Page 7

Six

Acacia

I crouched lower in the dense undergrowth, my heart pounding so hard I was sure the monsters would hear it. The small group of what looked like corrupted dryads and a few shadow wraiths huddled together in a clearing just ahead, their voices carrying clearly in the still afternoon air.

"The wood nymph's territory is vulnerable here," the dryad hissed, her once-beautiful features twisted into something nightmarish. "His connection to the new human mate has weakened his defenses. He spends too much time watching over her, leaving gaps in his protection."

I flinched at the mention of myself, guilt and anger warring in my chest. Was I really making Thornix vulnerable? After last night, after what we'd shared, the thought made me sick.

I pushed the memory away, I couldn't afford to get distracted by thoughts of his hands on my skin, the way the forest had come alive around us, how complete I'd felt in his arms.

"Focus," I whispered to myself, echoing words I'd heard him say countless times.

"We strike at moonrise," a shadow wraith declared, its voice like dead leaves scraping stone. "The human will make excellent bait. Once we have her, the nymph will be forced to surrender his territory."

That was all I needed to hear. I inched backward, trying to remember everything Thornix had taught me about moving silently through the forest. But my foot caught on a root, sending a small cascade of pebbles skittering down the slope.

The monsters fell silent.

I didn't wait to see if they'd spotted me. I ran, pushing my body to its limits as I crashed through the underbrush. Behind me, I heard shouts and the sound of pursuit.

"There! The human!"

A blast of corrupted magic shot past my head, singeing my hair. I ducked and weaved, my muscles burning as I pushed harder. The forest seemed to respond to my panic. Branches lifted out of my way, roots shifted to give me better footing.

I could feel the monsters gaining on me, their corrupted energy making the air thick and hard to breathe. My lungs felt like they were on fire, but I couldn't stop. Not when I had information that could save us both.

A shadow wraith materialized in front of me, its hollow eyes gleaming with malice. I dropped and rolled, remembering my training from the terramares. The wraith's claws sliced through the air where my head had been.

In desperation, I reached out to the forest the way I'd seen Thornix do countless times. I felt a surge of pure energy that sent vines whipping through the air, tangling the wraith long enough for me to scramble away.

The action left me dizzy and weak, but I pushed through it. I could see Thornix's tree-home ahead, its massive trunk a beacon of safety. With the last of my strength, I sprinted for it.

"Thornix!" I screamed, not caring who heard me now. "They're coming!"

He appeared in front of me so suddenly I almost ran into him. His eyes widened at my appearance, I must have looked terrible, covered in dirt and leaves, bleeding from several scratches.

"Inside," he commanded, pushing me behind him as the monsters burst into view. "Now!"

I wanted to argue, to tell him what I'd heard, but my legs chose that moment to give out. I collapsed against the tree's trunk, watching through blurry vision as Thornix faced our attackers.

The fight that followed was like nothing I'd ever seen. Thornix called upon the full power of his domain, and the forest responded with devastating force. Trees became weapons, roots burst from the ground like spears, and the very air seemed to pulse with ancient magic.

The corrupted dryads fought back viciously, their twisted nature magic clashing with Thornix's pure energy in explosions of light and darkness. The shadow wraiths flitted through the chaos like living smoke, trying to find openings in his defense.

But they hadn't counted on me.

When the wraith tried to circle behind Thornix, I forced myself to my feet. Drawing on whatever connection I now had with the forest, I created a barrier of thorny vines. The wraith shrieked as it became entangled, its shadowy form dissipating under the assault of natural magic.

The effort nearly knocked me unconscious, but it was worth it to see the look of surprise on Thornix's face. He redoubled his attacks, and soon the remaining monsters retreated, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth and the lingering stench of corrupted magic.

Thornix turned to me immediately, his eyes wild with concern and something else I couldn't quite read. "Are you hurt? What were you doing out there alone?"

"I'm fine," I said, though my whole body trembled with exhaustion. "I was just exploring. But I overheard them plotting. They're planning to use me as bait to take your territory. They think I've made you vulnerable."

His expression darkened. "I told you to not adventure out like that! You could have been killed!"

"But I wasn't," I snapped, some of my old defiance returning despite my fatigue. "I came to warn you, didn't I?"

"Why?" he demanded, stepping closer. The energy still crackling around him made my skin tingle. "Why risk yourself to warn me?"

"Because I'm not stupid," I shot back, ignoring the way my heart raced at his proximity. "If they take your territory, what happens to me? I did it for survival, nothing more."

I knew my words weren’t entirely true. The thought of Thornix being hurt, of losing him to these monsters, had driven me harder than any concern for my safety. But I couldn't admit that. Not to him and not to myself.

"Is that all?" he asked softly, reaching out to brush a leaf from my hair. The gentle touch sent shivers down my spine, reminding me of last night's passion.

"Yes," I lied, stepping back. "Look, I know what happened between us was intense. But it doesn't change anything. I'm still here because I have to be, not because I want to be."

The hurt that flashed across his face made my chest ache, but I forced myself to continue. "I appreciate you protecting me, teaching me about the forest. But let's not pretend this is something it isn't."

"And what is it, exactly?" Thornix's voice was dangerously quiet.

"Because from where I stand, you just used forest magic to help defend my territory.

Magic that shouldn't be possible for a human to access.

Magic that responds to you because you're connected to me, to this place, whether you want to admit it or not. "

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. He was right—I had used magic. The forest had responded to my call just as it did to his. The implications terrified me.

"That doesn't mean anything," I finally managed, my voice weak even to my own ears. "It's just a side effect of whatever happened in that grove."

Thornix stepped closer again, and this time I couldn't make myself move away. "Is that what last night was? Just a side effect?"

My breath caught in my throat as memories flooded back. His hands on my skin, the way the forest had sung around us, the feeling of completeness I'd never experienced before.

"I don't know what last night was," I whispered honestly. "I don't know what any of this is. And that scares me more than any monster."

His expression softened. "Acacia..."

"Don't," I cut him off, wrapping my arms around myself. "Please. I need time to think. To figure out what's happening to me, to us."

For a long moment, he just looked at me, his ancient eyes full of emotions I couldn't untangle. Finally, he nodded.

"Rest," he said softly. "You used a lot of power today. We can talk more when you're stronger."

I fled into the tree-home, grateful for the excuse to escape. But as I curled up in my bed of moss, I couldn't stop thinking about the way Thornix had looked at me, or how natural it had felt to call upon the forest's magic to help him.

Everything was changing, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it. Part of me wanted to run back to the terramares, back to a world I understood. But another part, a growing part, craved the wild magic of this place, the freedom and power I felt when I was with Thornix.