Tasteful Darkness

Chapter 44

Balendin - Now

Something prickles across my body. I don't understand the sensation. It's as if liquid sun falls across my skin, spreading its light on my face and hands.

Warmth.

I groan and something aches in my back. The sudden pain is enough for me to snap my eyes open, temporarily paralyzed at the thought of being in the River all over again.

But I'm not. I'm sitting on a wooden floor in the Overworld.

A sudden grunt distracts me. I look to my left and see Peter lying on the floor across the room. In an instant, I scramble to my feet and rush over to him.

"Peter," I gasp out, laying my hand on his shoulders.

His eyes pry open and meet mine. His gaze has life again, and I nearly get lost in his brown eyes.

"Vin—" he starts, but cuts himself off and stops talking.

I nearly wince at the mention of that name. "Hold on," I say, helping Peter into a sitting position. "Are you hurt?"

He shakes his head, looking to the floor. "I... don't understand what's happening. How did we escape? How are we here?"

"I don't know," I admit. "I shouldn't even be here. I shouldn't have a human form, this doesn't—"

Peter reaches out and takes my hand. The moment his skin brushes mine, I feel the warmth of his palm and jerk away.

I blink.

"What is it?" Peter asks, confused.

"I just..."

Cautiously, I reach my hand forward and take Peter's hand. His skin is warm against mine, and it sends prickles up and down my arm. Peter's eyes narrow.

"You feel different," he says.

"So do you," I reply. "You feel... warm."

"And you don't feel as cold."

I blink. "What?"

I'm not suppressing my Guard form. I haven't since I woke up, but that can't be possible.

My hand finds its place on my chest, and everything inside me freezes.

I feel it. Resting—living inside my chest. A piece of an incomplete soul.

I jerk my hand forward, pressing it against Peter's chest so forcefully he lets out a soft grunt. I ignore the sound and wait to feel his soul beneath my fingertips.

His soul is still there, but there's something different. It, too, is an incomplete soul, but the feeling of it is identical to my own.

It is half of Peter's soul that resides in my chest.

Memories of escaping the Underworld flash in my mind. The way Peter grabbed onto me when we made it through the gate, the way he promised to never leave me again.

I'm on my feet so quickly I nearly trip on an uneven board on the floor. My breaths come in harsh gasps, and I feel the air inside my lungs. I feel something pulsing in my temples and sending pain blooming in my head.

"Balendin—" Peter tries, now on his feet.

"No," I spit out, throwing open the front door and dragging myself outside.

The sun hits my skin like fire. I have never felt the heat before, and even though I feel no pain, the sensation of warmth makes me feel like I stumbled into a blaze. I bite out a curse and go back inside, slamming the door behind me.