Page 140 of The Last Guardian

Eirlys tilted her chin at me. “How long have you had these dreams?” Her eyes shone, lighting up the crescent moon on her forehead.

“Since my mother—” I closed my eyes for a brief moment, struggling against the tide of sorrow that threatened to drown me every time her memory surfaced.

When I opened them again, Zaid’s unwavering gaze met mine, and something stirred deep within me. A fragile resolve took hold, to honor her memory, to accept the agony of her loss, yet not allow it to define the rest of my life.

And, in his gaze, I felt the strength to reach for that hope.

“The dreams started when she passed away,” I revealed with a hard swallow. “Not every night, but when I left Lorath, the dreams subsided.”

“And in your dreams—did you hear the voice?” Her violet eyes fixed on me.

“The voice is new somehow. It began on my mother’s fifth commemoration day, the same day—” I stopped, hesitating. But I reached for the sleeve of my suit, pulling the fabric up to my elbow, leaving the mark visible. The white patterns danced with the blue of my veins. “This mark surfaced on my wrist.”

“Interesting.” Eirlys’ gaze fell on the mark on my wrist, and a frown formed between her brows. “Recently?”

“I’ve had it since I left Lorath,” I replied.

Eirlys stared at me and hummed. The light coming from her moon flared and vanished.

She stood up, pushing the chair aside and strolling towards the commander. Her steps were silent and cautious, like a cat’s.

“Something similar happened to the prince, if I remember correctly. Just before he set foot in Myrh. Arthur kept dreaming of a cemetery. Didn’t you go there to look for the Guardians when we sent you there with him?”

Zaid’s shoulders tensed, his eyes darkened as he gave a warning look at Eirlys. Arthur had had these kinds of dreams, too? Why didn’t he talk about it? Did he dream about Mother’s death, too?

“That’s where he found—” Eirlys began, but was interrupted by a warning groan from Zaid, who was pushing himself away from the wall. Eirlys whipped her head around. “Don’t snarl at me! She must know.”

“It’s not your place to reveal that information, Eirlys,” Zaid warned her, his face as cold as steel.

“She needs to have all the information in her possession about those dreams,” Eirlys retorted, turning to me.

“What are you hiding from me?” I asked in a loud voice, but neither of them noticed, instead engaging in a silent exchange of glances. I pushed myself back onto my feet. “Tell me what’s going on!”

“She deserves to know,” Eirlys said softly.

“Leave us,” Zaid announced, but Eirlys didn’t move, still staring at him with a challenge. “Now!” Zaid ordered in a commanding voice that made my stomach turn. It shook the floor, trembling beneath our feet.

Eirlys hissed, the rustle of her clothes billowing out behind her until the door slammed shut.

I stared at Zaid, who was massaging his face. I took a step and another, breaking the distance between us, stopping a few inches away from him.

“I’m listening.” I squinted and raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. “Where he found what?”

“Fuck, Alyana,” Zaid muttered, passing his hand through his raven black hair. He added in a hot whisper, “Don’t look at me like that.”

Passing by me, his footsteps echoed against the floor, the brush of his arm against mine sending a tremor through me. Before he could put more distance between us, my hand moved, curling around his wrist, holding him there before he could slip farther away.

Zaid turned, now facing mine.

The warmth radiating from his body thrummed through mine. I looked up, but his gaze was fixed on the wall ahead, as if I were invisible.

Whatever was crossing his mind made him vacant for a moment.

The firelight flickered, its glow dancing across his sun-kissed skin, gilding him in gold. His jaw tightened once more, and before I could think, my hand rose to his face, grazing his strong jaw, and at the contact, his eyes shifted, falling on mine.

“Zaid.” My voice was nothing more than a whisper, my eyes searching his.

Stars, every single time I get this close to him, my mind just stopped working. I should’ve stayed focused on what he was supposed to tell me—should’ve kept my eyes anywhere but on his lips.