Page 99 of The Last Guardian

If the relic could activate with my Anchor, then maybe we would be lucky enough to find this Last Guardian and cast down the corruption that the High Mages had done on this world.

Every hope knotted in a coin crafted in darkness. The only thing capable of saving us—contained in such a small object.

How many would die if we couldn’t succeed? How many mothers would see agony in their children’s eyes? How many fathers would fight to the death to protect them?

My thoughts wandered to my family, and fear crept inside my guts. I had to do this for them, to protect them. Chaos couldn’t lash out on Erath for a second time.

I leaned my back against the mattress, trying to shake the weight of this relic as I gazed up at the ceiling, while the coin rested on my chest, close to my pounding heart.

“Trouble sleeping?” Zaidkiel’s rough voice, deep as night, brushed like warm waves against my ear.

Glancing in his direction, my eyes drifted to… a shirtless Zaidkiel. The thick muscles of his abdomen tightened, forming a V at his pelvis. His arms behind his head, inked with tattoos I couldn’t quite observe as I averted my gaze as quickly as possible.

Stars, save me.

Instead, my eyes met his as I fought the urge to devour him with my gaze—but something struck me in the gut, a wave of electricity shaking every fiber of my body.

His eyes bore into mine, reaching for something hidden in the depths of my soul, the green lit in a dark hue, shimmering like stars. Drowning in his mesmerizing eyes, the intimacy was stronger than any sharing of bed or half-naked body could give. Still, I never looked away.

“My thoughts won’t stop racing,” I confessed, my throat tightened.

Zaidkiel lay on his side, his dark hair falling over his face, as his eyes traced my face at a slow, almost painful pace.

His hand reached toward my chest—and my heart stopped when his fingers grazed where the relic was, brushing the soft skin on my ribcage as he gently took the coin between his fingers.

My breath hitched, my body so painfully aware of every fiber of his.

I swallowed, turning to face him, watching Zaidkiel examine the relic with curiosity before drifting to my eyes again.

A form of understanding had formed between us since the night Zaidkiel learned the truth about my mother. But tonight, something changed. I couldn’t quite put words into this strange feeling.

Zaidkiel shared a part of himself, too—a painful, horrible part. His sorrow, his guilt. The wrath growing inside of him.

I should be afraid to be in bed with probably the most lethal man I had ever met. Perhaps I was a fool, but I had never felt safer than I did in that moment.

“What’s on your mind?” he whispered, his breath brushing against my skin.

I gazed at the relic in his hand. “What if I cannot activate it, and we don’t find the beast? If—” I paused, fear rose inside my chest. With a hard swallow, I said, “What if I doom everyone?”

Zaidkiel’s eyes softened. “It’s not an option,” he said softly. “We will finish the Rite and recover your memories in the process.” His hand rose once more, tenderly making its way toward my face. His fingers brushed a brown lock, tucking it carefully behind my ear.

Our gazes locked again, and time stopped when Zaidkiel whispered, “You are not alone.”

Our faces mere inches apart, our breath mingling together, my heart pounding so fast in my chest—I knew he could hear it. Still, Zaidkiel said nothing, didn’t hint at a smile, nor gaze at my heart in a playful way. He stared, burning his eyes with mine.

As his skin grazed the soft spot of my ear, a soothing tingle coursed through me, reaching my core, my bones, my soul.

My gaze fell on his lips before I could stop myself. I lingered there, savoring his warmth, the sweet pull of what I so desired but dreaded.

Slowly, almost painfully, my gaze returned to his, and I noticed the way his eyes also drifted between my eyes and lips.

There was a burning in his beautiful eyes.

The world shrank around us. My instincts screamed at me to close the distance, to let our lips meet.

But I held back, clinging to the fragile thread of control I had left.

The air between us thickened, electric. Every small movement, every gasping breath, amplified the desire clenching my ribs.