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Chapter Fifteen

Above her, the sky twisted through various configurations of sunset hues.

The group of spirits had swiftly set this new adventure into motion without much protest. They all seemed eager to show Sang the highlights of what the Astral offered. She had the smallest suspicion that the decision had been guided by their attempts to avoid their previous subject matter, but for now, she agreed that the matter was best left to rest.

Meanwhile, lithe and callused fingers tangled with her own, gently guiding Sang through the forest. Gabriel wouldn't release her hand. It was a good thing. If Sang had her way, she'd stand there forever to admire the beautiful flora. The path their group traveled upon was surrounded by blossoming flowers and small, yet thick evergreen trees.

Similar to the flowers she'd seen before, the tiny blossoms dotting their path shimmered unnaturally. While their coloring didn't change nearly as flamboyantly, their iridescent coloring was shifting, flowing from silver to gold depending on the range of the tree's shadows. Despite the promise of exploration, Sang couldn't tear her gaze away from the beautiful petals.

It didn't go unnoticed. Curious blue eyes watched her reaction before Nathan stepped off the path and into the thickets. Easily plucking a blossom between his fingers, he traversed back to the path and smirked when he caught Sang's eye, "Here."

"You didn't have to—" Sang cut herself off in awe when the petals changed again. Sensing her hesitance, Nathan lifted her hand on his own accord and laid it into her palm. Sang's timid fingers curled over the flower with a minuscule grin, "Thank you, Nathan."

"No problem," tucking his hands behind his neck, the spirit of courage grinned, "It's pretty, so it suits you."

From her left, Gabriel squeezed her palm with an infinitesimal scoff, "Way to be subtle, shithead."

"Don't just hand her shit without warning her," North's voice echoed from the back of the group before the spirit stomped forward, "That crap's poison to humans."

Nathan merely rolled his eyes, sharing a conspiratorial look with Victor, "Don't worry man, you know it's only poisonous if she eats it."

While his tone set North into another bout of anger, it prompted Sang to consider her surroundings with a new level of wariness. Green eyes scanned the fauna warily as she subtly ran her thumb over the silky stem of the metallic flower. When nothing dangerous immediately caught her notice, she ventured, "I— I can eat here? How?"

"Just like how you'd eat at home," Luke spun on his heel to answer her. His eyes flashed with mirth and a tinge of orange from the realm's odd sunset, "Open your lips, put it in your mouth—"

From his position at the front, Kota released a noise torn between a sigh and a groan, "Luke."

"Ignore him, aggele mou," nearly bending over her, Silas's soft breaths torched the skin of her skin as he whispered, "He's being a fool."

Despite nodding her head in mute agreement, Sang couldn't halt the color crawling over her cheeks when Luke winked in vivacious amusement. In an attempt to ease the embarrassment, she tightened her grip on Gabriel's hand, allowing his calloused fingers to intertwine further with her own. She failed to notice to grin that dotted his face with the action.

"Uhm," once her face cooled, Sang peered at the spirits assembled around her. Sean and Owen had declined their invitation, citing their need to speak as the reason. "Where are we going?"

Breaking away from his spot beside Nathan, Victor tilted his head to meet her gaze. His earlier self-depreciation hadn't yet faded, but his eyes retained their flame, "There's a small beach a few minutes away. There isn't much to see, but we thought..."