Chapter 662: Matching Hearts
We found a bench near the edge shelf. He waved his hand and sent a wave of air slashing across the stone, scouring the dust and grime away.
"Soul casting?" I asked, startled.
He shrugged. "I watched you practice it enough I ought to be able to pick up at least that much. But how was it? I’ll admit I’m a little nervous to let a master like you watch me."
He grinned at me, and I flushed, slipping my arm out of his and sitting on the bench. The stone was cold against my thighs, the obsidian smooth and glassy. My tail draped over the open back, the tip twitching back and forth like a fern on a windy day.
"It was alright," I mumbled. "I...I wish I could show you more, but I..."
"Shhh, it’s alright. I understand," he said, sitting beside me. He was close, our thighs nearly touching. My breath caught as he took my hand again, holding it in his lap.
Silence enveloped us, mirroring the vastness of the night above. As the minutes passed, hints of gray touched the eastern horizon, chasing the stars as the horizon gradually lightened with the promise of dawn. I tried to relax, focusing on the stars wheeling overhead.
But as my tail started to still, Luke’s grip shifted, his fingers lacing between mine. They were rough and strong, but he held me tenderly. I bit my lip, tail at the point of lashing, trying to focus on anything but the man sitting beside me. The coming dawn, the treaty tomorrow, even the terrifying memory of my vision. None of it worked; I found my gaze drawn to Luke. When our eyes met, I turned with a soft gasp but couldn’t muster the strength to jerk my hand away.
My heart filled with longing, as keen as the nights Elise and R’lissea left me alone in Haven. I didn’t want to look away. I wanted him to hold my gaze, to let me wander in the swirling depths of his violet eyes. Incinderus’s warnings felt distant and meaningless, wariness melting away like snow. Warmth bloomed in its place, and I found myself snuggling closer to Luke, my tail curling, but I couldn’t help it.
Luke jerked as my head leaned against his shoulder, a shudder running through his tail. "Xiviyah?"
"I’m sorry," I whispered, blushing crimson. "Just...for a little while?"