Page 17 of Ocean of Silver

I thought about just telling him. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with what haunted me. That was what my counselor said to me when I was little and I wouldn’t go near a fireplace or refused to burn a candle. She told me that it was just the stress from the trauma, and it was normal for some things to trigger it, that it would take time to heal. Was this the same thing?

No, it wasn’t. It was pathetic that I couldn’t even properly bathe. He probably thought I was stupid for being scared of the element that I possessed. I should be able to control water, but yet, it was controlling me.

If I just told him, I could avoid this panic rising in me. We could go back into the gym so I could work on training my body. But I couldn’t get myself to admit it. I couldn’t form the words to say that I was scared of the water. He should know anyway. It was cruel of him to make me speak it out loud. He was there when Kole made me show my memories to the King. When I was forced to relive the night he drowned me.

“You can’t make me go in,” was all I said in return.

He eyed me carefully in that annoying analytical way of his that made me uncomfortable. I shifted on my feet. “Yes, I can, but I would prefer not to force you to. I report to the King, who instructed me to train you and help you discover what your abilities are. All we know right now is that you possess something of water, but you are scared to death of it. In order to master your ability, you have to let go of that fear. The first step to that is admitting what your fear is. You shouldn’t be ashamed of it.”

“I’m not ashamed…” I started to say but stopped mid-sentence because I realized I was. It frustrated me that Kole affected me. It bothered me that I couldn’t function normally because of what he did to me.

“And,” Tezya said with a half smile, his scar rising slightly, “I could always just pick you up and throw you into the water.”

My mouth gaped open as I took a step back from him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I would,” his smile grew, and I couldn’t tell if he was serious or just messing around with me, but I wasn’t about to stick around to find out. “It’s just you and me in here, Rumor. No one will help you. No one will stop me from doing just that. Not even you.”

I ran.

I didn’t care that I looked absolutely pathetic and crazy. His expression made it seem like he was completely serious, and there was no way I was sticking around for him to throw me into that water.

I darted for the gym door and slammed it shut just as I saw his massive body sprinting after me. I fumbled for a lock and cursed loudly when I realized there were none. He was at the door before I knew it. I darted toward the stairs, knocking over weights, balls, mats, anything I could get my hands on to try to slow him down.

I made it up four steps before callused hands gripped my ankles, and I started to fall. He caught me around the waist before my face landed on the edge of the steps. I yelped as he swung me up against his chest. My legs draped over his arm while the other pushed open the door. He was only carrying me with one hand—one hand. I bristled as I struggled to escape his grasp, annoyed and disappointed in myself that I was utterly helpless against him. He didn’t seem flustered at all, yet I was breathing in air like I had just learned how.

He slowed as he reached the water. My body tensed up in response. “Please, don’t,” I begged.

“Why,” he pushed.

“Because,” I started and stopped. I took a deep breath. “Because I haven’t been able to go in the water… since that night with… with him… when he…”

“Tried to drown you,” he finished for me.

“Yes.”

“But he won’t ever do that to you again. No one will. You have water abilities. Learn them, master them, and no one will be able to harm you with it.”

When I didn’t answer right away, he added, “You need to overcome your fear.”

“Why do you even care? I thought you were only training me because of the King’s orders.”

“It doesn’t matter why I’m training you. I am. The King wants to know your abilities, yes, but you can use this to help yourself. Take advantage of the situation you are in. And in case you weren’t aware, Rumor, we can’t really practice your water abilities without being in the water.”

“It’s Scottie,” I said softly as he slowly set my feet back down on the ground. I was still standing too close to him, too close to the water.

“I like Rumor better,” he said. When I rolled my eyes, he added, “Well,Rumor, let’s see what you can do.”

EIGHT

TEZYA

The girl had been sittingby the edge of the pool for the past hour. Her legs were crossed and curled into each other as she stared at the water. I’d instructed her to see if she could manipulate the water like she did at the lake from her memories, but so far, all she had done was gawk at it or at me when she thought I wasn’t looking. I was pretty sure she didn’t even try to access her abilities once.

It seemed odd to me that she could practice so freely at the lake with the Dark Prince but was terrified by the pool. Was it the fact that this was an enclosed space? Or was it the company?

I would have to try taking her to the ocean in the next couple of days once I secured a private spot to practice. Maybe being outside in the open air would help her feel more comfortable. I prayed that was the case because if Sie was her grounding point and the only reason she could practice her abilities, I had no idea how to help her with that. She wouldn’t be getting back together with him.

“You should try putting your feet in the water,” I suggested as I slowly, cautiously approached her, trying my best not to startle her.

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