Page 41 of Ocean of Silver

“Do you want me to let go now?” he asked softly.

“No,” I panted, my voice breathless. “Just… distract me.”

He halted with his hair tucking for just a moment to peer down at me. “Alright,” he said slowly, “tell me about yourself.”

I frowned. “You already know everything. You saw all my memories.”

“No, I only know what the King forced you to reveal. I want to hear about your life from you. What do you like? What do you hate? I want to know who you are fromyou, not from a screen,” he said as he gently started to move around the pool. My body was still pressed against his, my legs wrapped—probably too tightly—around his muscular back. Despite the cool feel of the water, I was flushed, and every place his body met mine felt like it was on fire. I didn’t know if it was from his abilities, if a fire user’s skin reflected some of that heat that was hidden beneath them, or if it was from something else entirely…

“I… I don’t remember anything from my time in Lux before I was taken. I can’t even remember my parents, but I remembered the ocean. I remembered it so vividly that sometimes it was the only thing that kept me sane. I missed it when I was over there. Everything seemed so dark. Except for my friend, Vallie. She and her twin were the only ones who were nice to me growing up.”

“The redheads?” he asked. My heart ached as I thought of them, especially Vallie. Goddess, I missed her so much. I missed her relentless teasing every time I came back late from training. I missed the way she so effortlessly threw her hair up in a perfect messy bun. I missed how miserable she was whenever she tried to spend time with Miles and me when we were reading. She hated it. Her ability allowed her to power through and memorize every detail about any book she ever picked up. She always said that reading was boring, and she would finish her book in a matter of minutes. But she’d sit with us nonetheless, just to keep us company.

“Yes.”

“Tell me about her.” He made another lap around the pool.

I sucked in a deep breath, focusing on Vallie. “She is kind to everyone she meets, probably the kindest person I know. She’s also the bossiest and doesn’t take no for an answer. Kallon would love her. They remind me a little of each other.”

“What? Is she dramatic and loves to drink?”

I grinned as I thought of Vallie. “Exactly.” Then my smile faltered as I remembered what Dovelyn had said last night. Tezya was engaged, and I was letting him hold me. I had my legs wrapped around him, my chest flushed against his.

I pushed away from him, my fingers gliding over his abdomen as I slipped out of his grip. “You shouldn’t touch me like that.”

“Like what?” he asked as he arched his brow. His grip slackened on me, but he didn’t let go, and I didn’t exactly push him away either. I didn’t know if I was ready to swim in the pool without him holding me, and we were at the opposite end of the stairs. I wasn’t ready to feel the bottom of the floor.

“You’re engaged. Why didn’t you tell me when I asked you about it at the hut?”

He kept his expression blank as he responded. “I honestly forget that I’m engaged at times. My marriage has been arranged ever since my powers manifested, and I was declared a five.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll be forced to marry eventually, but until then, I’m just trying to postpone the inevitable. Remember when I told you that the people of Lux don’t get to choose who they marry—at least anyone that’s a rank five—that it’s only about who can breed strong offspring?”

“Yes.”

“That’s all it is. That’s all it ever is in Lux.”

“So people never fall in love?”

“No, they do,” he said slowly. “Sometimes people are lucky enough, and they fall for someone within their rank. No one is allowed to marry outside of the one they’re in, but it’s only rank fives that are forced into arranged marriages. As long as a four marries a four, a three marries and three, and so on, it’s fine. However, most Luxians aren’t that lucky. Most fall for someone outside their rank, which is illegal. Some still take the risk and try to hide it. But if they’re ever caught, it’s not pretty. The King doesn’t take mixing within the ranks lightly. That’s why many people have very long engagements here.”

“And your fiancé wouldn’t be upset if she saw us?” I gestured between our bodies. My legs were still wrapped around him, although much looser than before, and my hands were on his chest, pushing back so that we were further apart. He stopped playing with my hair. His hands now rested lightly on my hip and lower back.

He laughed. “No. Neither one of us wants to get married.”

He eyed me for a moment before taking me on another lap in the water. The air was cold on my back as we emerged in the shallow end. “Are you still doing alright in the water?”

“Yes,” I said, realizing that my breathing had returned to normal. “I think the distraction is helping, thanks.”

“Can I ask you something now, Rumor?”

“Sure.”

He paused, making another lap before he finally asked, “Why didn’t you ever sleep with Sie? Was it because you were from Lux, or did you not like him in that way?”

“I um…”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t feel comfortable,” he interrupted.

I bit my lip and watched as his eyes followed the movement. I quickly stopped. “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind answering. Growing up I never planned to get married or ever be with a guy because I knew it was treason. It’s one of the reasons I chose to be a guard, but then my name was called, and everything happened. I felt like I was waiting to be discovered. I felt like being selected was my death sentence, so I didn’t want to sleep with him because I was so scared that I’d be discovered sooner, and I realized…” I paused. “I realized I didn’t want to die. No guy was worth that. I found him attractive, but he was also confusing. I couldn’t tell how he felt about me, and I couldn’t decide if I thought he was a good person or if everything was an act.”

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