Page 71 of Ignite
I hated it. Each and every second.
Until in walked the woman who turned my world upside down. The woman who slowly shifted Crea into something less dull. She was a bright full moon in the night sky, but I was so certain she was destined to be nothing more than a shooting star. That I would only get to have her in my life for a beautiful, fleeting moment.
Then she said the word that changed everything—she asked me why the wordLunariawas tattooed across my arm. All of the pieces clicked into place then. It was as if the years of being stuck in Crea finally meant something, that I had done something right.
And I did. I got that beautifully bright star back to Penyth, back to where she belongs—with a family that cares for her. I was prepared to be there for her in any capacity she needed me in.
If she needed someone to funnel her anger toward, then I’d spark the flame. If I had to be the guy to make her blush—make her cheeks a soft shade of pink while her eyes blazed—just to get her out of her own mind, then I’d tell her any filthy thought she made me feel. If she needed a friend…then I’d be the best one she ever had.
But then, for a singular fading moment, she just…neededme.
I wasn’t the man she so desperately wanted to hate—wasn’t the one who flirted with her endlessly. It was just me and her, stuck in a cave together and being honest with each other—with ourselves—for once.
Even with everything going to shit around us, we found our way to each other.
But as soon as I had her,finallyhad her, she soared through the night sky and disappeared. And I somehow thoughtCreawas bad…
Nothing could’ve prepared me for this. But it isn’t the physical pain or even the torture Vidaris tries to slash into my mind that guts me. It’s the ache inside of me. The hole in my chest where the bond to Lu used to be.
I haven’t seen her in my dreams—haven’t beenallowedto sleep more than an hour at a time.
Everything hurts when she’s not near. I don’t know if she’s safe—if what I did even gave her a chance. And there’s nothing fucking worse than that.
I refuse to believe my sacrifice was for nothing. Not a single piece of me regrets what I did, but it’s the not knowing—it’s the wondering if what I did wasenough. If I was enough. Because for her, I would do anything.
A staggering breath heaves from my chest as the blood rainfalls from the sky. It’s a constant—filling my lungs with acrid metallic flavor. It strangles my breath, lodging it in my throat and stopping up my nose.
But at least it means Vidaris isn’t here.
In a world without Lunaria, the only good is the crimson rain that suffocates me while Vidaris is away.
A sharp pain pierces my neck, just beneath my jawline. I can turn my head enough to see where the snake embedded itself into my skin—melding with my flesh like a tattoo.
Or…at least Ithinkthat’s what happened.
The visions Vidaris puts in my head—the things she makes me watch and see and feel… I don’t fucking know anymore. For all I know, it isn’t even truly there. It could be another one of her games.
My neck strains to look down at myself, the chains around my throat and limbs holding me in place. Out of the corner of my eye, I see where the ink brands my flesh. What’s left of my clothes is so tattered that I can see glimpses through jagged holes.
The ink depicts the same snake I remember slithering toward me, its tail starting at mid-thigh and traveling up the side of my hip. My shirt fell apart early on after being brought here—Vidaris’s shadow handiwork.
It takes everything inside of me to tear my eyes away from the ink with which she marred my skin. It’s in moments like these—when it all begins to become too much—that I picture my beautiful star.
My little princess, with blazing eyes the perfect mixture of green and brown. With her soft lips and blinding smile that rarely makes an appearance. I think of her in my arms, of her safely tucked against my chest and laughing.
A wave of calm washes over me, a familiar warmth that starts within my chest and spreads throughout my body. It’s more comfort than I’ve ever felt picturing her; it almost feels…real.
My eyes flutter closed, and I picture the curve of herlips—the one dimple on her right cheek. The warmth in my body grows as I continue to force myself to remember what she looks like, what she feels and smells like.
All at once, the soft scent of pine and juniper wraps around me, suffocating me, an aroma I would gladly lose myself in. It’s just as I remember it, fiery and strong—just like her. I must be finally losing it if I’m hallucinating already.
But if it’s the only thing that brings me memories of her, I’ll take every fucking hallucination my brain creates. The scent causes the warmth in my chest to spread throughout my body, running all the way to my toes.
Blood still rains down from the red skies, but even the freezing droplets can’t chase away the heat pumping through my veins.
I feel her before I see her.
My eyes blink open slowly—a feat considering it feels like they’ve been filled with sand—and find wide hazel eyes staring back at me. Her beautiful lips are moving, but I can’t make out what she’s saying.
