I keep an eye on Walker the second we wake up and start walking again. The man doesn't seem to be as outwardly violent today though, as if the fact that he nearly got the life burned out of him last night has taken some of his anger away.

  Who in their right mind would purposefully try to get themselves set on fire?

  And if it didn't work, if I couldn't summon the gift to protect myself, how far would he have gone, how far would he have pushed before stopping?

  Would he have stopped at all?

  I know how angry the man is with me, how pissed he is about me leaving Orrtyn, who I know he loves to some degree, at this point, even if he's never said it.

  I glance at the man, finding his eyes already on me. We're not exactly walking side by side since there's about five feet in between us, but we're walking about level since neither of us seem to trust the other to actually not stab us in the back. It doesn’t matter that it’s broad daylight in the middle of a wasteland with three other men around.

  Any trust we’ve built is completely gone. I could barely sleep for more than five seconds last night before waking up and making sure the maniacal man wasn’t standing over me with a dagger about to pierce my heart.

  Orrtyn is walking between Orrael and Elyjah and I know the man is enraged with his friend. He'd chewed him out last night though Walker didn't seem to care, rolling his eyes at the man's remarks about hurting me.

  "Something you want to say, princess?" The man snarks.

  I narrow my eyes at him, my gaze landing on his arm. While I couldn't see the full extent of the damage last night, I saw it this morning. The man has blisters from his wrist to his upper arm.

  It's going to scar.

  Well, it's not like he doesn't already have a bunch of them all over his body, I try to reason with myself. Plus, it’s not my fault that he wanted to play Russian Roulette with his fucking life.

  Yet as I look at the scar, my fingers itch and my skin tingles.

  "What the fuck are you doing?" Walker asks sharply, his lips pressing into a frown.

  I look at him in confusion and only realize then that at some point my feet carried me closer to the man. He's tense, as if he expects me to stab him in the arm.

  When my gaze rests on my hand on his wrist I know why he's so shocked.

  Why am I touching him?

  I can't quite figure out why, but his skin feels nice under mine, warm, as if it's supposed to be there, and there's this burning urge in me. I shake my head as that tingling starts again, this time, strongly in my palm. I look down at my hand and when Walker tries to snatch away, I hold on tighter, not caring that I'm squeezing his already injured arm.

  "Guys, don't tell me you're fighting again," this comes from Elyjah who sounds absolutely exasperated as he turns to watch us and now that I'm focusing, I notice all the men are watching.

  "I didn't do anything to her," Walker growls. "She's holding my arm captive and I'm seconds away from defending myself, so you better make her stop, or...." His words trail off as his body jerks slightly and his gaze lands on his arm. "What the hell?" he questions with wide eyes.

  "What?" Orrtyn asks as he walks closer and he stops short as he looks at Walker's arm.

  What's the big deal?

  The feeling of needing to touch Walker fades and when I look down at his arm, I see why the men are so shocked.

  Where there was once a swarm of blisters, the skin is now smooth and clear, only a few scars remaining, and they all look old.

  "Shit," Orrtyn breathes, drawing my attention to him.

  My eyes land on his shoulder, that tingling sensation and the urge to touch him resumed again, so I do. My hand covers where I know the wound in his shoulder is and he sucks in a sharp breath as my fingers start to tingle even more.

  Once the feeling leaves, I pull away. Orrtyn and Walker are both staring at me. After a moment, Walker's fingers move to unwrap the cloth around Orrtyn's shoulder, and we all look in disbelief at the wound that is now gone.

  "You have two gifts," This comes from Orrael who is now standing near us and looking between Elyjah and Orrtyn in shock. "Like Orrtyn."

  Two gifts?

  I’d thought that it was a possibility very briefly but had written it off quickly. I’d try to put the healing down to something in my blood since it seemed to only work on myself, whenever it wanted to. But now, with proof in front of me...

