Melody of Blood and Night

Twenty

Caelan stood atop the slanting rock with nothing but unending miles of dense forest behind him, staring at the afternoon sky as the sun began to dip into the yawning crevices of the towering peaks. A soft breeze ruffled through his hair with the comforting gentleness of a mother's touch.

Yet, his mind tossed onto the treacherous seas of his thoughts. He fought the turmoil within himself, a war waging between his heart and head. Up until just a month ago, he had it all figured out.

Then, he had entered their lives like a plague of locusts and stolen away everything he thought he knew. Secrets, lies, and deception had revealed things about Aedlyn, he would have never known, were true.

Caelan had, after finding out about the magick that ran through her veins, assumed she was powerful. But never had he imagined, it would be to such a ludicrous extent.

His chest tightened as an unnamed heaviness weighed down on his heart. They were trained killers, assassins. Yet, when he had beheld her raining thousand bolts of lightning down on her twin....something about it had shaken him to the core.

No matter how much he tried, Caelan just couldn't get those milky eyes out of his mind. In all the years that he had known her, she had never worn such an expression before. Just thinking back to the wickedly twisted smile on her face sent fear trickling down his spine.

Anger flooded through him as he thought back to their conversation in the cavern and how he had stormed out. His fingers tightened into fists.

How could she have been stupid enough to bargain away her soul!? And that too for just a few sentences! A muscle in his jaw twitched. He felt like whacking the back of her head and shaking some sense into her.

But most of all, he was afraid. Afraid of what it would do to her. What it had already done to her.

He let out a frustrated sigh, raking a hand through his hair. A tangled mess. Just like his heart. Why did she have to do all of this in the first place? It had all been for nought anyway.

The Key she had almost died to retrieve was in her twin's possession. Caelan couldn't understand what was so special about it. He admitted, the life they had led, up until a month ago, hadn't been perfect. But it was a million times better than the mess they were caught up in right now.

All this trouble had started the moment that boy-Prince had set foot in The Veil. He sucked in a breath, watching the sky turn into a crisp orange, the flaming sun, setting the forest on fire.

Fire. It burned within him. A desire. For her. His mind wandered again as did his fingers, brushing against his lips. Reliving the feel of her mouth against his. He could still taste her on his tongue.

Heat rose to his face, remembering the places his hands had been on her body. She had been such a perfect mess, with her tumbling midnight locks, wild and untamed, and her cupid lips that had almost made him lose control.

He had taken one look at those sharp-angled eyes, burning so bright with passion, a flaming turquoise that flooded even the darkest corners of his heart with light and realized what he should have, a long time ago.

He was in love with her. Every inch of her. Every flaw and every imperfection. He loved the tiny little scab on her chin and the slight tilt of her nose. He adored every scar on her body because they made her who she was. He wanted to worship them with his lips, until she loved them too. Worship her with everything he was.

So, he had told her and then watched as her face had slipped into a cold mask of indifference. Felt the almost unperceivable tremor in her voice when she had refused to accept his love. He just wanted to know why.