Lights of Aurora (The Stone Legacy Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

playing with strands between her fingers. It was all she could do not to seem obviously nervous. “Renato made a comment I can’t stop thinking about.” When he didn’t react, she continued. “He said you aren’t who I think you are.”
    Arwan’s jaw ticked. “He said that?”
    Zanya observed his tense shoulders. He was hiding something, and she had a right to know what it was. “Renato isn’t the only person who told me.”
    Arwan looked at her. “What do you mean?”
    “Sarian said the same thing. He said you and him aren’t very different. I just thought he was trying to manipulate me.”
    “And you believe him?”
    “You’re not giving me a reason not to.” The truth was, she didn’t know what to believe. If he insisted on staying silent, she’d have all the more reason to pry.
    “I guess you can believe whatever you want.” He turned his attention to the fire, poking at the burning embers with a stick.
    “That’s not fair.”
    “Fair or not, that’s all I can tell you.”
    “That’s all you will tell me, you mean.”
    “Stop prying, Zanya.”
    “Or what?”
    He stood and stared down at her. “Or you may find something out that you really don’t want to know.”
    She pushed to her feet, holding his gaze. “I have a right to know.”
    He fisted his hands, his chest heaving with every breath. He paced to the other side of the fire. “I knew eventually it would come to this.”
    Zanya wrapped her fingers around Cualli’s medallion as anxiety bubbled in her chest. “Come to what?”
    The flames slashed at the air as his piercing gaze bored a hole in her heart. “Are you sure you want to ask me this? Because if you ask, you have to be sure you want to know the answer.”
    In reality, she wasn’t so sure. His sudden change in demeanor was so unlike him, and that kind of one-eighty could only be caused by something serious. She shifted her weight. “You’re starting to scare me.”
    Anguish washed over his handsome features.
    She couldn’t bear seeing him with such a tortured expression for a second longer. She moved beside him and laid her hands on either side of his face. He shut his eyes. The despair radiating from his touch was nearly unbearable.
    She understood his longing. She had desired so much in her life—relief, acceptance, courage, peace—and never received any of it. Until she’d met Renato and the others. Being told she was precious was more of a reward than she could have ever hoped for. So she’d give him the acceptance he longed for. She’d give it to him without any more questions or accusations.
    Whatever he was hiding wasn’t worth tearing him apart to find out. Not over the word of Sarian. Not even over the word of Renato.
    “Listen to me. I won’t push you to tell me anything you don’t want to. I don’t know what could possibly be so bad—”
    “Will you still want me?” His voice was ragged.
    She furrowed her brow. “What?”
    “Just…please.” He buried his fingers in her hair and pressed his forehead against hers. “Tell me you will still want me, no matter who I am.”
    She sensed his anger, fear, agony—all radiating through his touch and the desperation in his tone.
    “Please believe me. I would never do anything to hurt you. No puedo vivir sin tu amor. ”
    She pushed a strand of hair out of his face and brushed her thumb over his eyebrow. “You know, you’ve got to start translating for me.”
    She waited for him to crack a smirk. When it failed to come, she kissed him anyway. The fire warmed her back while a chorus of sounds echoed around them. The jungle was deafening at night, but in that moment, his touch drowned out the noises.
    He slid his arms around her and crushed her against his chest. She squeaked, and then melted into him, twisting her fingers in his T-shirt, finding solid muscle underneath. She couldn’t help but push under the material to explore.
    His skin was warm, and her fingers brushed against a thin line of hair