Chapter 5
A ripple of unease slid down Vius’ spine, heavy and oppressive as pitch. It was so at odds with the beauty of green-tinted Alahanai. The fecund scent of the vast forest rose up around him as his horse’s hooves disturbed the black earth under gargantuan trees, grass sparse from lack of direct light. Something lurked in the air, some old power that called to a baser part of Vius’ mind and magic, something that pulled and tangled and seduced him with a dark strength. He shivered in the warm air of midday and nudged his horse closer to his husband.
Vius nearly flinched when Solna’s broad hand brushed against his arm. He glanced up and was caught by concerned gray eyes and a smile. “Troubled, husband?”
“A little,” Vius replied, but couldn’t find it in himself to explain more than t
