(Book 5 in the #DawnSeries)
A gift of light,
The laden of sight...
Theia, the goddess of light and daughter of Thanatos and Aurora, is unwittingly pulled into a weave of myth, monsters and magic as she travels to a dystopian earth to unravel a trave...
"Theia," Malreus sighed and whispered back in an annoyed tone; "I'm fine. Really. I feel totally fine."
I tried not to let his irked attitude get to me, but I couldn't help my concern for him. "Are you sure-"
"Theia!" He grumbled back and sighed with exasperation.
"Well, sorry." I glared at him from the side. "It's not often that my best friend gets bitten by a weirdly evolved snake-creature that lives deep below the earth's surface and can walk!"
He stopped and stared at me with a hint of irritation. "Are you done?"
"Am I done?" I scoffed and put my hands on my hips. We glowered at each other, while my words echoed down the tunnel. "What is up with you lately?" I whispered angrily and Malreus' eyes widened slightly.
He quickly narrowed his eyes; "Me? What's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean-"
"Oh, come on, Theia!" He snapped back with so much hidden anger that it nearly made me take a step back. But I stood my ground with bubbling fury and glared at him while he spoke; "I'm not the one who's been acting strange lately! You've been so- so-"
"So what?" I urged him on and crossed my arms over my chest; clearly demonstrating my irritation.
"So distant!"
His words caught me off guard. My eyes widened and I felt my arms loosen across my chest. Malreus' eyes held a unusual emotion- he looked nearly furious, but more than that, he looked pained.
"I don't... I don't understand." I shook my head at him; my expression dropped and I searched his eyes for an answer.
Malreus looked away; avoiding my gaze. He shrugged and the mere gesture hurt me more than I thought it could. "It doesn't matter. Let's just keep going."
"Wait-" I grabbed his hand when he tried to walk away. Malreus turned around and I felt a heat rush up to my cheeks when his hot breath filled the personal space just above my lips. He'd wanted to retort and ask a question, but the sudden proximity had him at a loss too.
I gulped, but managed to speak a short sentence. "You're my best friend, Malreus."
A electrifying moment passed between us and I waited with bated breath for his reply- or any indication that he'd understood what I was trying to convey to him. Malreus' eyes stared into my own, but then something flickered inside of them and he leaned back. He turned away from me and muttered; "Maybe that's the problem..."
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The tunnel grew darker and stank even more the further we went.
Luckily for us, it didn't feel like we were gradually moving more down into the earth, which meant that it would be easier to get out in case we had to make a run for it again.