  "That's why all your wounds have been healing so quickly, you have a healing gift," Orrael says confirming my thoughts. Even Elyjah is standing at the edge of our little group now.

  It seems as if the tension from Walker trying to kill me has now shifted as we all stand around and observe the new revelation.

  "I can't believe this." Orrael's voice is full of awe as he takes in the now healed wounds. "You've been able to access both of your gifts, without the ritual."

  I pull my lips in, studying the two wounds that I healed and knowing that this is all crazy.

  Holy shit, two gifts.

  Why did they only show up when I came back to Caelumine?

  "We should be thanking me for triggering this," Walker says arrogantly, not the least bit grateful for me healing the wounds that he made me inflict on him.

  Elyjah only shakes his head at the man before glancing up at me. "Do you feel like you control the powers now?"

  I think about it, but I already know the answer. With the healing, there was this urge, this tingle, and I don't feel it at the moment. "No."

  He nods, "We'll work on it."

  Everyone seems to be trapped in their own thoughts as we continue walking and at some point Elyjah turns to look at me.

  We've fallen back into the same walking pattern, but he slows down until he's between the large space in the middle of Walker and I. "I was wondering something," he says he's very hesitant with the words, as if the question he has is going to be something I won't like.

  I nod, "Okay, what is it?"

  He hesitates for a little longer before nodding to himself as if coming to an agreement about something. "Why are you so adamant about saving Brielyn?"

  The question catches me off guard slightly and I glance up at the man, studying his face.

  If he thinks I'm going to call this off, then he has another thing coming.

  "You know if you don't want to be here, you don't have to be, I'm not forcing you to be here."

  He blows out a short breath, his expression pinching together. "I knew you’d take that the wrong way... I just, I just want to know what you're reasoning is behind this, why you're so passionate about it. You were determined to go after the man, no matter what the rest of us said."

  I think his words over.

  Why am I so sure that going after Brielyn is the right thing to do? I nearly killed Walker when he tried to stop me. I was so adamant about this and yet I don't know why.

  After a little thinking the answer comes to me. "Because he's my friend." It's such a simple statement. "If something happened to Orrael, you'd make sure to go after him." I turn my gaze upward until my eyes meet his. "If it was Orrtyn or even Walker, no matter how much of a jerk he is, you'd go after him."

  He doesn't argue with me because we both know it's true. No matter how much Walker may act like a jerk or throw his weight around, this little group is a family closer than any I've seen before and they'd die for each other. And I don't just mean Orrael would die for Elyjah or Walker would die for Orrtyn. They may seem paired off at times, but they're a close unit and they have a brotherhood amongst themselves that runs thicker than blood, that will call for death without flinching.

  "Yes," Elyjah agrees. He hesitates again. "But I have known Orrtyn and Orrael my whole life and Walker has been part of our group for over a decade. We've formed a bond that has fostered over years through blood, tears and... even death." Pain flashes in his eyes and I watch as his shoulders tense some. "You've known Brielyn for a couple of weeks."

  It's true, I've only known the bright haired and mischievous man for a few weeks but we've grown close and he's proved that I can trust him and that he's got my back and I value that more than how long we've known each other.

  "You've only known me for a few weeks and yet you saved my life from Delia and the guards. You'd known me for even less than I now know Brielyn."

  He doesn't argue with that. "True, but..."

  "But what?" I ask, feeling that he's dying to ask me something directly.

  "Are you looking at the big picture?" He finally asks.

  I glance up at him. "Huh? What big picture?"

  His hair becomes a bit uneven and his lips press together tightly. "The Calling," he finally says. "Only one person will survive it, and we both know who's the better warrior. With the Gauntlet coming up it's going to kill or be killed."

  His words hit me in the chest and pain rips through as I know what he's saying is true. The thought has passed through my mind more than a couple of times.

  I can't help the flush that takes over my face as my heart thumps quicker. "I don't want to talk about it."

  I'll find a way to make it work.

