But I hadn’t ever practiced my magic. The few times it had blasted out of me, I’d caused some serious damage. I couldn’t do that again. Nor could I be caught. I’d put my deirfiúr at risk. And myself.
So I embraced the feeling of being connected to Aidan. I breathed in the forest scent of his magic as he pushed off from the ground and swept up into the air. The ground fell away beneath us as his powerful wings carried us toward the center of the cavern. The wind tore at my hair and clothes. Exhilarating.
But the best part was Aidan. It was like I could feel inside his mind. Not read his thoughts, but his feelings. His intentions. His aura.
I was enveloped in a sense of commitment. Loyalty and honor. All the good things people say when they talk about a hero. But it was more complex than that. He was more complex, but I couldn’t put my finger on how. I was too distracted by the feeling of his power embracing me.
I tried to focus on my surroundings—on the eerie orange rocks flying by beneath me—instead of how good it felt to be with Aidan like this.
It was hard not to focus on his power and strength. I wanted to study it. Absorb it.
When he touched down on the other side, I scrambled off as fast as I could. I could hardly catch my breath and stumbled.
“Damn.” I wasn’t normally so clumsy. Being sure on my feet was key to surviving my job.
A strong hand caught my shoulder and steadied me. I turned. Aidan was already human again, a testament to his strength. So were the clothes. He never appeared naked like some shifters.
“Are you all right?” His deep voice washed over me like a warm ocean wave. His dark eyes met mine.
“Yeah. Just the flying.” Liar.
He pulled me closer and my skin sparked. But it wasn’t his magic. It was just him making me lose my mind. It was becoming hard to breathe.
“Are you sure?” His voice was low, his gaze hot. He loomed over me.
I nodded but couldn’t speak.
His gaze dropped to my lips.
Oh no, was he going to kiss me?
His lips looked so good—full and warm.
Do it.
His forest scent wrapped around me, drawing me closer. His magic caressed me, stroking over my skin like silk. When his big hand squeezed my shoulder lightly, I leaned into it, relishing his strength.
His power surged, as if he liked me leaning on him. He was a predator—of course he liked it when his prey gave in.
The thought shocked me into action. I pulled away. Not only was this a bad idea, we weren’t the only ones here.
“Let’s go,” I said. “Whoever came before us is probably already in the tomb.”
He pulled me to him. “You wanted that too.”
The desire surged again, making my breath come short. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“A kiss.” His husky voice sent a shiver across my skin.
“I didn’t.”
He grinned. He was so handsome I almost hated him. How was I supposed to resist that? Especially after everything I’d felt while we were flying?
“Liar,” he said “But you’re right. Now isn’t the time.”
“Never is the time.” I spun and raced toward the exit, eyeing the ground in front of me for anything suspicious. Normally I didn’t run through enchanted places like this unless I had to, but whoever came before us would have probably tripped any enchantments, so I took the risk.
Once again, the tunnel was an exit. I hoped like hell that the next cavern was our destination.
Aidan was close behind me, but even his forest-fresh scent couldn’t drown out the smell of rotten fish in the air. It was getting stronger. The lightstone illuminated carvings on the tunnel walls, even more than before. We were getting closer. I couldn’t look carefully as I ran, but I could make out writing, maps, images. Weird.
A chill in the air washed over me, more than the normal cold. The smell of ice and snow froze my nose.
“You feel that?” Aidan asked.
“Yeah.” And it was disturbingly familiar. Fear hit me, acid and sharp. “Phantoms.”
Silvery light drifted out from the walls, coalescing into the ghostly forms of men draped in cloaks. More monks? They shimmered so that it was hard to make out their features, but that didn’t matter. You didn’t need to see them—they only needed to see you.
“Try to protect your mind,” I said, as I ran faster. “You can’t fight Phantoms. They create nightmares inside your head.”
Second to being tossed in the Prison for Magical Miscreants, I was most afraid of Phantoms. I tried to build a steel cage around my mind as I ran, but I knew it wouldn’t work. There were too many. They stood along the tunnel walls on either side, stretching as far as my eye could see.
“Intruders,” they whispered.
“Thieves,” they hissed.
“FireSoul.”