"Can you slow down?!" I exclaim, my lungs burning."You’re the one who wanted to go for a hike," Jace calls back over his shoulder. I bend over, hands on my knees, completely out of breath. "I said a walk, not a hike! Gods, I’m so out of shape. And sore. What am I even doing?" I blow my hair out of my face, staring down at the forest floor. The sun has broken through the clouds, warming everything around us. The mist is gone, replaced by natural heat, and I wipe sweat from my brow. "We’re almost there," Jace says, turning around with ease, not even winded. "You’ve said that ten times," I bite out with a sigh. "That’s because you’ve stopped ten times in the last mile." He laughs, pointing ahead. "But we really are almost there." I shake my head and follow him, dragging my feet and regretting my life choices. Then, the forest opens up—and I gasp. We’re at the edge of the lake. It’s bright blue, perfectly still, and probably icy cold, but that doesn’t matter. I strip off my shirt
Last Updated : 2025-02-04 Read more