Page 67 of The Last Guardian

“Why?” I asked with a frown.

“Your Pillars are a part of your soul. Someone who knows where the three are can control you.” Zaidkiel gave me a dark look. ”Never share where it is.”

I gave a nod, looking around the bedroom we were standing in. ”And now what?”

“Close your eyes. Try to feel the pull of your body waiting on the other side of your being,” Zaidkiel guided, approaching me to touch my temples.

I frowned. “Aren’t we searching for one of the Thresholds?”

Zaidkiel shook his head. “No, not today. Let everything sink in. Your mind will need to rest before digging deeper.”

As Zaidkiel looked down at me, his emerald eyes gleamed as they bore into mine. His fingers grazed the soft skin of my temple, and I closed my eyes, letting in the pull of my body and his draw me. My mind followed the path, taking root with my veins and bones, where his soul and mine collided before letting the darkness lure me.

A WARM SCENT tickled my nostrils, a hint of sweetness and spice. I drifted on the mattress, floating like a feather on a sea of fluffy clouds, breathing in a musky smell mixed with salt.

It was so delicate, so inviting, that I had only one desire: to surrender to its comfort. I turned to the other side of the bed, my legs entwined in the sheets. I breathed deeply, enjoying the blend of scents: fire and sea, leather and cedar…

My eyes opened. Where was I? The canvas above my head swung slightly as sunlight passed through. I glanced around, noticing the huge bed I was lying on, the white and dark green sheets I had slept under.

“Morning,” a velvet voice spoke to my right, interrupting my thoughts.

Zaidkiel.

Slowly, my eyes drifted to look at where Zaidkiel’s voice had come from. The commander was lying on the couch, with his back slightly raised, resting against the arm of the sofa. His long legs stretched out, one over the other.

With his full attention on me.

Oh.

My mind tried to remember what had happened, the last event after the Rite, before I found myself in this situation, here in his tent. In his bed.

Stars, why was I in his bed?

“How are you doing?” Zaidkiel asked as he sat up, putting his legs on the edge of the couch.

I slowly sat up too, pushing the covers aside and letting my legs hang over the edge of the bed. The leather squeaked under my weight. Still dressed in the same clothes.

“Rested, I guess,” I replied, my voice raspy from a deep sleep. Rubbing my eyes, I asked, “What time is it?”

Zaidkiel looked at his pocket watch. “Ten-thirty in the morning,” he said, getting up to go to the table, already holding a tray filled with food. A small grin lifted the corner of his lips. “You slept for about twenty-six hours.”

Stars!

Zaidkiel let me sleep in his bed the entire day and night. But had he slept beside me or on the couch? The smell on the bed—his smell—clung to me everywhere.

“Hungry?” he asked, arching a brow in my direction.

My stomach rumbled at the scent of buttered toast, making my mouth water. I pushed myself from the bed, joining Zaidkiel at the table, as he asked, “Tea?”

With a nod, I sat down and grabbed one of the still-warm pieces of toast. When the bread touched my tongue, I fought a groan of satisfaction at the taste of food.

As he set the cup of tea in front of me, Zaidkiel stared into my eyes with his intriguing, glowing gaze, drinking a brown liquid in his glass.

“What happened?” I asked, swallowing the food.

“Reaching the Anchor for the first time is always challenging,” Zaidkiel explained, his fingers caressing the rim of the glass. “You fell asleep as soon as you got back into your body. It’s a pretty common reaction; most people sleep for days afterward.“

He leaned closer to grab some toast before returning to his seat. The smell of cedar emanating from him tickled my nostrils, awakening my senses. The same scent from his bed was still lingering on my skin.