Heart of the Beast (The Shards of Solheart Book 1) by Robyn Sparks

Author:Robyn Sparks [Sparks, Robyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-10-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

A GROWING BOND

The forest around them feels like it's watching.

Every twisted branch, every shadow leans closer, as if straining to catch the whispered secrets carried on the thick, oppressive air. Brynn moves silently, muscles tense, her gaze fixed on the path ahead. She can feel Luca’s presence beside her, close enough that his every breath, every quiet step seems to resonate against her senses.

He stays with her, always just a step behind, always watching, his presence a soft, steady weight that somehow manages to keep the worst of the darkness at bay. It makes something inside her twist and tighten, some fragile, aching thing she doesn’t have a name for.

It’s not new—this strange warmth, this slow, creeping sense of something unfurling between them—but ever since she let herself lean on him, it’s grown stronger.

“Brynn,” Luca says softly, breaking the silence.

She flinches, shoulders tensing instinctively, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t press. Just waits, quiet and patient, until she finally slows to a reluctant halt.

“What is it?” she mutters, turning just enough to glance at him.

“I thought we could… talk,” he suggests, his voice light but careful, as if testing the weight of each word. “Might as well try to make this journey… pleasant?”

“Pleasant,” she repeats flatly, raising an eyebrow. “This—” She gestures to the dark, twisted forest around them, the path choked with vines and thorn-covered roots. “This is your idea of pleasant?”

His mouth quirks up, a small, wry smile that catches her off-guard. The expression softens his face, making his blue eyes brighten and his dark blonde hair catch the dim light filtering through the trees. He shouldn’t look so handsome standing in the middle of this cursed place, but somehow, he does. It sends a strange flutter through her chest.

“No, not exactly,” he admits. “But I figured we could at least try to make it a little less miserable.”

Brynn huffs, a reluctant smirk tugging at her lips. “And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

“Well…” He glances away, his expression thoughtful. “Why don’t I tell you something surprising?”

Surprising? She narrows her eyes, studying him carefully. Luca always seems so… steady. So calm. Like nothing can shake that quiet, unyielding determination of his. The idea of him doing anything surprising is almost laughable.

“Go on, then,” she says dryly, folding her arms. “Surprise me.”

His smile softens, and he looks down, almost shyly. “When I was a child,” he begins slowly, his voice low and a little wistful, “I used to sleep with books in my bed.”

Brynn blinks, caught off-guard. “Books?”

“Mhm.” He glances up at her, a small, self-deprecating smile tugging at his lips. “I’d pile them up around me, sometimes four or five at a time, just to keep me company.”

Brynn stares at him, incredulous. “You slept with books?”

“Yes.” He laughs softly, shaking his head. “I know. It sounds ridiculous. But… I was alone a lot as a child. My father was always off on some adventure, and there wasn’t anyone else around. So I started sneaking books into my bed at night—stories, histories, anything I could find.

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