Of Blood and Aether (Harbingers, #1)

by Harper Hawthorne

“Your Resonant element of aether?” “Light.” And Shadow. And Fire. And Water. And Earth. And Air.

Under any other circumstance, I would gladly allow this beautiful creature to be the death of me for a night.

Unless there was some other short, deliciously soft, doe-eyed woman I’d accidentally ensnared recently and didn’t know about, Grant had to be talking about Arken, and she went well beyond “kinda cute.”

“I would like to be your friend, though. I don’t really do that much, either… But for you, I think I’ll have to make an exception.”

I did. I absolutely did have a list of places I wanted to take Arken around the city, and that list had been growing by the hour every time I passed by something or somewhere I thought she might enjoy.

“I act differently around you,” he explained. “More like a person, and less like their captain. And I’ve just been in a better mood lately, which is also arguably your fault.”

But I’m also dead set on carving my own path. Fuck the Fates.”

“If you’ve got time to ogle her, you’ve got time for another lap!” he shouted across the field, his voice taking on a low rumble of authority. “Get on it, freshlings!”

She was like me, understanding that sometimes closeness was a much-needed comfort, one that we could give each other without sexual ties or mixed messages. We were both just very physical creatures, craving touch.

“There is no end date on that warning. Touch her again, uninvited, and find out what happens.”

“Don’t… Come back here, please.” Please don’t run away from me, Arken. Not now.

“You are,” he whispered. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Arken. It devastates me. You know that, don’t you?”

And I would go to the literal ends of this realm and back to taste the rest of her again.

“Oh, I am going to fucking ruin you when we get home,” he hissed beneath his breath.

Because you’re in love with her. You’re in love with her, and now you have something you’re not willing to lose.

I wanted her heart. I would die for it. I would kill for it. I didn’t deserve it—I could live a thousand lifetimes and still never possibly deserve it, but that wasn’t enough to stop me. Though perhaps it should have been.

I immediately pocketed the stone, knowing that Arken would adore it. As I so adored her.

If I wasn’t already in love with the woman, I might have fallen right then and there. Holy fuck.

I would ruin her for anyone else. She was fucking mine.

she wouldn’t have realized that I’d just called her my lover in my mother tongue.

“Táieach kyn chroí, myon-Caindélach,” I whispered. I love you, Little Conduit.

I tore out the Ravenhound’s jugular with my teeth, letting his corpse drop to the ground without any semblance of respect.

My weakness. My heart. My whole fucking heart.

Arken was the second Harbinger.