Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

MENODORA'S POV Orvax moves me slightly to stand behind him. This time I do not argue with him…even when I know I should. I can't argue with him when every instinct in my body keeps screaming about the danger before us. The figure tilts her head slowly and turns to stare directly at me. She completely ignores Orvax like he isn't there.“Blood-bound child," she says. Her voice is layered with many other voices, just like the voices that had been in my head. My stomach does a violent kick-flip and everything inside me turns into a chaotic and icy churn. Orvax on the other hand goes impossibly still beside me…I doubt he's even breathing with how still he is."You know what she is,” he says carefully…it's not a question. The figure smiles or I think that's her version of smiling, with a face made out of shadows, it's so hard to tell.“Not just what she is, but also what she carries." “We?" That word sends ice through my veins. More shadows begin to emerge from between the trees, about a

MENODORA'S POV “That’s what everyone says…”"Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?” He asks softly."No, but that's the problem. I can't just believe you because you haven't yet. That's not how I managed to survive this long.”“Menodora, I'm not like other people. And I will never treat you like you're not worth the trouble.” His voice is filled with so much conviction and a part of me wishes to latch on to it. "Then why do you look at me like that? Like you can't tell if I'm truly worth it?” I hate how vulnerable I sound.He doesn't answer for a while and I almost give up on him answering at all."You're wrong about one thing. I'm not trying to figure out if you're worth it," he says all of a sudden. "Maybe it's more like I'm trying to figure out just how much pain you're hiding.”The words land between us softly, carefully said. “This is dangerous, too dangerous for my heart," my heart sputters to a stop. Nobody has ever cared enough to look beyond the surface of my pain be

MENODORA’S POV Outside, we could hear the rain, now pounding harder overhead. Inside the shelter is small and cozy. The stone walls are covered in moss just like the outside, but not as much. There's just a single narrow window on the left hand side to let in air, there's also a lot of dust…probably from lack of use. But most importantly, it's dry enough to keep us from the rain. It is also…safe. The thought of finding safety in this shelter unsettles me, but I don't let it show.Orvax moves through the shared space with the ease of someone who has done this more than once. He picks up an old lantern on the ground and lights it before turning to kneel beside a cold fireplace. He lights it too and the warmth is almost instantaneous.“This makes me wonder just how many times you've been here." “Well, enough to know my way around."His answer comes very quickly, unlike other times when he ponders before answering. “This place must hold a lot of memories for him," I realize with a star

ORVAX'S POVMenodora is asleep now. I make the mistake of casting a quick glance at her and immediately regret it. This is the most peaceful she has looked while sleeping since we started on this journey. She sleeps against the far end of the wall of the shelter, the blanket wrapped around her shoulder like a shield against the brutal cold. Outside, the rain is still crashing relentlessly, but she is totally unaffected by this, her face the mask of serenity.All this is messing with my head even more. I don't want the image of her with her guard down haunting me on top of every other thing about her that keeps me awake at night. The fire crackles softly between us, as if taunting me, as I drag a tired hand over my face, forcing my attention away from her. It does little to distract me, her scent is still all over me. I can't get over the way she had chased after my warmth, leaning into my hand…even though just for a few seconds.And it seems to me that I am not the only one feeling th

MENODORA'S POVThe next morning, I awaken to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees and the gentle breeze that comes after the rain. I can't say exactly at what point I drifted off to sleep after everything that passed between Orvax and I.“You’re awake?” I turn to see Orvax already packing our things for the final leg of our journey ahead."Yes, I just woke up.”"That's good. I'll give you a few minutes to freshen up and then we can be on our way.” With that, he steps out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I made my way to the makeshift bathroom I had seen yesterday when we first walked into the shelter. I splash water on my face and wash my mouth. It's not a lot but it's better than nothing.“I'm done, you can come in now," I called out to Orvax who was still outside.“Whoa…that's fast." He says and then proceeds to continue packing our things. “We have less than a day's journey left till we get to my side of the rogue land.”"Hmmmm…”The rest of the journey is in s