Divine Evolution (2021 Watty Awards Shortlist)

CHAPTER TWELVE

It was a pain like nothing she'd ever experienced. It burned not just along her back, but throughout her body. From the top of her head, to her toes, to the tips of her fingers, everything burned. The pain was sharp, searing, and vicious as it twisted through her limbs. She screamed until her voice broke, the cries turning raw and hoarse. She tried to arch away, searching for a place where nothing hurt. Impossible as the pain flowed into her and around her, creating pools of fire she couldn't escape. Awareness of her surroundings vanished. Everything was pulled inward, into the consuming fire. Nothing escaped, not even thought or breath, smell or light.

When it seemed like her mind might snap from the punishing fire, it ended. The relief was so blissfully intense, she simply lay where she was, oblivious to her surroundings. All that mattered was the world was some place cool again and every breath didn't feel like swallowing fire.

She opened her eyes and saw darkness. No, not quite dark. There was a tiny flicker of light in the distance. She winced, lifting a hand to shield her eyes. Instantly there was movement around her, as if the act of raising her hand had caused the world to stutter back to life.

"Cyann." Niko knelt beside her, an anxious look on his face. His short hair stuck out in all directions as if he'd run his fingers through it in agitation. "You're all right." He said the words as if willing them to be true, though he didn't sound as if he believed them.

She nodded, wanting to put him at ease. "I think I'm fine."

And when she spoke, she did sound fine. There was no evidence of the screams that had worn her throat raw. No reminder of the pain searing its way to her belly. She pushed herself to her elbows, realizing she lay on her stomach, in a bed, naked except for a sheet covering her. Her bare arms were whole and intact—which was just too unreal considering she'd thought they'd been burned away. Looking around, she saw only a few of the room's many candles still burned—those farthest away, on the other side of the room. The sun had set, and even the Three Sisters had left the nighttime sky. How much time had passed?

Niko dropped his head across his forearms where they rested on the bed and his shoulders slumped. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch his hair. She marveled at how soft the silky blond strands were when the rest of him was so hard.

"Do you hurt anywhere?" he asked, voice muffled by the bed.

"I'd tell you if I did." Her hand stilled in his hair. "What happened?"

He raised his head to meet her eyes. "I knew there might be some discomfort for you. There can be during the second mark, but it never occurred to me your blood might reject the spherions in mine and try to prevent the link. The first mark was so simple, I didn't think the second would be a problem. I wouldn't have allowed this to continue if I thought that would happen. The pain you endured..." He ran his hand over his face and through his hair again. His expression was haunted. "Watching you go through it was a nightmare."

"But it's over now, and nothing hurts," she rushed to assure him. "Are we linked? Did the binding work?"

"Yes, but it isn't active. I've closed it for now." His eyes drifted back to her. "Something changed in you. All the candles flared and I barely got them out. It was like you lost control of everything you were and some power in you broke free once your body absorbed my blood. And the mark on your back...It's..."

"It's what?" she asked, panicked as his voice drifted, rising up higher on her elbows as if that might help her see her own back. "What's wrong?"

He put a hand on her, holding her down. "Nothing. It didn't fade as it should. It's beautiful. The wings shimmer in the light—dark gold mixed with a soft green. They look real, as if they might open up and..." His fingers traced the pattern. His eyes were on hers. "You look like you might fly away if I removed my hand."