Page 145 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

He shot me a glance, and I smiled. “Terrible decision for them, really.”

Samkiel shook his head, his smile deepening. “They are nocturnal. The moon is usually their guide as they swim up from the bottom to dance and feed all night beneath the light.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“They are. The only problem is the moon only shows once a month here lately. An explosion not too far off in the cosmos pushed it a tad off course, so the locals found a new way to save the creatures. The lights we provide attract the little bugs that feed them,” Samkiel explained, still moving his sparkler in a slow back-and-forth motion. “But being the enterprising folk they are, they expanded the effort into an attraction and the new hottest dating spot in the area.”

“Smart move on their part.”

He chuckled. “I agree.”

I leaned over a bit more, watching the moonkrest twirl and dance around each other.

“Do you wish to know a secret?”

I let my sparkler sway as I glanced his way. “From you? Always.”

“I was actually nervous about bringing you here.”

“What? Why?”

He swallowed, his throat bobbing as his nervousness became apparent. “I know this will be hard to believe, but I have never planned a date in the history of my long existence.”

I leaned back, a hand on my chest as I fake gasped. “You don’t say.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m being serious. I hoped you wouldn’t hate it or think it was stupid. This is the part where I would ask Logan for his advice, and he would tell me if I was doing it right. He has far more experience with dates than I.”

I leaned back over the edge of the boat, watching him. He didn’t even realize the haunted look that swept over his face at the mention of his friend. I scooted closer to him, bumping his shoulder with mine.

“I think you did fantastic,” I whispered. “Best date ever, truly.”

“Mm-hmm.” He snickered. “Don’t mock me.”

“I will admit, it is funny to think that you, the great and powerful World Ender, everyone’s favorite—”

“Okay, okay.” He nudged back. “I get it. I guess I just never needed to, nor was there anyone I wished to spend time with like this.”

“Well, I am honored to be your first.” I grinned at him.

“The festival was actually my first date.”

The sparklers danced between us, and the fish continued to dance, but at the moment, we were far more invested in the conversation at hand.

“The festival was not a date.” I snorted as the moonkrest snapped a bug from the surface of the lake and traveled to its mate to share its catch.

“It wasn’t?” His head whipped to mine.

“No.” A small chuckle left my lips as I cast a glance at him. “It was a fun distraction while we waited for that lead. Besides, you didn’t even like me then.”

His lips turned downwards, a single brow raising. “Oh, I didn’t?”

“No.” I playfully pushed him. “It was mild toleration at that point.”

“That’s not true.”

My head tipped. “Oh?” I stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

“I felt something then, although I was completely unaware of what it was. I think you woke something up inside me then, and I’ve never been the same since.” He shrugged as if he hadn’t just altered my whole world. “I also counted every single person who looked at you that night.”

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