Page 48 of The Hidden Guardian
Heart racing, fists pumping, I’m flying down the corridor. My heart beating so loud in my ears I almost don’t hear it. But then it comes again. A low, drawn-out growl behind me. I freeze.
“Rawe-tum?” His voice is soft and cracks with emotion. The hurt in his voice breaks me in half.
Slowly, I turn to face Renall, his eyes glowing green in the darkness as he approaches. The hurt is displayed on his face and echoes across the bond and into my heart. His pain, disappointment, but above all, sorrow.
“I … I …” The words don’t come as his emotions still ache inside me, my actions are clear. His hurt echoes inside me. He’s his normal self. Not moon crazed or moon drunk ready to hump me into the ground. Maybe I overexaggerated. I shrug, tears welling in my eyes.
He groans a long, painful sound, shaking his head as he continues toward me slowly.
“I think we both know I don’t belong here, Renall. And you deserve someone better than what I can offer you. And … and I can’t lose someone else again. I can’t go through this agony one more time.” The tears fall freely now. I turn away from him, continuing down the corridor toward the waterfall.
“No, Rawe-tum.” He wraps a warm hand around my wrist, the bond between us aching. A growl escapes him and echoes in the dark cave, but then I hear his voice in my head pleading,“No, please.”
It’s clear as day and inmylanguage. I spin around to face him, his hand slips from my grip.
“What did you just say?”
He looks surprised at my sudden spin, but his face is still confused, and it’s apparent he doesn’t understand me like I did him. What was different? His arm on me—we were touching.
I grab his hand. “What did you just say?” I ask aloud.
He flinches, eyes widening as understanding flashes across his face.“Please, please, don’t go,”he repeats.
“I can hear you!” I shriek. “I can hear you clear in my head.”
He smiles, holding my hand in his as he growls,“I can understand you too, Rawe-tum.”
“Autumn.” I smirk at his accent upon my name. “My name is pronounced Awwwe-tum.”
“Awe-tum,”he repeats perfectly in my mind. Finally, we are communicating.“Where are you going, my Awe-tum?”
I pause, his voice is smooth like butter in my mind and tickling my senses. “I … I just don’t belong here, Renall. I’m not made for this. I’ve been nothing but trouble for you since the day you felt that bond. I thought if I … well, if I wasn’t …”
He listens intently to my every word before releasing a sigh.“The best trouble.”He growls the words into my mind.
Emotions swirl inside me, whether mine or his, I can’t decipher anymore. My eyes well with tears again as I whisper, “I can’t lose you too.” There it is. The real reason I want to leave before it gets too serious. I can’t lose him like I did Colton. He squeezes my hand.
We stand there in silence, holding each other’s hand, eyes watching the other before he responds, “Can I show you something?”
“I …” I glance behind me at the vacant corridor.
“If you still want to leave afterward, I will let you.”
“You will just let me leave?”
“I know sometimes it feels like it, but you are not a prisoner here. The precautions were for your own protection at times and keeping our location secret for others. But if you want to leave, I will never force you to stay.”
A stray tear escapes, tracing its way down my cheek. He’d let me leave. But the real question is, would the others? Would Lupe?
I allow him to lead me by the hand back down the hallway toward the cavern. The window of opportunity to leave diminishing with every step. Yet I follow. Unable to stop my feet from following this man once again. What is it about him that makes me trust him?
Once we enter the central cavern, we take the stairs down to the floor level and pass through the dark entryway to our left.
“Watch your step.”
I hear the words filtered into my mind. Just before my eyes adjust to the darkness, my foot misses the step and I lose my footing. Strong arms grab me before I tumble down the dark stairs. Lifting me back up, my body slides up his painfully slow. Every second my body touches his naked skin, warm tingles of sparks flicker through the length of me, until we are face to face. His green eyes still glowing in the dark pin me in place. Gods, his lips look so perfect right now.
“Okay?”he asks, breaking the silent spell between us.
