Page 36 of Voices in the Stars (The Lost Witch #1)

I sucked in the fresh air with several deep breaths as I shoved open the heavy door.

It wasn’t apparent how suffocating that packed place had been until I was out in the open again.

There were very few people walking around with a single, clear path that led straight through the center of the very few buildings that existed.

Escaping didn’t seem like an option. There was no good place to hide.

Even if there was, I had no plan from there.

I might have been born here, but I knew nothing of this world.

Especially not how to survive it. I clenched my hands at my sides.

If only I could learn how to control whatever powers I had.

I could do it, but I needed someone who knew this world to give me the time to do that. I truly only had one choice.

Giggles echoed from above me as something dropped to the ground next to me. A handstitched dragon lay on the dirt in front of me. One of the wings was barely attached with the beads for eyes sticking out of the head. The stitches were worn by hands tugging on them. I looked up and gasped.

There were houses in the trees, round buildings that were built around the tree’s base.

The trees themselves shot out of the middle of each house.

Bridges connected each one. I was underneath one of them.

Kids were leaning over the rope railing, looking down at me with smiles.

I wiggled my fingers in a little wave at them.

One waved back with a smile before another elbowed her.

The tavern door creaked open behind me. The smile dropped from the children’s faces.

Two of them took off running, the bridge swinging wildly with them.

The girl kept staring at me, tears running down her face as her eyes shifted down to where the toy was still laying.

She stayed like that for a moment before turning and running toward the others.

Atlas was talking behind me. I could hear the questions about what had happened while he was gone, but I kept ignoring them.

Unsure of where I would even start. How did you confront someone about being a murderer?

Instead, I grabbed the toy from the ground, wiping the dirt off it.

There was a name stitched along its back.

Still ignoring Atlas, I walked back into the tavern.

The air felt heavy as I walked up to the man behind the counter.

Atlas stayed close to me, his chest practically pressed against my back when I came to a stop.

The man’s gaze darted between us as I set the toy on the counter, sliding it toward him.

“Can you bring this back to the little girl in the trees?” I asked, trying to ignore the way the man still shook as he watched us.

His hand trembled as he grabbed the toy. His eyes trained on Atlas the entire time. I cleared my throat, stepping away from the towering above me.

“I would really appreciate it if you would,” I tried again, hoping a smile would settle his nerves some.

It seemed to partially work as he lifted the toy up to his eyes, shifting to me before moving to the object in his hands.

The dragon flopped around in his hands as he turned it around before finding the name.

He lifted it to his face, squinting as he read it before dropping it into his apron with a nod.

Some of the tension seemed to drain from his shoulders.

“I can do that.” He paused, attention focused on me now. “Thank you, miss.”

I quickly thanked him as well, feeling some of the heaviness lift from my shoulders as I turned and walked back out. This wouldn’t make much of a difference, but maybe now there would be a few less people who feared me.

The sun was still hanging high in the sky as we walked outside.

Atlas was still close behind me as I started walking down the path that led in the opposite direction we came from last night.

At least I assumed it did, and since Atlas made no move to correct me, I kept going.

Silence blanketed us as we walked. All sounds from the little village were cut off as we wound back deep into the trees.

A soft breeze rustled the leaves around us. There were spots of sunlight that broke through the leaves.

“Why did you do that?” Atlas asked, stepping up to walk next to me. “With that little girl,” he clarified.

I ignored him, continuing to walk in silence even as I felt his gaze boring into me.

It felt silly to answer that. Surely, I wasn’t expected to have some long-winded explanation for being nice to a child.

Even he had to know that would be ridiculous.

The woman’s words from the tavern echoed back to me.

If he slaughtered a town, maybe he didn’t know the meaning of being nice.

I set a hand on my chest, thrumming my fingers against the scar.

That wasn’t true. He's done a few nice things on our journey.

His shoulders sagged as the silence stretched on, the air between us thick as he watched my every move.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw his hand reach out toward me.

My body tensed, hands clenched into fists.

I was already barely holding onto the resolve to ignore him.

His touch would be the thing to break me.

My worry didn’t matter as he jerked his hand away right before making contact.

“What happened while I was gone?” he asked, voice quiet, though thankfully void of most emotions.

There was mainly just confusion when he talked.

I finally looked over at him. His brows were drawn together, lips tugged down in a frown.

His gaze met mine for a split second before he looked away.

I was fighting to see the monster I had before, but the man I felt terrified of was nowhere to be seen in the one who walked next to me.

If anything, he seemed defeated. Several questions spun around my mind.

Many that would solve this tension between us.

“What’s a Saeva?” I asked instead, scared of the outcome of my other questions.

His shoulders drew tight, hands bunched into fists. His head jerked toward mine.

“Where did you hear that?” he asked instead.

I shook my head, feeling the annoyance creep in. “Nice try. What happened to that village? Did you really kill people there?”

We stopped moving at this point. I took a deep breath as I turned to face him. His features were iced over, eyes hard as he stared down at me. There was nothing I wanted more than to be back in that inn bed this morning.

“Is that really what you think of me?” His voice was void of any emotions. We were close enough that I could see the faint tremble along his lips.

“That still isn’t an answer.” I fought against my own tremble, straightening my back as I stared him down, ignoring everything that screamed at me that I was making a mistake.

My hands clenched as I fought the urge to touch him.

The hint of a frown on his face was enough to make me wish I could take everything back.

I needed to know, though. For my own sanity, I couldn’t afford to keep doubting what I thought I knew.

Atlas threw his hands up to the sky. His shoulders shook with a laughter that didn’t reach his eyes. Eyes that were now burning with anger. I had to stifle a flinch as they bore into me.

“What do I need to do for you to trust me, save your life another ten times?” I did flinch this time as his voice echoed off the trees.

Shaking my head, I moved back from him. Even now there wasn’t true fear.

Not of him at least. The ember in my chest shook back to life.

My hands held each other behind my back as they started to heat up.

“Why not, right? Keep walking. I’m sure you’ll find something to kill you! ” Atlas continued yelling.

My ankle twisted as I moved off the path. I stumbled back, only stopped by a tree pressing into my back. My nails dug into the wood. The smell of charring bark immediately drifted around us. Atlas followed each of my steps until he was standing directly in front of me.

“I’m not doing it on purpose, and you know it!” I snapped back, leaning forward.

His hand grabbed my waist, the other brushing my hair back behind my ear. His eyes darkened as he stared down at me. They were hot as they traveled down to my thighs. He stared at me a moment longer before he grabbed my legs, wrapping them around him as he pressed close to me.

“Even if you were, I’d be with you every dangerous step forward. I’m worried I’d fight all of Alryne for you.” His words were a hot whisper against my neck as he leaned down, pressing light kisses along my skin.

“Why does that worry you?” I mumbled through the question, leaning my head back, trying to focus on the small glimpses of sky I could make out between branches.

The bark tugged at my hair, but it was all lost to the feeling of the man in front of me.

Even with our conversation, I could feel his hardness pressed against my center.

My thighs squeezed tighter around him, trying to pull Atlas closer.

There were way too many clothes between us right now.

“You’re the only thing I’ve cared to protect for the last twenty years. Since I was a child. Plus, I know you will never feel the same.”

I didn’t answer him, instead closing my eyes at the feeling of his lips trailing down my neck.

Maybe I wouldn’t. Even if I wanted to, the burning tree behind me just proved that I would do more harm than good.

I sucked in a gasp as his fang ran over my pulse.

It pressed harder into me, and a shiver ran down my spine.

“Are you going to bite me?” I asked, unsure if that was something he would even do. Though I doubted his teeth were just there for efficient chewing.