Page 25

Kiara

To take a leap of faith is knowing you may likely fall and doing so anyway.

Asidian proverb

There was no floor beneath us.

Literally. No. Damned. Floor.

We plummeted for an eternity, the ground never rising up to end our ceaseless dive into the bowels of the underworld.

The grisly tale of Aloria and her lover briefly crossed my mind, of how the soldiers had tossed him over the side of the Argondale Mountains. And we’d all but leapt off a cliff without so much as looking. I should’ve paid more attention.

I cursed my recklessness a thousand times in my head. Not that cursing helped slow my speed.

Air rushed up on either side, whipping at my cheeks, hair, and clothes. Desperately, I reached out, trying to grab hold of something, anything. I was met with useless open air.

Just as I said my final farewells, preparing for the unforgiving solidness of the earth, the infinite darkness detonated.

Pure, scorching light erupted from what appeared to be a shooting star at my side. But of course, it wasn’t a star, it was the commander, whose magic illuminated the tunnel. I couldn’t decide which was worse—seeing how narrow the passageway was, or knowing there was no escape.

Down, down, down, we fell, until Jude’s incandescent form vanished with a splash.

I struck water a second later.

Pins and needles stabbed at my exposed skin, the impact jarring, my vision blackening.

The water was merciless, surging into my mouth and lungs, suffocating me each time I opened my lips to scream.

Hands grabbed around my middle, fingers digging into my skin through my thin shirt. I was being yanked, pulled to gods knew where. Unconsciousness called like a siren in a gale, and my eyes were already shutting.

I broke through the surface, a gust of icy air striking my cheeks. The water I’d swallowed flowed from my lips, and I sputtered helplessly. With the black spots winning, I couldn’t see clearly as my body met hard earth.

There was pressure on my chest, hands shoving against my body, urging the water up and out.

“You’re making me touch you again . ” Jude’s voice drifted to my ears. “I better not be fucking hurting you more.” Frustration cracked his voice, almost masking the sheer panic beneath. “Come on, Kiara,” he pressed, continuing to push . “Wake the hells up.”

I wanted to tell him I was already awake, but he kept going, the radiance of his magic blazing behind my closed lids as his fear powered him. After what felt like a lifetime, my body convulsed, and I jerked to the side, retching, water spilling free and onto rough stone. Jude patted my back, cursing and praying at the same time.

“There you go,” he murmured, rubbing soothing circles on my back. I greedily sucked in fresh air, shivering from both cold and lingering terror.

If I hadn’t hated heights before, I sure did now.

I anxiously took in our surroundings. With Jude’s glow brightening most of the space, I nearly didn’t notice the faint blue light coming through cracks in the stone walls. It wasn’t caused by Jude—it came from the temple itself.

We were sitting on a circular stone, enfolded in eerie light, the pool of crystal water washing gently against the rounded banks. For some reason, this felt like the true entrance to the temple.

I angled toward the commander, my temperature settling back to normal. In fact, I was beginning to grow warm from his touch, and the longer I stayed close, the hotter I became. It wasn’t unpleasant. Not as before, above .

Jude, as if just realizing how his fingers grazed my skin, shoved away with a frustrated grunt. “Did I hurt you?” He rose to his feet, continuing to place distance between us.

“I’m…fine,” I said, stunned. No nosebleeds. No searing agony racing through my veins. Nothing .

Jude looked to his hands as if he also considered why his touch hadn’t hurt me.

“It seems as if you’ve saved me yet again,” I remarked to break up the silence, rolling onto my back, exhausted. “Next time, it’ll be my turn to rescue you. You’re making me look bad.”

I tried to laugh, but only a wheezing huff sounded pathetically. I hadn’t lied though. His hands had done nothing to hurt me, which had me questioning why . Judging by the amount of space Jude put between us, he wasn’t willing to try out my growing theory—that in this temple of the Moon God, we were finally on equal footing.

With a groan, I lifted to my elbows, careful to avoid the edge of the pool.

The surface twinkled with shimmering orbs that blinked in and out of existence, reminding me of the night sky. If we hadn’t almost died, I’d have found it beautiful.

“Did the others fall?” I was too busy drowning to notice if anyone else came plummeting down after me.

