Forged in Fire (The Forged Chronicles Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

find you.”
    I met his eyes. “I’m sorry your friends disappointed you. It sucks to find out the people you trusted the most could betray you.”
    “You are thinking of your step-sister?”
    “Yes.” I looked down. “And my ex. He betrayed me too.” Yet those problems seemed like a lifetime ago.
    “I will never betray you.” James’ eyes locked with mine. They were full of such emotion the connection felt physical.
    “You did hide information from me.” Important information, and that was something I couldn’t easily brush off.
    “I did, and I am sorry.”
    I nodded. I couldn’t hold that over his head considering I was hiding information from him. He had no idea about my dream, and I had no plans to change that. As much as I wanted to be open with him, something inside warned me to keep that part to myself.
    “Are you ready for that walk?” He held out his arm.
    “Absolutely. I’ve never been more ready.”

5
    James
    I linked my arm with Ainsley’s as I led her away from the tower. I wanted to make her happy, and if that meant risking the potential of having her near Gregor, I would have to deal with it.
    The clearing itself was very small, so the only place to walk was in the forest. There were sure to be creatures inside, but none of them posed a risk to me anymore. The darkness inside of me could defeat anything and everything. Although such immense power was frightening, it was also invigorating.
    The power served a purpose. It would help me protect Ainsley, and it would ensure she was always mine.
    The thought of losing her swirled through my head. Everyone wanted to take her from me. I was sure of that. Even Gregor, the man my father left to aid me in battle. He could pretend his only goal was the war, but he had other ambitions. I could tell by the way he said her name. I would make sure he never laid a hand on her.
    We walked deeper into the forest, and Ainsley held onto my arm tighter. I unlinked our arms and instead put my arm around her. She immediately leaned into my side. I kissed the top of her head. “You are safe with me.”
    She rested her head on my chest. “This place is creepy.”
    “I cannot deny that.” I pulled her closer. “But it contains nothing that will hurt you.”
    “What about tree roots?” She squinted in the growing darkness. “Will they grab me?”
    I hated to see her fear, but I knew suggesting we return to the tower would only upset her again. “No. They will not.”
    “How do you know?”
    Because those roots are in my control now . I could not speak that answer out loud, so I chose another that was technically true. “Because this is a different forest.”
    “Oh.” Ainsley glanced all around. “I kind of thought those were everywhere.”
    “Energo is a diverse land as I am sure you have seen. Just as the temperature can change drastically in only a few miles, so can the dangers.”
    “I assume there are other dangerous things here.” Ainsley held on tighter.
    “Yes.” The most dangerous being me, but she would never need to fear me. I would never hurt her. I promised to keep my heart pure for her, and I had no intentions of going back on the promise.
    She adjusted her hold on my arm. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
    “You can ask me anything.” I stopped and turned her in my arms so we were looking at each other.
    “This is very personal.” She grazed her teeth over her bottom lip.
    “What could be more personal than the intimacies we are already sharing?” Merely speaking of intimacy had my body aroused. I wished we were back in the tower.
    “This is a different kind of personal.”
    “Ok. Ask me.” I was unsure what question was coming, but I would answer her. I wanted to be as open with her as possible.
    She clasped her hands together in front of her. “Do you have a faith?”
    “Faith?” I was taken aback by the question. I am not sure what I expected exactly, but it was not that.
    “Yes. I mean. Ok. So all this talk