The Dove (Prophecy Series) by Sharon Sala

and the temple was a dark reminder of that time. The good part about Firewalker was that it had killed Landon Prince before he killed them. And now that they were here in Naaki Chava, they didn’t need illusion and tricks to be the eyes and ears for Cayetano. What they knew was real.
    By the time they reached the temple, a large number of people were waiting. The men in the group would do the heavy lifting and the women would clean. But as everyone started inside, Tyhen hung back.
    Yuma saw the dark frown on her face and picked up on her reluctance. “Is everything okay?”
    “No.”
    Adam looked back. “Are you coming?”
    She repeated her answer. “No. I am not welcome there.”
    Evan frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “The spirits do not want me.”
    Adam frowned. “We will perform a cleansing ceremony after we finish, and clear the air of any angry spirits.”
    “I want no part of it,” she said, still remembering what she’d dealt with at the gorge.
    “We will see you later,” Yuma said and led her away.
    She was quiet as they walked.
    Yuma had his spear, so instead of walking back through the city, the fact that he was armed made him comfortable enough to take the trail through the jungle that led back to the palace. It would be a change of scenery and hopefully take her mind off of dark things.
    Little did Yuma know, but Tyhen’s mind was not on dark things, but on the rise and fall of Yuma’s chest, and the way his hair moved against his neck with the rhythm of his stride. Everything about him was pleasing to her eyes. She thought about the journey to come in the days ahead, and what it would be like to take it with him. She already trusted him, and she had love for him, but she had yet to share that love with him.
    “What are you thinking?” Yuma asked.
    Tyhen was taken aback that he’d asked her that question when the answer would have been “thinking of you.” Instead, she gave him a less specific response.
    “The uncertainty of our future.”
    He took her hand as he set his spear against a tree. “We may not know the details of what we’ll find or the dangers we’ll face, but we know what we’re supposed to do. That is a given, as are the feelings I have for you. There is nothing uncertain about that, and I have never denied them or hidden them from you.”
    “I know, but—”
    He put a thumb over her mouth. “The word ‘but’ does not exist between us.”
    He took her hand and pressed it over his heart, then put the flat of his hand on her breasts. Her face flushed, but she stood her ground.
    “Feel that?” he asked.
    “I feel your heartbeat.”
    “No. Close your eyes,” he said softly, and then when she did, he asked again. “Do you feel it now?”
    For a few moments she didn’t move, and then all of a sudden her eyes flew open, her lips parting in amazement.
    “They beat in rhythm! Our hearts beat at the same time, at the same pace!”
    He pulled her close, so close he could feel the warmth of her breath against his face.
    “Apart, we are a man and a woman. Together, we are one.”
    Tyhen shivered. The ache to know him was strong.
    Yuma could see the want in her eyes. This day had been a long time coming. “Only you, little whirlwind, can tell me when to stop.”
    He cupped her cheeks, slid his mouth across her lips, centering on the warmth and settling into the kiss like they had done it a thousand times before.
    When the world began to spin, Tyhen put her arms around his neck. It was better than she could have ever imagined and then it was not enough. Her heart was pounding and there was a knot in the pit of her stomach.
    Yuma didn’t dare take his hands from her face for fear of where he’d put them next. He’d known forever that the kiss would never be enough, and then she moaned.
    He tore his mouth from her lips.
    She staggered then opened her eyes. “I didn’t say to stop.”
    “But I heard—”
    She grabbed his shoulders in frustration.
    “What you heard is