  I turn to look at him directly when my eyes meet Walker's instead. His jaw is clenched, and his green eyes are glued to me. I have a feeling the same thought is going through both our heads.

  Brielyn isn't the only competitor that I’ve grown closer to that I’ll have to worry about in The Gauntlet.

  Only one can survive.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  "Hold on," Walker says, suddenly stopping. At some point he made his way to the front of the group, walking beside Orrael. I expected there to be more tension between the two considering they've been at each other's throats all day but instead I'd watched in surprise as the two started casually chatting. I’d even heard Orrael laughing at something the other man said and couldn't believe it.

  First off, I’ve never heard Walker say or do anything even remotely funny, the man has no sense of humor. Second, we're in the middle of a serious mission to save a man. Third, Orrael threatened to stab Walker because he doesn't like the way the man is with his brother and yet...

  "What's up?" Elyjah asks, pausing beside Walker and looking at the man.

  "Ragna feels off," he says, and I squint, trying to figure out how in the hell he knows that. "And I felt that there's something too," He says, glancing around us. "There's something going on here." His body is coiled and ready to attack as if expecting something to pop up out of nowhere.

  I frown, glancing around but nothing seems off. Yet, if Ragna and Walker both think so...

  I draw Gwev.

  Walker suddenly stiffens and I swear the man lets out an actual hiss before his stance completely changes. He doesn't reach for his swords or his bow or any other weapon. Instead, he widens his feet, his body stiff as Ragna flies away from him. I don't even see where the bird goes, too focused on the man in front of me who's seemed to become a different person entirely.

  I'm used to Walker posturing and being tough, but something about the way in which he does it this time is different... Its-

  A bird breaks through the tree line and when I see that it’s one of those big ones I’ve been dreading, my thoughts cut off completely.

  It stands a foot taller than even Walker, having to be close to eight feet. It’s big, blue wings are long and wide. The neck has to be the length of my arm and spikes form on it, the same as its sharp tail. Long, orange talons dig into the ground as it moves forward, threateningly.

  The bird’s gaze is locked on Walker and he stares back without flinching. It strikes me that they don't look much different.

  That's what it is, there's something animalistic about the man right now.

  He lets out another one of those hisses and his knees bend slightly as he cranes his head.

  My grip on Gwev tightens.

  Does the man think we're just going to sit around waiting to become food while he hisses at the animal?

  There's no fucking way.

  I go to move my arm, but a grip on my wrist stops me and I look up to find Orrtyn standing next to me. His brows are pinched together and his grip on my arm is firm as he stares at Walker and the bird. Finally, he turns his head, his gaze meeting mine. He shakes his head and my brows crease, but I remain still.

  But I'm not going to fucking just stand here if those things attack.

  I look around at the group and while, yes, they look slightly tense, it isn't in the same way or on the same level as me. It's like they're worried, but not really, as they keep an eye on Walker and the animals. I note that none of them make sudden moves.

  Walker lets out a longer hiss and then the man moves so suddenly, so quickly, that it catches me off guard.

  The bird lets out a squawk before it’s big wings flap, a sharp noise moving through the air. For a minute I think the bird is attacking, until I realize it’s retreating, flying away from… Walker?

  The big man turns around and when I look at his eyes, the greenness in them looks to be brighter than usual, shinier.

  I feel like I've seen the look before and as I think, I remember it was in the obstacle. When we were under attack by animals, some of which suddenly retreated and ran away when I expected them to attack.

  How many more surprises do these men have?

  I sigh, rubbing at the spot between my forehead as I blow out a breath. My eyes meet Walker's which have returned to their normal emerald shade. "So, what is it? What's your gift?"

  And does it come from the Loka Mountains like a Ragna or is it from Caelumine?

  I eye the man skeptically.

  He stares back at me and I think he's not going to answer my question but then he shakes his head, sighing. "I have a gift for animals."

  "You can turn into one?" I ask in confusion thinking of the way his stance changes and he hisses. But physically, nothing else changed.

