Page 75 of The Last Guardian

“How—”

But instead of listening, Zaidkiel took two steps forward and closed the gap between us, stopping my question. His hand gripped my biceps tightly enough for me to follow him without ever hurting me.

Stars, I could feel his warmth inside my own mind. The thought alone made me squirm.

“Empty your mind of all thoughts,” Zaidkiel explained with a dark tone, still walking fast.

Emptying my mind… well, quite hard to do when he was almost running with his hand around my arm.

“Can you stop rushing like a wild animal?” I shouted, anger burning my neck. “And if you want me to clear my mind, take your hand off me first.”

Zaidkiel stopped. I almost stumbled at his sudden stillness; I snarled, glaring up at him. A wicked smile played on his lips, his gaze twinkling with mischief. His hand was still around my arm.

“What, can’t think straight with my hand on you?” Zaidkiel smirked, leaning a little closer.

I frowned, pushing him with my other hand—and even if he didn’t budge at my strength, he willingly let go of my arm. The same flirtatious, self-satisfied smile remained on his lips.

A flush rose in my cheeks. I tried to ignore it. “Prick.”

Zaidkiel chuckled. “There’s that blush again.”

I ignored his teasing, crossing my arms. “What do I need to do?”

“Close your eyes,” Zaidkiel ordered, monitoring my movements as I listened to his voice. “With deep breaths, try to feel the essence of your Anchor.”

I cracked an eye open, perplexed. “How?”

“Eyes closed,” Zaidkiel replied harshly. As I did, he continued, “By emptying your mind, you will gain access to your Anchor and will be able to answer to its call.” Zaidkiel’s voice whispered, “You’ll feel a rush of adrenaline pulling you somewhere.”

With my eyes closed, I followed Zaidkiel’s lead, focusing on clearing my mind, trying my best to ignore how much I could feel him in here. Even with my eyes closed, my body felt his gaze linger.

With a deep breath, I tried to empty my mind; silence reigned everywhere around me—around us.

Until a pull connected—clung to my being with a knot, taking root inside the patterns of my soul. Filling me with the beginnings of a whole.

“Perfect,” Zaidkiel whispered, with a satisfied tone.

Slowly, my eyelids opened, taking in a soft, silvery rope of light. The light flared, urging us to go to… the forest.

I gazed up at Zaidkiel, who nodded for me to follow the path.

The silvery rope danced with the air, weaving with the wind as we followed it, a golden glow filtering through the trees. Until the forest thinned and welcomed us to a verdant field. No, a clearing.

In the center of this clearing, a large circle emerged from the ground, where golden rays gently caressed the grass, mingling with a light mist that embraced the clearing like a curtain.

A hazelnut-shaped gemstone, forming at the center of the large circle, shone and flared when I took a step.

“What is it?” My eyes rested on the beautiful carving in the stone.

“The first pillar of your Anchor,” Zaidkiel explained as I gazed up at him. I frowned, not sure what to make of it, but a soft light glinted in Zaidkiel’s eyes as he said at last, “It means you have passed the first Threshold.”

MY LEGS WERE on the verge of collapsing when I returned to my body, trembling like aspen leaves.

Zaidkiel’s hands held me tightly by the hips, his grip so strong that not even gravity could pull me away from his grasp.

“Are you alright?” he asked, observing me carefully.

I nodded, fighting the dizziness that took hold of me.