Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(28)

“As soon as people stop looking at me,” I said, affronted. Ilyan raised an eyebrow at me and I crinkled my noise at him in frustration.

“I don’t see that happening any time soon, Siln?.”

“Then don’t count on me coming out of hiding anytime soon,” I spat, grumbling a bit.

“And you say you are not stubborn.” Ilyan smiled, his eyes shining. I shied away from him, my reaction increasing his smile and causing me to fume a bit more. Ilyan dropped my hand then, his warm magic and the protective shield leaving my body. Now it wasn’t a question of if Ryland would find me, but how fast. Suddenly I felt unprepared to be attacked, to fight, unsure if I could come out of a fight still standing.

I stiffened in fear, my eyes darting around the street as if Ryland was simply going to step out from behind a garbage can. My panic softened when Ilyan placed his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at him.

“Calm down, Joclyn.”

“What if they find me, Ilyan?” I said, struggling to keep the stress out of my voice.

“Then they find you. You are brave enough to fight them now. You are strong enough to face him.” He didn’t need to elaborate. I knew who he was talking about.

“Ilyan, I...”

“I know you are,” he cut me off, not letting me give voice to my fears. His words were so soft, his eyes so gentle, that against my better judgment I felt my anxiety dissipate, replaced by a heavy confidence I wasn’t used to.

Ilyan moved his hands from my face to move the hood down from around my head, releasing my hair to fall down my back. “And then we will know if they can track you and how fast.”

I cringed. Being unshielded made me uncomfortable. This was worse than having people looking at me. I couldn’t hide under a hoodie to escape. I wasn’t even sure what would happen if they did find me, or if I really wanted to know if they could. Having that knowledge didn’t seem like something desirable to me.

“I need to know so that I can keep you safe. And, if they do come, I will be here to protect you.”

“My Protector?” I said.

“Yes,” he spoke softly, his hands trailing around my neck to rest on my shoulders, the soft touch of his forefinger grazing my mark. “Now, let’s go have some fun.”





Nine


I sat underneath the twinkling lights that had been draped around the large outdoor patio of the cantina, listening to the fast paced salsa music that filled the air. Couples danced and swirled on the floor in front of me, their bodies meshed together in a seamless blur of color.

I sat back in my wicker chair, pressing my strawberry lemonade to my lips. The sun was setting behind the mountains that surrounded the city, giving a soft yellow glow to the sky. It touched the facades of the buildings and kissed them into a honey color that glowed from the inside out. I had never seen a city that was so unique and beautiful, I was in love.

Even though the sun was setting, the temperature hadn’t dropped. My hoodie felt heavy and hot against my skin, a thin layer of sweat building up on my neck. I was contemplating taking it off, but didn’t want to be the recipient of the ‘told you so’ look from Ilyan. Though the thought of dying from heat stroke due to my own stubbornness scared me. I took another sip of lemonade; at least I could keep myself hydrated.

I shifted my hoodie a bit to help the airflow, but I was still uncomfortable. I glanced to Ilyan hoping he hadn’t seen me fidget. Luckily he was still intently watching the dancers on the dance floor.

He looked completely out of place in this melee of noise and color. The rugged lines of his face caught in the lights, giving him an ethereal hue almost as if he himself was glowing. He sat in his chair, smiling serenely. It was a stark contrast to the drunken, boisterous group we were surrounded by.

He turned and caught me staring at him, so I smiled brightly and turned back to the dancers, feeling strangely odd about being caught looking at him. I heard him chuckle and he returned back to his glass of wine.

The waitress had looked at him like he had lost it when we ordered and he requested wine instead of the obligatory tequila. Ilyan had only raised an eyebrow, sending the girl to retrieve wine I am sure hadn’t been in their stock before then.

“Come on, Siln?." Ilyan’s hand jutted into the space in front of me. “Let’s dance."

"Oh, no," I said, sinking into the chair. "I don’t dance."

Ilyan bent down slightly, bringing his eyes closer to my eye level. "Don’t dance, or don’t know how?"

"Both, considering the last time I was on a dance floor didn’t end so well." My insides scrambled together at the thought of Ryland’s graduation party, my first and only kiss, and then the disastrous failed rescue mission that followed.

“Yes, I know. I was there.”

“Then you know why I don’t want to participate,” I said smugly, hoping he would walk away.

He didn’t.

His lips pulled up into a half smile, his eyes twinkling.

“Would it help if I told you I invented the Salsa?”

“You did not,” I said, trying to restrain a smile. His eyes lit up as he laughed, his hand still jutting toward me unwavering.

“Well no, but I have been dancing it since it was invented. Come, let me show you.” Ilyan wrapped his hand under my arm and pulled me up.