Chapter 15
Miles held my hand as we stood by the river. My heart was racing—from his nearness, or possibly from dread of what was to come—and there was a tension in the air that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.
I wasn’t sure how to tell him what Julian and I had discovered. I wasn’t sure how to say goodbye without burdening him.
But… what if there was a way to make things a little easier?
“Hey Miles,” I said, breaking the silence. I tugged on his hand to get his attention as he drank from his canteen. Once his eyes moved to me, I decided to just say it directly: “We should do it before I leave.”
Miles froze, water washing over his face before he stumbled back and dropped the canteen. His face turned bright red as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Do what ?”
I frowned at him. “Our bond thing,” I explained. I sighed—I hated chasing after a man. Despite everything, I considered myself somewhat traditional, but Miles was shy. If I had to take the lead for us to get anywhere, then so be it. “Is our bond going to be the same as Julian and mine?”
The shock dropped from his expression, becoming guarded, and his tone turned cautious.
“No…” he said slowly. His fingers began to twitch, and he shoved his hand in his pockets, but his voice was steady when he responded.
“Your Soul Bond with each of us would be different—representative of our relationship in this life. Julian is…” His features were strangely hard to read.
“Julian’s bond lets him understand your emotions completely—more than you normally would as an empath.
By touching you—or even being near you—he can read the smallest change in your emotions.
Shui needs you to lean on him without reservation—to depend on him. ”
“I don’t depend on Julian…” I argued, even though in the depths of my racing heart, I knew it was true. Julian could calm me with just his presence—when had I started relying on that so much?
“Our relationship is, and will be, different,” Miles continued, his voice softening. “Our bond would let me ground you when everything feels overwhelming. It doesn’t hide or take away what you’re feeling, but gives you something to hold on to or can enhance your abilities when we’re together.”
“Nice,” I said. That sounded exactly like what we needed. “Okay, I’m ready.”
He gave me the strangest look, then stepped back as he ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s not going to happen.”
“What?” I pulled at his sleeve. “You don’t want to?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to.” Miles sighed. “But I can’t—at least not yet. Plus, you have to learn to trust me first.”
“But…” My pulse roared in my ears. “I do trust you.”
“No, you really don’t.” Miles shook his head. He rubbed his hands down my arms, expression softening as he met my gaze. “But that’s okay, I’ve never really given you a reason to yet.”
“Miles…” What was he saying? I felt lightheaded and queasy—I was losing him.
And then, just like that—he was gone.
His focus shifted from me, turning to the distance as his eyes shone brightly. This should be a sad moment, but even in tragedy, a growing excitement lightened the lines of his face. He was like an ancient knight of old—adventure called to him, and he had no choice but to follow his heart.
“Is that mandrake?” Miles let go of my arms and pointed toward the river. “I haven’t seen one in ages .”
Or maybe he’d just seen a pretty flower.
Still, though, I’d never seen one in person. This was a reason for celebration.
He rushed toward the water, and I followed until we reached a fallen tree.
Its thinner branches were splintered, barely holding it in place, while the base, tangled with exposed roots, stretched into the river.
Harsh waves battered the bark, frothing white as the current fought to drag it under.
Still, the tree held firm, its roots clutching the shore like a lifeline.
“Crap,” Miles said, stepping onto a low bough. The tree swayed unsteadily under his weight. His gaze fixed on the purple star-shaped flowers nestled among the roots, their vibrant petals untouched despite the chaos around them.
“They’re still healthy,” he said, frustration creeping into his voice. “The fall must’ve been recent.”
I watched as he stepped back onto solid ground, his shoulders tense. “I’m too heavy. It won’t hold me.”
I silently agreed. The sharp and unyielding rapids roared around the base, and the flowers were too far out to reach. Swimming was just as impossible.
Miles stared at the blossoms, his expression wistful. “Those would have been really helpful.”
“For your potion?” I asked.
Miles shot me a strange look, brows furrowing. His lips moved, but the roar of the rapids swallowed his words. I caught only fragments—something about an artifact—but didn’t linger to piece it together.
Instead, my gaze flicked to the flowers.
The tree was unstable. The rapids were violent. The risk was clear. But I wasn’t Miles.
I was smaller and lighter. I could do this.
