Page 124 of The Last Guardian

My pulse quickened, and a warmth spread on my cheeks.

Zaid’s eyes lit up. His pupils flared as the corner of his lips turned into a small, sly smile.

His damn smile.

His grin deepened, eyes tracing my face like he was memorizing the way I challenged him.

Zaid leaned closer, voice dropping just enough to make my pulse trip. “Then maybe you should stop letting me slip away so easily.”

Our eyes collided—searching, burning together. The spark ignited and flared in my heart, and the air thickened around us.

Our chests rose and fell in a sweet, torturous rhythm, the slightest move, enough to make heat brush against heat. “You think too highly of yourself.” My voice came out softer than I intended.

Zaid caught it too—the shift, the change. His eyes flicked to my lips for a moment, his tongue rolling on his lips. His head tilted slightly, his eyes tracking every motion, every breath.

Zaid leaned closer. My chest tightened, a wave of heat washed over me, but⁠—

His lips brushed against my ear, warm, teasing. Hot waves coursed in my body, my thighs tightened, and I closed my eyes instinctively.

“Maybe the day you stop blushing every time I say a word,” Zaid whispered, his voice low, “I’ll stop thinking so highly of myself.”

My breath caught.

And every cell in my body begged me to break the distance and to act on what I desired most right now. To let temptation win me over.

But Zaid’s warm breath disappeared. When I opened my eyes, he was nowhere to be seen.

And the spark in my heart?

It erupted.

I had never felt so alive.

RETURNING HOME FELT bittersweet.

I had grown accustomed to Keraneeth over the days and weeks.

My excitement at seeing my brother again was hard to control. I couldn’t wait to see him and talk about everything that happened while I was away. Aurora’s wedding, the state of the peace treaty. If the Order had struck again. And everything he hid from me—us.

A thought flashed in my mind about all the people I had grown to care for here.

Nefeli, Dax, Bennett, Sam, Arystan.

Zaid.

Everything they had made me feel, the trials I had had to face because of them. How they had all seeped into my heart, waking me from an endless sleep of sorrow and sadness.

The same crew was already on board the Hawker. This time, Eirlys and Seth joined us, along with a few other Surani and Noxari. The captain and the commander stood at the head of the ship, ready to take the horizon and return to their home. To return to the people they cared for.

At the sight of Zaid, my heart quickened at how I’d felt earlier when his lips had brushed my skin…

Zaid briefly met my gaze, his eyes heated, even from afar. Then, he returned his focus to Eirlys, who arrived near them.

Eirlys took a step, spreading her hands outward and closing her eyes. The wind picked up around us. The waves crashed against the ship, sending a surge of energy through the air, causing each of its guests to grab anything not to fall.

The dark shade of silver swirled and undulated, a mix of black and purple.

Her power.