Chapter 53 Zadyn
ZADYN
It’s been nearly a week since we arrived back in Hyrax, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Kylian Triori gave Serena a priceless heirloom that’s been in his family since Garron Barlowe Triori.
And that heirloom is a fucking star.
And that fucking star could be the key to closing the portal.
He’s either an idiot or severely underestimates Serena’s intelligence.
We’ve been strategizing and tearing apart the library for any information to back our suspicions.
Eaton even wrote to his scholar friends with private libraries dedicated to ancient texts.
But so far we’ve had no luck. Knowing where the star is definitely helps, but apprehending it seems like an impossible task.
It’s twilight when Serena and I head out to the forest to hunt for Furi. The final echoes of sunlight bear down on her hair, glinting off the stream of her braid through the gaps between trees. I stand a few feet back, absentmindedly admiring the way those leather pants turn her curves decadent.
“You know, it’s really hard to concentrate with you staring at me like that,” Serena murmurs, pulling her elbow back. She lets the arrow fly, and it sticks in a nearby tree, missing the rabbit crouched in the distance. She heaves a loud groan.
I chuckle, taking a step toward her.
“Oh, I’m sorry”—I place a hand to my heart—“am I making you nervous?”
“No,” she lies, loading another arrow. She lifts the bow and angles it toward the rabbit again.
“What about now?” I stop behind her, my chest brushing her back. I can feel her breathing—feel the uptick in her heartbeat.
“No.”
I slide one hand over her glove and place the other on her elbow, lifting it higher so that her thumb is level with her lips.
“There,” I murmur, my cheek skimming her hair. “Now let go.”
The rabbit is dead before it has time to squeak.
“Very good.” We stand there for a moment, barely touching, before I drag myself away.
“Didn’t you know you were an archer too.”
“I’m not. I’ve just got what some would call animal instincts.” I flash her a wide grin as I plop down on a tree stump.
“Sexy,” she teases, coaxing a laugh from me.
“It comes with being a shifter.”
“Right, you’ve got those super special senses.”
“They’re definitely heightened. And they come in handy whenever you decide to wander off and find trouble.”
Her mouth pops open. “That has only ever happened like three—five times. Five times tops.”
I smirk. “Whatever you say.”
“Can you pick up my scent? Like a dog?”
“Some might find that offensive, but yes. I would know your scent anywhere.”
“And how do I smell?”
Fucking delicious.
I walk up to her, inclining my head toward her neck. “You smell like…vanilla.”
She holds still as a statue, barely breathing as her chin lifts a fraction higher, granting me silent access to her throat.
“Lavender.” I lean in to inhale her other side, watching the vein in her neck pulse erratically. “And trouble.”
A new scent springs to the forefront, but I don’t mention it. The one that tells me that on a cellular level, she wants me. Musk with a hint of spice. Like cinnamon and freshly watered soil fusing together. It’s intoxicating. The thought makes me smile to myself, makes me dizzy with need.
So I force myself to draw back.
“That is disturbingly specific,” she rasps.
“I’ve been around you for thirty years. I could find you with my eyes closed.”
“Let’s see it then.”
I quirk a brow. “Are you challenging me?”
“Sounds like it.”
“Alright, well. Hope you like losing.”
Her eyes twinkle, then narrow to slits. “Count to twenty, then come find me.”
“Oh, this is going to be too easy.” I throw my head back, ambling closer. “Give me a challenge, at least.”
“Oh, I plan to.”
In an instant, her shadows have gobbled her up, leaving a blank space where she stood just moments ago.
I count to twenty out loud, certain that wherever she’s hiding, she can hear. Then I follow her scent. I follow it until it leads me in circles. I retrace my steps, coming up empty.
“Serena?” I call.
She doesn’t respond.