If he got this, maybe he would stay.
I took a steady breath, focused on my footing, and moved before I could second-guess myself. I slipped past him, leapt onto the bough, and—thanks to my brilliant sense of balance and years of ballet lessons—was out of reach before he could stop me.
I adjusted quickly, steadying myself as the tree dipped slightly beneath me. It swayed, but I could handle this. I could help him.
My focus stayed forward, on the flowers nestled near the roots.
“ What are you doing? ” Miles’s voice reached me faintly, distorted by the rushing water. I didn’t turn to respond, keeping my eyes on the prize.
“Getting you flowers,” I called over my shoulder.
“I don’t care about the flowers anymore!” His voice rose sharply, and I thought I detected panic, though I couldn’t be sure. The rapids drowned out most of his words. I stepped forward slightly, testing the branch beneath me.
I took another careful step forward. “I’m lighter than you, it’ll be fine.” As my sentence ended, a loud vibration shot through the tree, traveling up my legs. I didn’t hear the crack so much as feel it, a shudder that stole my breath, and Miles’s voice broke through the noise.
“ Bianca !” The shout was different—commanding, urgent, cutting through the chaos. His tone struck something primal in me, steadying the whirl of my thoughts even though I couldn’t see him.
“Don’t move,” he barked, and the urgency in his words froze me in place. My stomach twisted as the branch dipped further beneath my weight. I could feel it giving way.
The rushing water seemed louder now, its roar pressing against my skull. I couldn’t tell if he was still speaking, couldn’t look to see. My focus narrowed to the splintering wood beneath my feet and the growing certainty that this had been a terrible idea.
“Goddamn it, Bianca. You better fucking listen to me right now.” The sharp edge in his voice startled me, calling for my attention.
“Inch your way to me,” he ordered, and his eyes flashed. “Grab my hand.” My spine tingled as the air pressed in around me.
“I can’t…” My response felt small over the roar of the river. “It’ll break.”
“It’s going to break no matter what you do,” he said. “Come here.”
The tree shook, yet I couldn’t move. My mind raced, grasping at excuses, but he called again, firm and absolute.
“Now!”
Something in his tone shattered my fear, and my body moved before I could think. I lunged forward, desperation coursing through me as I stretched toward Miles, determined to reach him before it was too late.
For a fleeting moment, our fingers brushed—a fragile connection that slipped away as quickly as it came—before it happened.
The crack rang out through the air, and the branch gave way beneath me. Time seemed to slow, every detail burning itself into my mind: the terror etched across Miles’s face, his mouth forming a shout I couldn’t hear.
And then the river claimed me. The world vanished into icy chaos as I plunged down, down, down, the screaming rapids swallowing me whole.
The cold was a numbing weight. It caused my muscles to seize and my limbs to lock. Darkness surrounded me as the light blue of the sky faded. An invisible force dragged me deeper.
Already, my lungs ached, and my panic compounded my inability to breathe.
I kicked, desperate to reach the surface. It worked for less than an instant before the rapids tossed me under again. They pulled and pushed until I couldn’t tell which way was up or down.
A hard body crashed into mine, and the little air I had left was knocked from me. I gasped on reflex, and water flooded my mouth. I fought against it, but the presence wouldn’t let go. My arms were trapped against my chest, and I could no longer move.
My teeth rattled as I was thrown, helplessly and painfully, against an unforgiving surface.
“Bianca!” Miles roared in my ears.
The strength of his voice, so close even though I’d been alone seconds ago, was the only thing to drag me out of the dark. I blinked, trying to clear my eyes and dodge the waves.
Miles had jumped in—unless he’d fallen in himself, which I doubted.
He held me tight against him with one arm.
We were trapped against a trio of boulders, which, unfortunately, were smack dab in the middle of the waters.
He had his back to the current, the lines of his face set in a mixture of concentration as he fought to keep me sheltered from the harsh waters while keeping me from being crushed against the stones.
“D-d-did you jump in a-a-after me?” This time, my stutter wasn’t from nerves; my teeth were already chattering.
“It’s fine.” It didn’t sound very fine, nor did his expression scream confidence. “I’m fine,” he repeated, more to himself than to me. “I can do this. It’s only a little water. Just hold on to me.”