Chapter 130
Kara
The wind was relentless.
Every step I took felt too light. Like the earth wasn’t sure if it wanted to hold me anymore.
And still, I kept walking.
I didn’t know what I was looking for. Only that I had to move. I had to get away from the memories, the look on Jaxon’s face when he ignored me, the laughter in Elvira’s eyes, the betrayal that still scraped at my insides like a knife.
The trees thinned around a ridge. Smoke curled in the air. I crouched behind a rock, instincts sharpening. My eyes, now tinged with the silver sheen the Fae cursed me with, scanned the area.
And then I saw him.
A man. Tall, armed, with a smirk plastered on his annoyingly symmetrical face. He leaned against a boulder near a makeshift watchtower, watching the path like he owned it. His hair was dark, tousled in a way that made me instantly distrust him. His clothes weren’t Bloodmoon. Morrien. Which meant—
Independent. Or worse. One of the Queen’s spies.
I walked forward, ready to pass undetected.
“Lost, sweetheart?” His voice rang out, warm and irritatingly confident.
I stilled.
His head tilted lazily toward me, like he’d known I was there the whole time. “Or did the woods spit out an angry angel just for me?”
I stepped out from the trees, spine straight. “You guarding something?”
“Just this path,” he said, eyes dancing with amusement. “Queen’s orders. She wants it quiet for now. But I make exceptions for pretty intruders.”
“I’m not here for your jokes.” My voice cut like ice.
“Shame,” he said, letting his gaze roam over me like I was a puzzle he wanted to solve. “You look like someone who could use a laugh. Or maybe a nap. Been rough lately?”
“Excuse me.”
He grinned. “And miss the chance to meet the most furious woman I’ve ever seen? No way.”
I moved faster than he expected. My blade was at his throat before his smile had time to drop.
“Still think I need a nap?” I asked, pressing the edge against his skin.
He didn’t flinch. If anything, his grin deepened.
“Oh, what a pleasure to be killed by a beautiful woman.”
I blinked. What?
“You’re insane,” I muttered, pulling back just slightly. “Do you flirt with everyone who threatens your life?”
“Only the ones who look like they might follow through.”
I scowled and stepped back. “I’m going around. Don’t follow me.”
“I can’t let you pass.”
“Try and stop me.”
“I wasn’t talking about stopping you with force,” he said, voice lower now. “I was hoping you’d stay.”
I looked at him. Really looked.
His smirk was still there, but something behind it flickered. Tiredness, maybe loneliness.
But I didn’t care. I turned and walked away.
…
The storm started faster than expected. Of course.
Rain came hard and fast, the sky cracking open with a roar. By the time I found shelter under a collapsed canopy of trees, I was soaked through, teeth gritted.
Footsteps approached behind me. I turned to see him.
“You again.”
“Elijah, My name is Elijah,” he said, sitting on a log like he belonged there. “Figured you should know my name if you’re gonna keep almost killing me.”
“I wasn’t planning on seeing you again.”
“Well, the storm says otherwise.” He pulled out a flask and offered it. “Peace?”
I didn’t take it.
He sipped and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
We sat in silence for a few moments, the sound of rain pounding around us.
“You always this grumpy?” he asked finally.
“I’m not grumpy. I just don’t like idiots.”
“I’m not an idiot. I’m kind of like uh….persistent.”
I turned my head. “You’re annoying. And if you keep pissing me off I will gut your throat out.”
His grin returned instantly. “Oh, that will be a pleasure. Nice to meet you.”
I stared at him. He wasn’t mocking me. Not really. It was like he genuinely… enjoyed this.
And worse, something about that made my chest squeeze. I hated it.
“You blush when I threaten you?”
“I blush when you talk, apparently,” he said with a wink. “Is that a problem?”
“Yes.”
He laughed, light, warm, unguarded. The kind of laugh I hadn’t heard in weeks. The kind of laugh that shouldn’t make my stomach feel like it flipped upside down.
“You always this reckless?” I asked.
“Only when I find someone interesting.”
I scoffed. “You don’t even know me.”
“Maybe. But I want to.”
I opened my mouth to bite back, but the words tangled in my throat.
Because for the first time in a long time, someone didn’t look at me with pity or judgment.
Just… interest.
…
Night fell. The storm didn’t let up.
He lit a small fire in silence, and I watched the way the flames reflected in Elijah’s eyes. He looked younger here.
“You never said your name,” he said, voice quiet.
I hesitated.
“Kara.”
He smiled, as if that answered something he’d been waiting for.
“Kara,” he repeated, tasting it. “Fierce name.”
I stared into the fire. By morning I will be out of here before he wakes up.