The Lores of Lyra - Shattered Star [Book II]

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Vega woke with a jerk. Her pulse was racing, and her breathing strained. Sitting up, she looked around her. Joshua was lying next to her, with and arm over his eyes. His bare chest stared at her, and she stopped herself from looking further down.

She didn't know if yesterday had been a mistake -- it easily could turn out to be. Vega skirted around him, hoping to sneak past him without waking him. Her clothes were spread all over the cave floor, mixed in between Joshua's. Gathering all of them, she slowly started to dress in her undergarments.

She didn't dare take her eyes of Joshua. I hope he doesn't wake up.

Once she reached  her shirt, she stopped moving and stared at Joshua with a tortured expression. I'm so sorry, Joshua, she thought before she pulled her shirt over her head. With a last glance towards him, she walked outside.

"Morning, Sunshine," Eric's voice startled her and she jumped on the spot, a slight squeal escaping her lips.

"Eric, you jerk. You scared me!"

He chuckled at that. "It was totally worth it though."

She narrowed her eyes and pouted slightly but didn't say anything more. Instead, she jumped up on the rocks beside him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

Eric looked away and awkwardly ran a hand through his dark hair. "Well, I figured you wanted to be alone."

A deep scarlet blush appeared on Vega's cheeks at that. Does he know what we did?

"Don't worry! I didn't peek or anything in his mind either."

She hadn't even considered that he could have been, but now that he mentioned it, she was sure that he had anyway. Often when people mentioned something, it was because their conscience was shaded. There wasn't much to do about it though.

"How long have  you been out here?" she asked. He probably knew that she was deliberately trying to change the subject, and she hoped he would follow. This was already more than enough uncomfortable.

"I walked out here last night." He nodded towards the horizon. "I've been staring at that small gleam out there. When I sit still, and the fog lifts you can almost see the outlining of a castle - at least I think it's a castle."

Vega looked in the direction, she couldn't see anything else than the grey fog. "I can't see it."

"That's because you're pretty much glowing all on your own now."

She cast a glance at her hands, there was nothing unusual about them.

"No, not like that," Eric said and turned around to face her. "Here, give me your hand."

She reached out her right arm, and his fingers wrapped around hers. His touch was more caressing than demanding, and she watched with fascination as he turned her hands around slowly. "What is it?"

"Try and look at the difference between my skin color and yours right now," he said.

When she did as he requested, she was surprised to discover that he was right. Her skin tone was held in vibrant colors, and they stood out from his grey and faded hand. "That's so odd."

"Not really, I mean. You did call upon Solem a few times last night," he said with a wink. The smirk that grew on his face made Vega hide her head in her arms out of sheer embarrassment. Oh Solem…

"What have I done?" she muttered into her shirt.

"I think you did what you had to," Eric's tone had shifted entirely, and she looked up to see him staring at the horizon with a serious expression.