seeping through our bond.

I glanced down and saw the sleeve of her burgundy jacket had ridden up, revealing the Sea Whips scales on her wrist.

"How does it feel, ready to take on the Fold?" I questioned.

She reached down and let her fingers run over the smooth scales.

"I feel ready to take on the world."

"No need to take on the world, just everyone currently after us is enough," Mal intervened, reaching over to intertwine his fingers with Alina's.

I moved towards them, leaning against the railing next to them.

"So, the world then?" I finished.

Mal chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'll keep up off the beaten path, but we'll be on our own again."

I felt my smile falter.

'On our own again'. Just me, Mal, and Alina. Was that my future, we tear down the Fold and I become a permanent third wheel?

I shivered involuntarily.

I could practically hear Aleksander whispering in my ear.

I know how you feel when you see Alina with the tracker. The loneliness that eats at you. It will only grow.