Chapter 13 Audryn #2
“We supply gems to nearly all kingdoms, including Rivale.” Col’s eyes danced around the room. “We may rely on others for the majority of our food, but they rely on us for this. Ryder likely got the gem for your ring from us. It was probably mined from one of our mountains.”
He hadn’t referred to it as my engagement ring and didn’t call Ryder my prince. Whether intentional or not, his words were more thoughtful than usual.
I ran a hand across the wall, letting each bump and jagged edge dig into my palm. “It’s funny how something so beautiful can live in such a dark place.”
“Seems to frequently be the case.” His voice was low as the heat of his body warmed my back. “But the irony is, it's the immense pressure that forms the beauty to begin with.”
My breath faltered as I leaned back into him; I wanted his body against me. I needed it against me. In a land filled with so much uncertainty, Col’s support was the only thing that remained consistent.
He slipped my hair to the side and draped it over my right shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine.
“It’s yours. Take what you need to create what you want.
Use each gem to make your own beauty from the darkness.
” Col leaned in and held my mother’s pendant between his fingers.
“I will go into every dark place for the chance to make your smile return.”
My mind raced. All I wanted to do was turn around and kiss him. But my thoughts shifted back to reality as I realized he’d given me a solution to one of the biggest problems I faced.
I whirled. “Take me to the seeps.”
“What? Why?” Col called out as I hurried out of the mine. “Wait!”
Continuing forward, I picked up my pace, standing tall as I jogged to the exit. I was headed through total darkness, with only a flickering light behind me, but the idea he’d given was brighter than any torch.
Col ran to catch up. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Get me to a seep and you’ll see, whichever one is closest.”
Zalzre had flown faster than normal, perhaps feeling either my anxiety or Col’s.
Even Col held me tighter as we ascended to a peaked mountain so quickly that my stomach threatened to empty.
We landed hard near an unfamiliar slick puddle, and if it wasn’t for the moon’s reflection, I would have fallen in.
I sank to my knees against the rocky perimeter; pain didn’t matter when I possibly had the solution at my fingertips.
I’d been so busy trying to force the thick liquid to the surface, I hadn’t considered what created the seep to begin with.
It wasn’t the pull that caused the natural anomaly—it was the pressure from the land itself.
Col stood behind me, his presence too great not to notice despite his silence. I forced my magic down, pushing into the earth to create pressure and tension among the stone. Forcing nearly every drop of magic I held, I beckoned each layer to compress and constrict against the layer below.
Stars pricked the outer corners of my vision as I continued to work. I closed my eyes, not wanting anything to distract me. Breathing through each stuttering breath, I focused on the task.
Using more magic than I ever had was both exhausting and intoxicating. I teetered on the edge of my limits and embraced the steep cliff waiting on the other side.
Sweat tracked down the sides of my face, and my heart picked up. I’d nearly hit my limit when life beckoned from the land. Buzzing tingled in my hands, and a gurgle erupted from the thick pool in front of me. I opened my eyes to find the center bubbling. I’d done it—we’d done it.
His arms wrapped around me, pulling me up and into him. “You did it! I knew you could.”
“We did.” My breath heaved as if I’d just climbed the mountain itself. “The answer was pressure—beautiful things come from pressure, right?”
I brought my hands to his thick forearms and loosened his grip so I could turn and admire the bubbling crude.
He wrapped his arms around my chest and pulled me in tight.
Tilting my head back, I let him support me as I listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat, convincing my own to slow and mimic each thud.
With his steady breath, my own relaxed, bringing me back to the calm of the quiet night.
“Take me home, Col,” I breathed, my body nearly limp from exhaustion.
In one smooth motion, he scooped me up and carried me to Zalzre.
Throwing me over his shoulder, he climbed the wyvern and then brought me to his chest. My eyes instinctively closed as I leaned into the solid wall of a man protecting me from the world.
I’d nearly fallen asleep on the ride home, even with the wind whipping around us. I slid off the wyvern into the awaiting hands below, allowing Col to guide me to a gentle stop.
“Let me make you dinner,” Col said, leading me into the townhouse. “You must be starved.”
Removing his jacket, he turned to face me and held out a hand expecting I’d already taken off my own. But the world wavered, exhaustion edging not only my mind, but my limbs.
He stepped closer, slow and deliberate. His eyes softened as his fingers found the silver leash of my jacket. They glided along the leather, the heat of my skin burning just beneath. Slowly, he eased the zipper down—one inch at a time—his gaze never straying from mine.
My pulse stumbled as I happily slid out of the garment, watching the corner of his mouth tick up.
“Make me your dinner.” I looked up under my lashes. “Hungry?”
The invitation couldn’t possibly be more straightforward, and I wasn’t sure he would take it. But in an instant he lifted me up and started climbing the stairs.