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

through, and that would crush her.
    “I think we should take a short break. You need to keep up your strength.”
    “I told you. I’m not hungry.” She squirmed under the weight of her pack while pushing forward, fighting against the pull of the load on her back.
    She was angry, but that didn’t make her invincible. “You clearly need a break, Zanya.”
    “Would you stop being so fussy? I’m a big girl, Arwan, and I know when I’m tired.” She continued walking with more determination.
    He squared his jaw and caught up in a few long strides. He grabbed the nylon handle of her backpack and yanked, stopping her mid-step. Her arms flailed as she fought to keep her balance, and she spun around to face him. He didn’t expect to fall victim to the bitterness that poured from behind her eyes.
    She balled her fists. “What?”
    “What’s wrong with you?”
    “You know…” She pursed her lips. “Never mind. Let’s just go. We don’t have time for this.” She turned and stalked back up the trail. A few moments later she glanced over her shoulder and noticed he hadn’t moved. She stopped. “What are you doing?”
    “I was fine with giving you space, but if you’re upset with me, you need to tell me why.”
    She scoffed and faced him. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
    “You’re angry.”
    “Oh, really?” She threw her hands in the air. “That’s a very astute observation. Anything else, or can we go now?”
    “Is it because of last night? Zanya, please. I just didn’t want to—”
    “Yeah, you made that much really, really clear.” She crossed her arms and hung her head, digging into the soil with the toe of her shoe.
    He let out a long exhale. “You didn’t let me finish.” She waved her hand, as if saying go ahead . He cleared his throat. “Trust me. I wanted to.” He slowly closed the space between them. “But you have to understand that I need you to be sure, and you can’t be sure. Not yet.” He trailed his fingers down her arm.
    She jerked away. “Don’t—” She glanced up at his face. “Don’t touch me.”
    He stepped back. “You don’t want me to touch you?”
    “I…” She looked away. “I do, but…”
    He gathered her in his arms and hugged her close. She didn’t respond at first. But soon she uncrossed her arms, slid them around him, and rested her head against his chest.
    “Why are you trying to torture me?”
    He pulled back and stared into her face. “What are you talking about?”
    “You keep…” She stepped back and extended her hand, then let it scale the length of his body. “…looking like that . And when you kiss me, I swear, it feels like you really want me, you know? And I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. I can’t seem to control this feeling.” She shook her hands out as if they were cramped, then rested them on her hips and hung her head.
    A grin pushed through. He couldn’t help it.
    Her head bobbed up and her lips parted. “Well, I’m glad you’re so amused. Ugh. I should have known better than to tell you.” She covered her face with her hands. “This is so humiliating.”
    He let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around her again. “It’s all right, Zanya. I’m so sorry you’re suffering like this. But if it makes you feel any better, it’s not your fault.”
    She uncovered her face. “What do you mean?”
    He couldn’t stop grinning. “It’s the solstice that’s making you…imbalanced.” He hooked his thumbs around the straps of his backpack. “I remember when my first real solstice hit me.”
    “Wait. What do you mean? What hit you?”
    “Think of it as a rite of passage. When a Riyata reaches maturity, their abilities take hold. You just turned eighteen, so it makes sense you’re going through this now. Plus you recently bonded with your stone, and you’ve been using your powers more. That’s good, but it creates…side effects. Your inner ability is being awakened by the pull of the energy of the solstice