Page 37 of A Rising Hope (The Freckled Fate #3)

37

OREST

I leaned against a tree, using a knife to slice an apple into small pieces, observing every single word exchanged between Finn and Zora. Here, swallowed by the shadows, they couldn’t see me and yet I saw them vividly even in the dark, their emotions glowing like the different colors of dim candlelight in the night.

With a light prance, Finn jumped into the saddle on the back of the flying creature. Ignoring the complaining Truth Teller in her back seat.

That Truth Teller will have to be dealt with . I knew that. She knew my secret, but I knew hers, too. And I just hoped that would be enough to keep us both alive.

In some twisted way, Priya did care for Finn, tying her humanity to her. And perhaps even in a more twisted way, Finn cared for Priya.

Zora was already marching back, her worry, masked as anger, lining her every feature. Sparks flew with her every step. I immediately followed her.

“You need to stop spying on me,” Zora snarled without looking at me.

“I am a spy, Zora. That’s what spies do.” I trailed her a step behind.

She abruptly stopped, turning to me. The silver stars above me sparkled in her black eyes, particularly beautiful today as she glowered at me.

“You are a damned fool, Orest, that’s what you are,” she hissed.

“Why?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

“You know why.” She backed down a step. She was so afraid to say it. To admit it.

Her eyes raked over my body, nostrils flared. She was addicted to me, the same way I was to her.

“Because I care for you?” I finally uttered the words I had told her so many times before. I took a step closer; she raised her chin to meet my gaze. My words didn’t faze her, not after I had confessed them to her on so many occasions.

“Exactly,” she snapped, eyes darkening. Her emotions flayed like threads on an unfinished cloth. The depth, the color of them, drew me like a moth to a fire. Her anxious heart raced so fast it was no longer traceable. “We can never be together, Orest. You are young. And I am old . . . I am used up.” I didn’t interrupt her, letting her horrid words pour out. “Gideon can play his games of giving me a commanding title, and pretending I belong amid his armies, but we all know the truth. I am powerless .” She snapped her fingers and where the usual fire should’ve been, there were only sparks. The hurt she couldn’t hide flashed across her face.

“And you . . . you might not have raw fire, but your powers are damn close to that. You know that. Gideon knows that. I know that. The whole damn army knows that. Truth Teller or not, you are powerful. Once you drop your delusions thinking we are a match, you are going to find a beautiful, powerful girl your age and you two will marry and have a beautiful family and you’ll think of this tragic infatuation with me as a silly joke from your youth.” The muscle in her jaw twitched as her eyes darted between mine.

“Are you done spewing utter bullshit?” My gaze darkened, and she looked away. I reached for her chin, tilting her head back to me. Her black eyes were an abyss I wanted to drown in. “Now, let me be very clear , Commander. I loved you from the moment I saw you. I loved you long before I knew your name and I shall love you long after you forget mine. The world shall turn to dust, and I will still love you, Zora. There is nothing you can do or say to persuade me otherwise. You can deny the truth, you can run from it, but you are mine, just as much as I am yours.” My voice was like a blade, sharp, precise. There was no softness. She didn’t need it. Her chest rose in uneven, jagged breaths. In one blink, my hand wrapped around the back of her neck in a tight hold as I jerked her closer to me. My mouth lowered to hers, as I whispered, “And Zora . . . do not ever call yourself powerless again. Do you understand?” A command and a warning. One she’d obey.

She swallowed hard but then obediently nodded, the lust spilling from her making me almost drunk as I breathed her alluring smell.

“Good.” I let go of her, both of us straightening up as desire thickly laced the air. One wrong word and there would be no turning back. So I took a step back, giving her the space she thought she needed. “Now that we’ve cleared that up. I believe we have a war to wage.”