Jude ambled to the edge of the water, his back to me while he caught his breath. He shook his head. “No, it was just us.”

“Good.”

I prayed they had enough sense to watch us tumble into nothing and take one giant step backward. Although I imagined Jake had to be physically restrained from lunging after.

Craning my neck, I looked up into the heavy blackness. When I shouted for Liam, nothing came back in reply. We’d fallen much too far for our words to carry.

Jude scanned the area, analyzing the many glowing cracks and crevices, likely plotting our escape. The glow emanating from his body had simmered out, but his eyes remained luminous. They darted back and forth until he bolted to his feet, an eager expression causing his lips to slightly part.

“What is it?”

He moved to a wall of stone, his hands gliding along the uneven edges. He said nothing, forcing me to my feet and to his side.

“These cracks,” he eventually ground out. He pushed at the stone. His eyes shined while he struggled, the space bright enough where my own magic didn’t rise to the surface.

A rock crumbled beneath his exertion, exposing more soft blue light.

A way out.

I shoved against the wall with my hands, clawing and pulling at the loose stones.

We both groaned from the effort, and sweat quickly seeped from my pores and slipped down the nape of my neck. Together we worked to free ourselves from this rocky prison, and when dirt and grime covered my hands, the wall finally gave way.

Jude and I stumbled into an opening and onto our hands and knees as the stones crumbled and fell. Dust rushed into my nose, eyes, and lungs, and I barely caught myself from landing on my face.

“Can’t there just be a normal entrance?” I grumbled, thrusting upright, my arms probably riddled with scrapes from taking the brunt of the fall. Bending at the waist, I hacked my lungs out.

A white fog coated everything, and I felt as if we’d stepped inside a cloud—nothing above us, and nothing I could see below. Jude panted beside me, waiting for the rubble to settle.

He let out a rumbling cough before saying, “I think there’s another door.”

Great. More doors.

Jude snatched the corner of my cloak, guiding me. It was like being inside a blizzard, or maybe more accurately, a sandstorm. Bits of rock struck my exposed skin as the dust swirled chaotically around our frames, the slight resistance it gave seeming to urge us away. Yet there was no direction but forward, the veiny blue lights we’d seen earlier coaxing us onward.

“Look,” Jude coaxed, tugging at my cloak.

A silver door came into focus ahead.

“That better not be another one-way ticket to death by drowning,” I grumbled.

Jude released me and approached slowly, like the door itself might be a predator set to lunge. He peered over his shoulder, making sure I followed. “Stand back,” he instructed before reaching for the curved handle and pushing down.

It creaked open like a weary sigh, icy air rushing out in a gust. The force of it nearly sent me back a few steps.

Rubbing at my eyes, I willed my vision to clear as the newest scene slowly took shape.

An impressive slab of stone jutted out to touch crystal waters, the surface so still, it appeared like glass. Tumbling through the threshold, I tilted my head, powerless but to admire the space.

A bronze tunnel with an open roof had been crafted inside an infinite cavern, the night sky showcasing millions of glittering stars. They were three times their normal size, and not a single cloud tarnished their shine. I paused upon a full moon ringed in blue, unable to squash the notion that it stared back, its glow highlighting the cavern as far as the eye could see.

Luxurious boats swayed nearby, all painted in silver, their edges decorated by the phases of the moon that watched from overhead. All around me, the air glimmered, the luster of the bronze reflecting the light upon the top of the still water. There was no end to the magnificent pillars that formed the airy passageway, their design reminiscent of coiling vines.

“Where are we?” I walked closer to the edge of the stone slab, my hands poised over one of the swaying boats. The stars’ reflections dazzled in the bluest water I’d ever seen, the surface masked by a sheen of purple and iridescent glaze.

We might as well have walked into another realm entirely. Squinting, I made out a shooting comet, rushing by so quickly, it vanished in a blink.

“The night sky,” Jude whispered reverently. Even he was helpless to admire the beauty. “I’ve never seen it so clear and bright. So close .”

I dipped into a crouch. Cupping my hands, I immersed them in the water, scooping out a cup of magic.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said actual stars floated across my palms.

“Careful,” Jude warned, suddenly a foot away.

