Page 24 of Joy Guardian
I failed.
I didn’t deserve to live.
“Kill the traitor.” The leader of the guards gave a signal.
The guards pulled the strings of their bows. The arrowheads glistened red with the Nerifir iron that would undoubtedly kill me.
Death seemed an inadequate punishment for my failure. I’d die with no atonement, with no chance to right the wrong.Because at the last moment of my life, I completely lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
“No!” Ciana dashed to me, throwing herself against my chest.
Pushed back by the momentum, I closed my arms around her instinctively, still holding the ends of the magical cloak in my hands.
The fabric sizzled around us, merging with my shadow magic.
The released arrows sang through the air but pierced only shadows of the cloak.
Next, the magical shroud dissipated. The shadows were torn to shreds, revealing the desert that surrounded us—Ciana and me.
The cloak’s spell had worked, taking us out of the city. And once it ended, the fabric dissolved into shimmer and dust.
“Where are we?” Ciana let go of me, looking around in bewilderment. “What happened?”
What happened was that at the end of it all, I was still alive.
And it was only because of her.
Seven
CIANA
“What’s going on?” I spun around, but there was only desert wherever I looked. Other than a few tall sharp rocks nearby, there was only sand as far as I could see.
Thesaraiwas gone. Thankfully, so were the guards.
“Where are we? What happened?”
“You shouldn’t be here.” Kurai’s voice sounded oddly hollow as he stared straight ahead into nothing.
“Where ishere?What is this place?” My head was spinning. I stopped moving and braced my hands against his wide chest, grounding myself.
My innocent gesture brought forth far from innocent feelings when my palms connected with his smooth, warm skin.
From a complete stranger, who just happened to be a good listener, Kurai had quickly become a good friend whose company I cherished. Lately, however, I’d been becoming increasingly aware he was also a man—an incredibly attractive man, with broad shoulders, a deep, soothing voice, warm, shimmering skin, and intense emerald eyes that made me feel things I’d long thought forgotten.
The look in his eyes focused. He glanced at my face, then slid his gaze down to my chest.
My braids had shifted, leaving my bare breasts fully on display. Until now, I’d been careful to cover them up the best I could in his presence. Everyone back insaraiwore nothing but skirts. I didn’t care either way. Being topless meant less clothes to worry about. Whenever Kurai was around, however, I always made sure to have my braids cover my chest. It was almost instinctual to cover up. Maybe because I always knew he was a man, even before I realized how attracted I was to him.
My cheeks warmed up with a blush. Desire stirred low in my belly for the first time in what felt like years.
The fitting of the harness seemed to have triggered something in me, jump starting my thoughts and emotions. Now, Kurai’s lingering gaze woke up something else—he made me remember what it was like to feel like a woman.
He glanced aside, and the spell was broken.
“In this world, the queen’ssaraiis the safest place for you. You have to go back,” he said firmly, his clipped voice cutting the air like a blade.
He’d never spoken this curtly with me before.
