Chapter 55
Chapter Fifty-Five
B y the time the Aelinthian Forrest loomed before us, the sun had climbed higher in the sky, casting its brilliance across the crystal-clear stream.
Not a single ripple marred the surface. The water lay still—mirror-like—so pristine it looked as if flames danced across it. Beautiful. Iridescent.
Gods, I was too easily distracted. Not ideal when I should be focused.
I lifted a hand in greeting to the young men stationed along the perimeter of Ophelia. Their eyes were sharp, movements precise, each one alert despite the weeks of uneasy silence.
The threat of the warlord still loomed—just beneath the surface, like a blade pressed to the throat of peace. Even if the violence had paused, none of us believed it would stay that way.
The warriors stances were rigid, fingers never far from their weapons, scanning the trees like shadows might come alive at any second.
My uncle’s orders had been clear: vigilance, always.
And they obeyed.
A shiver of nervous energy ran down my spine as I dismounted Stormfire, trailing behind Maalikai beneath the thick canopy of the ancient trees.
The hum of magik stirred instantly, uncoiling through my veins like a snake waking from slumber. It crackled at my fingertips—hot, sharp—and then, just as quickly, faded.
In its place, dread bloomed in my chest.
The colossal trees of the Aelinthian Forrest towered above us, their inky magik already winding tendrils around my limbs. With a hesitant breath, I followed Maalikai into the shadows. The deeper we walked, the smaller I felt—like the trees were swallowing me whole.
Usually, my first steps into the forest were laced with wonder. Ethereal. Electric. But today, that feeling was coated in something heavier.
The magik clung thick in the air—so dense it was hard to breathe. Each step dragged me deeper into the fog, into the dark, until I felt completely untethered.
Maalikai didn’t speak, and neither did I. The silence between us was uncharacteristic—too quiet, too heavy—and I knew it was because of me.
Something was wrong.
Something I couldn’t shake.
Finally, I stopped. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Something’s wrong,” I whispered, the words barely audible.
Maalikai’s head snapped toward me. “Are you okay?”
I bit my bottom lip, chewing on the nerves. “Something feels... off.”
His eyes scanned the trees, searching for threats, anything that might’ve triggered my unease—but we were alone.
“Do you think it’s because we’re close to Xayreia?”
“I... I don’t know,” I admitted, hugging my arms around myself.
“Last time we were here, you hadn’t tapped into your magik. Maybe it feels different now—stronger than Akaela.”
He had a point. Last time, I hadn’t known what I was. Hadn’t felt this power. Maybe now that I had, the forest’s power resonated deeper—louder.
“That would make sense,” I murmured.
“Do you want to head back?”
“No.” My response was immediate.
I had come here for a reason.
This was the first place Maalikai had taken me. The place he’d started to unravel me. The place where—without even trying—he’d stolen pieces of my heart.
And this was the place I wanted to give him his gift.
“Okay,” he said gently. “Let’s keep going.”
Maalikai reached for my hand, fingers threading through mine like my savior. We hadn’t walked far before the thrum in my chest settled into a steadier beat.
Sunlight broke through the canopy, scattering gold across the forest floor in fractured beams. Light danced through the leaves, chasing away the shadows that had followed me in. Soon, the trilling of birds filled the air—soft and familiar. The trepidation began to fade, chased back by the beauty around me.
“Princess.” The word slipped from him like a promise.
My eyes snapped to his, and everything else fell away. Swirls of azure and death-defying cerulean spun inside his irises, glowing with a light that didn’t belong to this world.
Luminescent.
Wild.
Beautiful.
My hand rose of its own accord, brushing against his cheek. His lashes fluttered open beneath my touch, and I swore—in that single breath—he stole what was left of my heart.
If there was anything left to steal.
“Come with me. I want to show you something special.”
My heart ricocheted, thrumming against my ribcage like it was trying to break free.
Without a murmur of objection, I followed Maalikai upstream. “What more could you possibly want to show me?”
He took my hand, guiding me across the old bridge, overgrown with vines and moss until it looked like something straight from a fairytale. He pressed a finger to his lips, urging me to stay quiet, then pointed to the branches above.
