Page 7 of Lost in the Dark

Good. It’s not like I want him touching me, anyway.

My skin prickles, making a liar out of me. I cross my arms across my chest as if that and the blanket would be enough to guard me from someone like him.

A deep rumbling fills the room. It reminds me of distant thunder. He moves toward me now, slowly, like a hunter. A bass vibrato rumbles from his chest. It reminds me of when a lion purrs, but deeper. More resonant. The sound unhitches something inside of me, and I feel like I can breathe again.

A tremor rushes over my body, igniting gooseflesh on my skin. I try to tell myself that it’s my body’s reaction to fatigue, but it would be a lie.

Focus Mahal.

He closes the gap between us until he is within arm’s reach.

“Do you remember me now, Mahal?”

My name on his lips transforms into a term of endearment. Love. Treasure. Cherished.

“You remember me,” he says. “You recognize me. Souls are twined together. No matter the time or the form, they still recognize each other.” And slow enough that I could have turned away and prevented it. He lays a kiss against my lips.

Images explode within my mind’s eye as the fog recedes from within me. Sensations that were once muted now dance along my skin. I want more.

I can no longer hold back my urge to feel him. My fingers dive into his hair, holding him in place as if afraid he would leave me. Blue and gold sparks ignite from where we touch. A fiery rush of pleasure dances over my skin.

I can’t stop touching him. I never want to stop touching him.

I’ve never felt this way toward anyone. With others, the idea of touching anyone left me slightly nauseated. With him, it’s different. It feels right.

Vox isn’t a random male. He’s more. He’smine.

I stare up into his brilliant golden eyes. “I remember,” I say. “You were there that night. I was in trouble, and you took care of me.”

That he did. And more. The sex play that greeted me wasn’t only something from my deepest fantasies. It happened between us. It was a memory. One of many that are falling into place bit by bit.

Fire dances in his gaze. “I did and will do every night for the rest of our lives. But first, we need to go. It’s no longer safe here.”

“No longer safe? What do you mean?”

As if on cue, waves of electricity crackles along the wall. Vox gathers me into the shelter of his body, his wings folding around me as sparks rain down on us. Lightning bursts and a surge of power lights up the room.

In a rush of movement, Vox hurtles us out the door.

Vox

Ihad taken a risk showing myself to Mahal. I hoped she was close enough to her awakening for her to recognize me as her mate. No matter. The risk paid off. And now, my soul is right where she needs to be—in my arms.

And here she will stay. Soon, I can fulfill all the promises I’ve made to her and to myself all these long, lonely years.

That her deepest self remembers me even after I removed it from her memories proves our souls recognize each other. She is mine, and I intend to banish all doubts from her.

If only there were more time. Damned wraiths. What was supposed to be a peaceful transition to her awakening will now be a survival mode race to an exit. Once wraiths breach into the ark, they spread like a virus until the operators can contain them.

I have no doubts that they have homed in on Mahal. The rush of power I felt from her touch was exhilarating. For the wraiths, it was like activating an emergency siren blasting away at her location. There’s no hiding her now.

I must somehow convince Mahal to follow me and trust me enough to let go of this reality and rejoin her physical self.

My wings still surround us both in a cocoon. Mahal stirs against me. “Is it over?”

I hate hearing the worry in her voice. “Unfortunately, no, my love. The danger is yet to come.” I shift her so that I can look down at her and meet her gaze. She needs to know that I will die before the wraiths take her from me. “You will need to trust me now. The exit that I had planned for that power surge has likely compromised us. We’ll need to hurry to find another.”

Though her eyes are wide with fear, a sense of calm washes over her and seeps into me. “Of course. Whatever will get us both to safety, I’m on board.”