“Rest,” he says gruffly, and this time, I nod.
It would be foolish of me not to heed his words. Rest now so we can protect Jamie when he’s back at my side. It’s with that thought that we settle on the mattress, fully clothed and plastered against each other.
“Your English,” I murmur, snuggling up closer to him, “it’s better. You seem to be struggling less.”
At the press of his lips to my head, I barely repress the sigh of contentment wanting to spill.
“I learn fast. The growing bond helps.”
Huh. I wonder if that means I can learn his language. My piss-poor attempt at languages at school was enough to have my Japanese teacher begging me not to select his course for my options. But learning Pyronoxian… being able to speak to Solan in his native tongue is one hell of an incentive.
Our limbs tangle as I consider just how smart he is—and what other changes could happen with our bond—and my heartbeat seems to slow. It’s enough that I notice.
“My heartbeat,” I say sleepily, pressing my hand against Solan’s warm chest.
“Matches mine.”
A smile curves my lips, and I close my eyes, allowing sleep to embrace me.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
I startle awakewith a buzz of awareness and heat trailing over my skin. The room is full of shadows, unfamiliar, but I know where I am. Where we are.
Solan doesn’t stop the gentle back-and-forth stroke of his fingers even though it’s obvious I’m awake.
“What time is it?” I ask groggily, relaxing into his touch.
“The sun is only just peeking over the mountains.”
I stretch and yawn.
“We do not have time like your watch tells you,” he explains.
I scoot back far enough that I can see his face. Golden eyes latch on to mine, and my smile appears immediately. Goose bumps erupt over my skin, and I’m pretty sure my pulse should be racing, my heart fighting to escape my chest to get to him, but it remains a slow, steady thud.
I press my hand against my chest, the other against his, my smile slipping a little as I try to make sense of what’s happening. The words we exchanged last night come back to me. My brows jerk high. “What did you mean that my heartbeat matches yours?” I get the feeling he didn’t mean figuratively. He wasn’t being poetic.
It’s also one hell of a conversation to have when I’ve been awake for less than a minute.
Solan’s hand stills on my side, and for a moment, he just watches me, his gaze intense, golden, and unyielding. When he speaks, his voice is soft but carries a gravity that pulls at me. “I mean it as it sounds. No poetry, no riddles. Your heart beats with mine now.”
My lips part, but no sound comes out. My mind trips over itself trying to process his words while wondering if he can read my mind. “That’s… not normal.”
“Nor am I,” he replies simply, his lips curving into the faintest hint of a smile. His hand resumes its motion, a gentle glide down my side, anchoring me while my thoughts spiral.
“How?” The question feels inadequate, almost ridiculous given everything that’s happened, but it’s all I’ve got.
His expression softens, reverence replacing the intensity as he shifts, propping himself up on one elbow. “From the moment the merge completed, I felt you. My heart….” He pauses, his brow furrowing as he searches for the right words. “It was as if it knew you before my mind could. It beat so fast, so erratically, I thought it might shatter in my chest. I had never felt anything like it before.”
I swallow hard, unable to look away from him. “And you just… knew it was me?”
Solan nods, his hair shimmering faintly in the low light as it moves in tandem with him. “It was not a question. It was certainty. I knew you were not of my world, but my heart did not care. It reached for you, called for you, even when I did not yet understand.” He presses his hand to his chest, his fingers splaying over his skin. “Our bond is a gift. It is said that when our souls find their other half, even across stars or worlds, they will reach out until they unite.”
The words are beautiful, but they hit like a punch. I try to laugh, but it comes out shaky. “That’s… a lot to take in.”
“I know.” He moves his hand to cup my cheek, and the warmth of his palm steadies me in ways I can’t explain. “Over the past days, our hearts have been aligning. What was once two rhythms struggling to find each other has become one. The closer we are, the stronger it grows. Now they beat as one.”
