P.C. Cast - Awakened

“Yeah, enough that I don’t want to rip it up.”

Stark laughed, pulled his dirk from the sheath at his waist, and handed it to me. “Good, then that tied with my plaid will make a strong knot between us.”

“Yeah, that plaid didn’t cost you eighty euros, which is more than a hundred dollars. I think,” I muttered as I reached for the dirk.

Instead of letting me take the dirk from him, Stark hesitated. His eyes found mine. “You’re right. It didn’t cost me money. It cost me blood.”

My shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. Listen to me, whining about money and a scarf. Ah, hell! I’m starting to sound like Aphrodite.”

Stark flipped the dirk around so that it pressed against his chest over his heart. “If you turn into Aphrodite I’m going to stab myself.”

“If I turn into Aphrodite, stab me first.” I reached for the dirk, and this time he gave it to me.

“Deal.” He grinned.

“Deal,” I said, and then I pierced the fringy edge of my new scarf and with one quick yank ripped a long, slender piece from it. “Now what?”

“Pick a branch. Seoras said I’m supposed to hold my piece, and you hold yours. We tie them together, and the wish we make for us will be tied together.”

“Really? That’s super romantic.”

“Yeah, I know.” He reached out and traced my cheek with one finger. “It makes me wish I’d made it up, just for you.”

I looked into his eyes and said exactly what I was thinking. “You’re the best Guardian in the world.”

Stark shook his head, his expression tight. “I’m not. Don’t say that.”

As he had done to me, I traced his cheek with a finger. “For me, Stark. For me you’re the best Guardian in the world.”

He relaxed a little. “For you, I’ll try to be.”

I looked from his eyes to the ancient tree. “There.” I pointed to a low-hanging branch that forked, creating with leaves and limbs what looked like a perfect heart. “That’s our place.”

Together we went to the tree. Then, like Sgiach’s Guardian had instructed, Stark and I tied the earth-colored MacUallis plaid and my shimmery length of cream together. Our fingers brushed and as we looped the last part of the knot, our eyes met.

“My wish for us is that our future is strong, just like this knot,” Stark said.

“My wish is that our future is together, just like this knot,” I said.

We sealed our wishes with a kiss that made me breathless. I was leaning into Stark to kiss him again when he took my hand in his and said, “Would you let me show you something?”

“Okay, sure,” I said, thinking that just about then I’d let Stark show me anything.

He started leading me into the grove, but he felt my hesitation because he squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. “Hey, there’s nothing here that can hurt you, and if there was I’d protect you. I promise.”

“I know. Sorry.” I swallowed past the weird little knot of fear that had formed in my throat, squeezed his hand back, and we walked into the grove.

“You’re back, Z. Really back. And you’re safe.”

“Doesn’t it remind you of the Otherworld, too?” I spoke quietly and Stark had to bend to hear me.

“Yeah, but in a good way.”

“Me, too, most of the time. I feel stuff here that makes me think of Nyx and her realm.”

“I think it has something to do with how old this place is, and how apart from the world it’s been. Okay, it’s over here,” he said. “Seoras was telling me about this, and I thought I saw it just before you came up. This is what I wanted to show you.” Stark pointed ahead and to the right of us, and I gasped in pleasure. One of the trees was glowing. From within the craggy lines in its thick bark, a soft blue light glistened, as if the tree had luminous veins.

“It’s amazing! What is it?”

“I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation—probably something about phosphorous plants and stuff, but I’d rather believe it’s magick, Scottish magick,” Stark said.

I looked up at him, smiled, and tugged at his plaid. “I like calling it magick, too. And speaking of Scottish stuff, I’m seriously liking you in this outfit.”

He glanced down at himself. “Yeah, weird that what’s basically a dress made out of wool can look so manly.”

I giggled. “I’d like to hear you tell Seoras and the rest of the Warriors that they’re wearing woolly dresses.”

“Hell, no. I just came from the Otherworld, but that doesn’t mean I have a death wish.” Then he seemed to reconsider what I’d just said, and added, “You like me in this, huh?”

I crossed my arms and walked a circle around him, giving him a serious once-over while he watched me. The colors of the MacUallis plaid always reminded me of the earth—weirdly enough, Oklahoma red dirt earth to be specific. That distinctive rusty brown was mixed with lighter just-changed-leaves and bark-like gray-black, lighter just-changed-leaves. He wore it the ancient way, like Seoras had taught him, pleating all those yards of material by hand and then wrapping himself into it and securing it with belts and cool old brooches (except I didn’t think Warrior guys called them brooches). He had another piece of plaid that he could pull up over his shoulders, which was a good thing because except for the crisscross leather belt things, all he wore over his chest was a sleeveless T-shirt that left lots of his skin bare.

He cleared his throat. His half grin made him look a little boyish and kinda nervous. “So? Do I pass your inspection, my queen?”

“Totally.” I grinned. “With a big A-plus.”

I liked it that even though he was a big, tough Guardian, he looked relieved. “Glad to hear it. Check out how handy all this wool is.” He took my hand and led me closer to the glowing tree, and sat down, spreading part of his plaid out over the moss. “Have a seat, Z.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” I said, curling up beside him. Stark pulled me into his arms and flipped up the edge of the kilt over me so that I was warm, cocooned in what felt like a lovely Warrior-and-plaid sandwich.

We lay there like that for what seemed like a long time. We didn’t talk. Instead we sank into a beautiful, comfortable silence. It felt right to be in Stark’s arms. Safe. And when his hands started to move, tracing the pattern of my tattoos, first on my face and then down my neck, that felt right, too.

“I’m glad they came back,” Stark said softly.

“It was because of you,” I whispered back. “Because of what you made me feel in the Otherworld.”

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “You mean scared and freaked out?”

“No,” I said, touching his face. “You made me feel alive again.”

His lips went from my forehead to my mouth. He kissed me deeply and then, against my lips, he said, “That’s good to hear, ’cause the whole thing with Heath, and almost losing you, has made me know something for real that I only kinda knew before. I can’t live without you, Zoey. Maybe I’ll only be your Guardian, and you’ll have another consort or even a mate, but whoever else you have in your life won’t change who I am to you. I’ll never get pissed and selfish again and leave you. No matter what. I’ll deal with other guys, and it won’t change us. I swear.” He sighed then and pressed his forehead against mine.

“Thank you,” I said. “Even if it does kinda sound like you’re giving me away to other guys.”

He leaned back, frowned at me, and said, “That’s just bullshit, Z.”

“Well, you just said that it’s cool with you if I’m with—”

“No!” He shook me a little. “I didn’t say I was cool with you being with other guys. I said I wouldn’t let it break up what we have.”