I peered up, finding his eyes burning. They flared brighter when they fixed on me. Him being so near made me weak in the knees, and I debated acting out on impulse, on seeing if my hopeful thoughts were correct. I hesitated, though, fearful of another disappointment.

My insides didn’t churn with magic, not seeming to sense impending danger, but I couldn’t shake the buzz of disbelief and intoxicating adrenaline from falling from one world into the next, into an in-between dimension. I didn’t feel the same, my body almost weightless, every inch of skin tingling. I experienced everything and too much of it.

Looking at the commander and his unusual eyes, I lost my bearings, the reality of our situation crushing in on all sides like a toppling house of cards.

We were in the temple. One step closer to death or triumph.

My heart sank—my mind had already decided which one I believed we’d find. Harlow had gotten into my head, his words echoing like falling rain. With each loop of doubt, I worried that I’d choose cowardice when the time came, when the hard decision needed to be made.

I’d never realized how exhausting it was to be good . To do the right thing.

Jude made a deep rumbling sound in the back of his throat. “I swear to all the gods, Kiara. You better not be getting in your head. That’s my job.” He coerced his lips to lift into a smile , but it was strained.

Him beside me, my friends and brother not far behind…it was my fault. What if we couldn’t make our way out? There was a chance we’d die. A large chance, and—

“Whatever happens, I regret nothing,” Jude cut into my rambling thoughts. “Something tells me we were always meant to come here, and I refuse to believe it was just for us to die.”

My eyes met his. “Did you just read my mind? Because if so, I didn’t approve of that new power.”

He laughed. “No, but I didn’t need to read your mind. Just your expressions. Your eye sometimes twitches when you’re hurt or doubting.” He dared a step closer. “Your nose wrinkles ever so slightly right before you begin a fight. When you’re tired, you tap out this tune with your index finger. I don’t even think you realize you’re doing it, but I’ve spent ages trying to figure out the song, though I’ve come to the conclusion it’s yours alone.” Another step. “But mostly, you blush the prettiest pink whenever I get near you, which I quite enjoy, by the way.”

His lips were so close.

One. Step.

The corner of my mouth tugged up, my pulse racing. Arlo and his poisonous warning vanished from my head, my doubts dissolving like the dust we just parted.

A shock of awareness jolted through me.

I didn’t want Jude because of the power he wielded. The magic may lie in my soul, but it didn’t control my heart. It had been my own long before the shadows touched it, before the sun goddess’ light awoke.

Arlo hadn’t known love, and therefore, he’d assumed the worst.

But I wasn’t him, nor was I lacking love. I just needed to be brave enough to accept it.

The commander assessed me in that clinical way of his, and to anyone else, it might appear cold, but I knew better. The intensity in his stare was for me alone, and surrounded by such magic, after nearly drowning, I decided to give in, for just a moment.

“You’ve made me wonder about so many new things. Things I never considered possible before,” Jude continued, his eyes not on the mystical temple but on me. “Mostly, I wonder if you have the faintest idea how much power you wield over me. How you could easily destroy me with just one smile.”

My lips curled up in the smile he spoke of, the one reserved only for him. His words…no one had ever spoken to me in such a way. I couldn’t imagine wanting anyone but him speaking directly to my heart.

When his entire face lit up, I reached out and fisted his cloak. With a yank, I pressed against him. I needed to taste the lips that formed such pretty words.

When our lips met, the world didn’t turn to night, and blood didn’t gush from my nose. Only bliss so heady, I grew dizzy.

Jude groaned, his fingers threading through my hair, holding me in place, even though there was nowhere I’d rather be.

He tasted like freedom and sin, and I craved his kind of rush.

“How?” he asked as he reluctantly drew away.

Arlo had said Jude’s magic overwhelmed mine in the mortal world, but here in the darkness of a sacred temple, my magic flourished, matching his.

“Eh, magic or some other nonsense that I don’t care about right now,” I said. “Now, come back.”

I didn’t wait for him. I pressed against him once more, and he easily conceded to my demand, meeting my eager kisses with ones of his own.

Destiny or a pretty lie, I didn’t care. Whatever called me to him was mine, and I owned it like I owned him.