Page 42 of Joy Guardian
With a finger under my chin, he tipped my face up to his.
“Just kiss me already, little tease,” he chuckled, leaning closer. “Remember, I feel exactly how much you want it.”
I smiled against his lips, closing my eyes. It ended up falling somewhere in the middle between a friendly and a sexy kiss—on the lips, but with no tongue.
And it was just perfect.
After hours and hours of walking through the endless underground caves and tunnels, time became an abstract concept.
I walked, unsure for how long. I stopped for breaks when Kurai told me to and did my best to move again when he pushed ahead.
We’d run out of water. My head felt fuzzy. My throat was dry like the desert floor. My tongue seemed to have swollen to at least twice its size, impossible to move. My stomach spasmed with hunger. But my eyes closed quickly, and sleep claimed me fast whenever we stopped for breaks. Without a drop of water, even with his tendrils attached, my strength diminished quickly.
Now, all I wanted was to lay down and sleep. Only the fear that I may not get up again kept me moving.
Finally, by the end of one night, the tunnel turned into a wide cave with an arched opening in the opposite wall. Dots of light in the opening looked like diamonds scattered on black velvet.
“Are those…” I didn’t finish my question, afraid to hope.
“Stars,” Kurai confirmed, drawing me to him. “We made it, my brave, strong woman. We’re out of the caves.”
He stopped at the opening of the exit.
“Sit here for a minute. I’ll need to figure out exactly where we are.”
After helping me to sit down, he took a step outside to examine the stars and constellations above us and reference them with his navigation crystal.
A night breeze caressed my cheek, cooling my feverish skin.
I’d been starving for days, living on nothing but Kurai’s magicall this time. But if I was offered a feast right now, the first thing I’d grab would be a huge glass of water. Cool, clean water was all I could think about as I moved my dry tongue in my parched mouth, trying and failing to produce any moisture.
Putting away the crystal, Kurai crouched in front of me.
“The tunnels led us off course,” he informed me grimly. “I knew we'd been walking in the wrong direction, but we had no choice while underground. We had to make it back up to the surface.”
“Where are we?” I croaked.
“About three days away from where we should be.”
“Three days?”
Exhaustion pressed down on me like a mountain. Three days felt the same as three years—impossible.
I took a closer look at Kurai, noticing the many signs of exhaustion in him too. He’d been my rock, my support, and the source of my strength. For over two weeks now, he’d been taking care of me, keeping me alive by lending me his magic. But it had taken a toll on him too.
He’d been without water even longer than me. His normally velvety smooth skin had turned dull, with rough patches. His lips had cracked. His breathing was heavier. And I’d noticed how his features pinched from pain when he moved.
“Actually, we’re much closer to the Temple of the First Priestess from here than to Himerum,” he said, running an assessing gaze over me. His forehead furrowed, and his mouth pressed into a firm line. “It’s less than a day to the temple.” He rubbed his chin in thought.
“But there are guards…” My throat moved with a useless swallow, bringing nothing but pain.
“There may be,” he agreed. “But it’s been over two weeks since we left Kalmena. They might’ve come and gone to search for us elsewhere.”
“If they catch you, they’ll kill you…” I closed my eyes. Somehow even keeping them open felt like a lot ofeffort.
“Ciana.” He kneeled at my side. “We have to go. We can’t stop now. If we do, I’m afraid you won’t be able to get up again.”
I feared I couldn’t get up already. I was so thirsty, I couldn’t even speak. Thirst filled my mind with unattainable images of bubbling fountains and gushing waterfalls, banishing every other thought.
