“That was... I wasn’t expecting that. I...” He drew in another shallow breath, seeming at a loss for words. “I don’t think you know what...that meant to me. I’ve always... God, I used to worry about how I really looked. I guess a part of me still does.”

“You have no reason.” I leaned back so I could see his face. His cheeks were flushed a deeper hue. “Like I said before, you’re beautiful in both forms. And just to sound extra cheesy for you, it’s because of what’s in here.” I pressed a hand to his chest. “You say I have a light about me, but you are my light.”

Zayne reclaimed the space between us, kissing me. “You’re never getting rid of me now.”

“I wouldn’t want to.”

“I’ll remind you that you said that.” His smile held a sleepy quality to it. “You know, you’re perfect for me.”

A giddiness swept through me as I rocked forward, placing my hands on his shoulders and—

I stopped. There was something off about his shoulders. Three short grooves in his skin. Bright and seeping tiny beads of red. Blood.

Confusion replaced the bubbly warmth. “I think... I think I scratched you.”

“Huh.” He looked down, following my gaze. “You did.”

They were scratches—scratches that I’d caused. I jerked my hands back to my chest. “Oh my God.”

“It’s okay.” He grinned. “More than okay.”

Cold air poured into my chest as I stared at his skin—skin that I’d scratched with my fingernails, which didn’t make sense. At all. My wide gaze bounced to his face.

The smile faded from his face. “Trin, it’s okay—”

“No, it’s not.” I scrambled off him, standing and backing up until I knocked into the dresser. “I shouldn’t have been able to do that. Fingernails can’t pierce your skin, not even in your human form, but you weren’t... That shouldn’t have happened.”

“It’s...” Understanding dawned across his face. His gaze shot to mine. “Oh, Hell.”

37

Zayne’s skin was no longer Warden hard, even after he shifted back into Warden form and then again into human form. His skin was virtually human.

Meaning he was susceptible to weapons. Knives. Daggers. Bullets. Claws. Teeth. We knew this because he’d snatched one of my daggers and sliced open his palm before I could stop him.

He was still a Warden, with the strength and power of a Warden, but otherwise he was basically human. That was how important their stone-like skin was. It protected a whole lot of important things, like every single vein and organ in their bodies.

I knew why this had happened. Deep down, so did Zayne. This was the consequence I’d been dreading.