  He looks slightly offended as he stares at me before he shakes his head. "No, I can't turn into one." The man sounds put off by the idea as if he doesn't have a bird lady who rides on his shoulder twenty-four seven.

  And yet the idea of him being a shapeshifter too is preposterous?

  He turns his nose up at me, his shoulders and chin high. "My gift is that I can communicate with them and control them."

  He did it multiple times in the obstacles, right in front of my face.

  "Anymore secrets or gifts I should know about?" I ask, turning to look between the men. They’re all watching me carefully. "If so, can we just get it all out in the air now?" Every time I look around the guys are throwing out new little things and I'd rather know them ahead of time from now on.

  "Nothing of importance," Elyjah says vaguely.

  Honestly, as we start back on our trek I expect for something more to happen but other than Ragna flying back on Walker's shoulder, nothing occurs.

  I eye the bird, who has flown away a couple of times before returning.

  "What is Ragna doing?" I ask, frowning. She turns her head, but not the rest of her body, staring at me creepily and looking as if she's going to actually answer my question herself while still in bird form which seems like a crazy thought.

  "What do you mean, what is she doing?" Walker asks, frowning at me as if by asking a question I'm threatening the bird.

  I roll my eyes, "She keeps flying off and since you're suddenly snow white and all the birds are on your dick, I want to know what's going on." Because it can't be innocent.

  “Snow who?” He shakes his head and lets out a grunt before I can respond to him. He tilts his head slightly before shrugging. "She's scouting," He says.

  "Scouting?"

  "She knows where the camp is," he says. "She's doing aerial scouting and then coming back to report to me to let me know if we're still on the right track and what we need to worry about when we get there."

  "That would have been nice to know from the beginning," I inform him.

  He rolls his eyes. "Well, surely you didn't think we were just walking around without a particular goal in mind."

  I take a deep breath to refrain from punching the man. "Well, do you feel like sharing what the bird has told you?" I ask him, rubbing at my temples.

  He hesitantly looks at me before rubbing at his jaw. "Samir is on camp and he has a little over a dozen guards with him, which should be easy enough to take out." He glances behind him at the royals who are trailing behind us. "We have to kill everyone because they can't be seen or else it'll get back to the queen and then we'll have some problems. It's already too big of a risk that the guard who took Brielyn saw the twins. And I know this is nothing but a fucking trap. That's the only reason they took your friend alive."

  It hadn't crossed my mind, but it makes sense. The men were probably given orders to either kill me or take a hostage to draw me out. And here I am playing into their hands.

  "They have six tents set up. There's one in the middle, it's Samir's from what Ragna has seen and it's where we'll find Brielyn. Ragna couldn't risk going into the tent, but she did see the men drag Brielyn in there."

  I nod at this, "How far out are we?"

  "A couple of miles, still," Walker says.

  I nod, watching as Ragna flies off his shoulder again.

  I have so many fucking questions about that bird.

  But I don't have time to think about that as the bird comes crashing back through the air seconds later and Walker tenses as his eyes widen. "Fuck, how?" Before I can ask what's wrong, he's drawing a sword. "Sixteen incoming-" His words are cut off as he jumps and then he's pushing me as an arrow lands where we were only moments ago. My body slams into the ground but I roll effortlessly to my feet within seconds.

  The other men start to move into action, but it becomes clear that we're in an ambush we weren't prepared for.

  "Shit," Walker says as if he knows this too. He looks at the royals and I follow his gaze to see Orrael's head gushing with a wound and Elyjah struggling to get a guard off of him.

  Walker pushes past guards, slicing and dicing as he makes his way to Elyjah. The man has managed to toss the guard off of him, but he is already coming back until Walker plants his sword in his throat. He looks over at the twins as they fight off men and then he's yanking Elyjah to his feet, tossing the man in their direction. "Go!" He shouts, making his way back in my direction where I'm fighting off guards.