Page 40 of Ocean of Silver

“Okay, Kallon, truth or dare.”

“Dare always,” she said with a wink.

“I dare you to not drink ale for the rest of the night.”

Kallon scuffed. “Absolutely not,” she glared as she took a massive swig from her drink.

Kallon turned to Scottie. “Truth or dare, babes?”

“Um, truth,” Scottie replied.

“What do you think of Tezya?” Kallon smiled as she pushed the blue side of her hair out of her face, revealing a thin, arched eyebrow.

Rumor’s eyes went everywhere but to mine. “He’s… uh… nice.”

“Nice?” Kallon almost spit out her drink. “Come on, Scottie. You have to give us more than that. Do you find him attractive?”

“It doesn’t matter what she thinks,” Dovelyn snapped. “He’s betrothed.”

Everyone stopped. “Seriously, Dove, what is wrong with you tonight?” Kallon asked, her yellow eyes flaring.

“Nothing is wrong with me. I’m the only rational one here. All of us except Brock will be betrothed by the Council at some point or another.” She turned to look at Rumor, her gaze lingering on her two zeroes. “And I’m sure she’ll get to marry whoever she wants within her own rank if my father decides she can live,” she said as she rose from the sofa. “And this game is stupid. I’m going home.”

Dove arched her back, and with a snap, two beautiful white wings appeared. She fanned them out, drawing attention to herself as she made her way to the balcony. “Happy Birthday, Brock. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then she slid open the balcony door and leapt off, flying into the night.

I stole a glance at Rumor. She was gazing out the balcony after Dovelyn, completely mesmerized. I wanted to know what she was thinking but stopped myself from using my abilities to reach her. If she was shocked by the fact that I was engaged, she didn’t show it. She seemed more intrigued by Dovelyn’s wings than anything else. With a grunt, I walked toward the doors and slammed them closed after Dove. “Come on, Rumor, I should get you back before someone notices.”

FIFTEEN

SCOTLIND

Things were awkwardthe next morning. Tezya and I didn’t bring up anything that happened last night, especially the fact that he was engaged. It was none of my business anyway. We started our training with our usual morning run then workout. It wasn’t until after lunch, when he told me we were going to get into the pool, that I started to regret my decision to make our deal.

Tezya was half way down the wet stairs, the pool water hitting his knees when he turned to look at me. “Come on, Rumor. I’ll be here with you every step of the way. Nothing will happen,” he said as he held out his hand for me. Black flames wrapped around his ankles where his thick calves were already submerged under the water. I knew that as he continued down the stairs into the pool, the flames would travel up his entire body, not stopping until it reached right over his scar.

I stared at his outstretched hand for a long moment before I finally placed mine in his. His fingers wrapped around mine, and I became utterly aware of every callus he earned. Tezya never took his eyes off me. He gently tugged on my arm as I slowly, very slowly, made my way down. His hand was like a vise grip, locking me to my own stupid, reckless decisions.

My breathing was ragged by the time I made it to the same step as him. I glanced down at my feet, noticing the water circling above my knees. “Don’t look down,” he said as he gently tilted my chin up. “Look at me.”

I exhaled heavily as I stared at the blue and silver in his eyes, focusing on it.

“Good,” he said. “It’s just like when we were in the ocean. This water won’t harm you. You are in control.” I closed my eyes, listening to his words, letting his voice soothe my fears.

His fingers tightened around my hand while his other hand lightly touched my lower back. “You can do this, Scotlind.” Hearing him say my name, my real name, made my eyelids flutter open. I didn’t realize how close I was to him. With each ragged breath I took, my breast just barely grazed his bare chest. I started breathing heavier, but not from the water. Being this close to him felt… I don’t know how it felt. It was like I was drawn to him. I felt a tug pulling me closer to him. I couldn’t get close enough, like completely pressing every inch of my body into his still wouldn’t be enough. It wasn’t the same desire I felt when I was around Sie. That was pure lust and exhilaration, but this was somehow different… more...

He let out a deep breath and took a step back, removing his hand from my back in the process. “Sorry,” he said. Cold lingered where his touch had been. The lack of it was disappointing. “Are you up for going all the way in?” he asked.

I nodded my head, but I wasn’t so sure of my answer. Never letting go of my hand, Tezya sank into the water with me in tow. He waited patiently for me, the water now resting around his abdomen, while I slowly descended the rest of the way in. My feet came in contact with the cracks on the tile floor. I could feel the slipperiness of it on my toes. I knew how it felt against my cheek, how it felt to have my face pressed against it.

He pulled me into his chest as soon as I started hyperventilating. “I got you,” he cooed over and over again as he gently tucked my hair behind my ears, leaving water dripping off my face. “I’ve got you.”

“The tiles—”

I didn’t need to finish my thought. He gently lifted me up, picking my feet off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his body without thinking. “Is this better?”

I couldn’t speak but nodded my head. I found it surprising that it was true. With my feet no longer feeling the crevices of the floor and with his touch, I felt protected, safe even. The feeling of his body against mine was distracting. His hand kept caressing my hair, pushing the strands out of my face.

His other hand shifted as if he had only just realized where he’d grabbed me when he picked me up. He fanned his fingers out, resting them over my hip instead. I gasped at the feel of him, his wet body against mine. I meant to push away from him. I wanted to prove to myself that I could swim on my own, but I couldn’t, not yet. It was too overwhelming, too much for right now, so I just stayed wrapped up in his arms, letting him hold me.

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