Page 19 of Traveler (Soulbound #1)
Alex
We wander t o the academy’s cliffside overlook at dusk, where the sea crashes against jagged rocks far below. Aly’s flame flickers in her palm, casting amber light over her face as she leans against the railing. her laughter echoing as I sculpt a rose from damp soil.
“Show-off,” she teases, plucking the flower. It glows faintly, veins pulsing with bioluminescent sap. “What’s next? A palace?”
“Too mainstream.” I tap the ground, and roots surge upward, braiding into a twisting archway over her head. Sunlight fractures through the leaves, painting her face in dappled gold. “How about a private forest?”
She leans back, mischief in her eyes. “Still not as impressive as my fire tornado.”
“That incinerated the greenhouse,” I remind her, grinning.
“ Rebuilt the greenhouse,” she corrects, snapping her fingers. A tiny flame dances above her palm, casting shadows over the rose in her hair. “With better ventilation.”
I laugh, but the soil beneath my palm’s prickles—a tremor, faint and foreign.
Someone’s here.
My magic hums, mapping the grove through vibrations in the earth. Footsteps. Too deliberate. Too still.
East of the oak, behind the stone bench.
I glance casually over Aly’s shoulder. A man leans against the bench, silver hair stark against the ivy. His arms are crossed, gaze locked on Aly like she’s a puzzle to solve.
Carion.
Aly flicks a pebble at my forehead. “Earth to Alex. You’re zoning.”
“Just plotting my next masterpiece,” I lie, coaxing a cluster of star-shaped flowers to bloom around her ankles.
She kicks off her sandals, toes brushing the petals. “Admit it. You’re obsessed with me.”
“Guilty.” I smile.
“Bet I can hit the water,” she says, eyeing the drop.
“Don’t.” My hand closes over hers, extinguishing the flame. “Let’s… not test gravity today.”
She raises a brow. “Since when are you the cautious one?”
I tug her closer, my thumb tracing the pulse in her wrist. “I love you Aly...”
She softens, pressing her forehead to mine. “You’re stuck with me, rock boy.”
The ground trembles—Carion’s footstep, closer now.
I grab Aly’s hand and pull her back to the academy
The pathway glows with lanterns, hanging on either side of the road. Aly drags me to a vendor selling spiced cider, her fingers sticky with caramel as she licks sugar from her thumb.
“Try this,” she orders, holding her cup to my lips.
I sip, but my mind is racing. Why is he watching her? Aly has told us all over the last few weeks that she felt like someone was watching her.
Aly frowns. “You’re not even tasting it.”
“It’s perfect,” I say, forcing a smile. “Like you.”
She rolls her eyes but leans into me, her warmth a counterpoint to the chill in my veins.
We end up back at the Academy, the bioluminescent flowers now a constellation. She kisses me then, slow and sweet, her hands tangled in my hair. The soil hums a warning.
Carion stands at the grove’s edge, a silhouette against the moon.
I break the kiss, pulling Aly behind me. “We should go.”
She blinks. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I lace my fingers through hers, tight. “Just… Someone’s watching us. Don't look I’ve got you.”
She nods her big eyes wide and scared.
I walk her to her dorm, my magic screaming with every step. Carion tails us, a shadow with silver hair.
At her door, Aly hesitates. “You’re acting weird.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been out of it. I just noticed someone there at the cliffs.”, kissing her knuckles. “I’ll make it up to you. I need to go call the guys. Sleep well.”
She narrows her eyes but slips inside.
Carion leans against the bell tower across the quad, lighting a cigarette. Our eyes meet.
He nods at me.
I text the group before I’ve taken three steps.
We all meet up at the dorms and make our way to Carion. “What the hell are you doing?” I shout stalking up to him.
“Keeping an eye on her.” he looks around the group. “She’s my mate too.” he groans.
“You've been ignoring her since you met her. Treating her like shit.” Saul Spits. “Why are you stalking her?”
Carion’s eyes dart to Barrett. “My dad. He knows what she is. I don't trust him not to try and take her. I- I need to make sure she's safe.”
“She was with me. She was perfectly safe.”
“And yet you didn't notice me until we were at the cliff. I had been following her since she stepped out of the dorm.”
“Okay, how about this. When she is with one of us you back off. We all want her safe. We will keep a closer eye on her. “Barrett asks.
Carion shakes his head.” you don't understand. It's not that easy. My father.”
“Is a psycho, we know. But we need time with her without you watching our every move. We deserve some alone time with our mate.” Saul adds motioning to me.
“Fine.” Carrion grits out.