I nod off again, my temple smacking the log before I rest it against the surface with a groan. Thunder rolls in the distance, reminding me I need to find shelter. What’s the worst that can find me out here? I’ve faced down the vilest monsters already. But I really don’t want to be eaten by some wild animal. 

What an undignified way to go. I snort at my stupid joke and stupid self and resist the urge to start crying again.

My hand tingles with the sparks of my magic. It saved me again, but I have to find a way to control it. I didn’t care if I hurt Zerra. I wanted to make her suffer, though I realize that plan might have been shortsighted. I can’t kill her if I want to avoid becoming her. Surely as long as she’s alive then I’m safe? Or do the Empyrium plan to do away with her first? Why did they leave me with so little information? I broke through whatever enchantment she attempted to use on me, which also means I’m at least as strong as her. A fact she won’t have missed.

I squeeze my eyes shut and whimper.

Why is everything so complicated?

My mind blurs out, dragged down by exhaustion as I fight the pull of sleep, blinking as I shiver. More thunder rolls  overhead as rain starts to fall. I curl tighter into myself, sniffling as the temperature drops. I should get up. I should keep moving.

Nadir. I miss you so much.

Lor.

I dream of someone saying my name in the distance, and I twitch, my eyes fluttering open like I’m falling. They slide shut as I continue shivering. The wind has picked up, knifing through my thin clothing as rain mists over my skin. Idly, I wonder if there’s some way to start a fire, but I’m too cold to move.

Lor. Can you hear me?

There it is again. It sounds like Nadir, and my heart twists in my chest. In the darkness, I reach for him, but I feel nothing. I want to touch him. Hold him. I want him so much.

Lor! Tell me you can hear me!

Wait.

My eyes snap open, and I sit up.

Lor! Can you hear me?

I blink, looking around. I’m awake. Did I just imagine that?

Can you hear me? Please hear me.

“Nadir,” I whisper, pinching the skin on my arm hard.

“Ow!” I hiss. Okay, I’m definitely awake.

Nadir! I shout back in my mind, and then a wave, like warmth and honey and sunlight, washes over me.

Lor!

I’m already up and running, weaving through the trees, every ounce of pain and fatigue forgotten.

“Where are you!” I scream. “Nadir!” I’m crying so hard I can barely see where I’m going. The rain falls harder, making the ground slippery and blinding my vision.

“Nadir!” My voice cracks. “Nadir!”

“Lor!”

I alter my course at the sound of his voice, crashing over

brush and rocks, my already battered feet tearing up against

the rough forest floor.

And then I feel him. I sense him. I remember that night in the settlements when Rion’s men captured me, when a wave of something sharp and warm filled the space behind my heart. Desire and rage and every longing course through my limbs, threatening to tow me under.

A distant rustle in the trees has me picking up my pace.

“Nadir!” I scream again, needing to feel his name on my tongue.

“Lor!” comes his voice, and I’ve never heard anything so beautiful in my life.

Then he materializes through the dim light, running towards me, and my heart nearly stops.

“Nadir,” I choke out. “Nadir . . .”

We crash into one another at top speed. He picks me up,wrapping me in his arms as my legs circle his hips. We spin around and around, squeezing one another so tight that I fear we might shatter.