The last time we were here, the leaves had been a warm sunset orange—autumn in full bloom. But now, they shimmered, shifting color every few seconds: vibrant pink, fluorescent purple, iridescent blue, effervescent emerald. They changed like they pulsed to a heartbeat.
“What the heck?”
“I think… they’re butterflies,” Maalikai whispered.
My gaze snapped to his. “What?”
“Look closely—see how their wings twitch, just before the color shifts?”
He was right. There was a ripple, a millisecond flick of movement, just before the entire canopy shimmered in a different hue. Like they breathed in unison. After a few more steps, we stood directly beneath them.
“Think they’ll attack you like the air jellies?” I teased.
Maalikai’s mouth pulled into a scowl. “You do realize they only didn’t sting you because of your magik, right?”
“Supposedly. Or maybe they just liked me,” I shot back with a grin.
My fingers brushed the bark of Xayreia. Power surged beneath my skin—hot, pulsing.
Maalikai stepped forward, protective in an instant. “Is that a good idea?”
Before I could answer, the butterflies dropped . A thousand tiny bodies fell like a wave, plummeting toward the ground in a blur of color and speed that defied logic.
Without thinking, I reached for Maalikai, yanking him against me as a shimmer of power flared to life. A sphere—pure, glittering light—snapped around us, shielding us as the butterflies barreled past, then spiraled away like a sea of fractured glass.
“What in Nexus,” I whispered.
“Princess…”
My gaze flew to his, drawn by the sudden gravity in his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“You made a ward.”
I turned to him, heart still pounding. He was right. That protective shield—it had come from me . Not consciously. I hadn’t summoned it.
But it had answered anyway.
“Fuck me.”
He leaned in, teeth brushing my ear. “That can be arranged.”
Heat surged through me, licking across my skin like wildfire. “Maalik,” I breathed, his name a fevered plea.
“Come on,” he said, the corner of his mouth curling. “I think it’s time we cooled down.”
I didn’t argue. Gods knew I needed it. Protecting him from all the deadly forest fluffies had worked up a sweat.
I trailed behind him, still half in a daze… until he peeled off his shirt. It hit the ground next to his sword. Then came his pants—leaving him in nothing but his underwear.
Gods almighty.
What in Nexus was he doing?
Then I remembered: cool down clearly meant swim .
I was fully on board to just stand there and watch.
Yep. Full creeper mode activated.
Sunlight kissed his bronzed skin, sliding down the ridges of his torso. His abs caught the light, each line carved with brutal precision—like they’d been sculpted by the hands of war itself.
I was lucky I wasn’t drooling.
Okay, I might’ve been.
Just seeing him did things to my body I wasn’t proud of. He was destruction wrapped in temptation.
Dark brows arched as he passed me. “Are you coming, or just planning to keep staring?”
“I’m not staring,” I lied.
A grin spread across his face. “That’s not what the drool on your chin says.”
Instinctively, I swiped at my mouth—then froze.
Gods-dammit.
Walked right into that one.
“Gods, I hate you sometimes.”
He beamed, positively glowing with smugness. “Hmm. Just sometimes? That’s progress. Must be all the times I made you come.”
My jaw dropped. Heat boiled under my skin. That smug bastard.
“I take it back. I hate you all the time.”
He pouted dramatically—somehow turning it into a sinfully sexy expression. That full bottom lip... Gods, I wanted to suck on it.
“You wound me, Princess. Cut me real deep.”
That one word— Princess —slammed into me like a bolt of lightning. The way he said it. The way it made my soul stir .
But I didn’t let it show.
Instead, I flipped him off.
Naturally, he ignored it. “So,” he drawled, “are you coming in, or not?”
“Not.”
His frown was instant. “Don’t make me come get you.”
Now that was a threat.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.” Gods, I really hoped he was joking. “If you’re not in the water in five minutes, I’m coming to get you. Clothes and all.”
A pause. That roguish grin returned. “Or maybe I should just stop making you come?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
He arched a brow—dark, daring. “Wouldn’t I?”
“Fuck. You.”
“I’m yours for the taking.” He left with that sinfully smug grin, leaving me torn.
Should I stay?
Or should I join him?