Page 23 of Whispers of the Water

Ardley clapped Rune on the shoulder as he walked by and whispered something in his ear. Rune’s brow furrowed at whatever Ardley said, and conflict warred in his eyes. Ardley pulled back to nudge Rune one last time before flopping down on the love seat.

Curiosity gripped me tight. All thoughts about the shared secret disappeared as soon as Rune’s eyes finally met mine. The internal battle that was previously apparent disappeared. A weightless light filled his eyes and brought a smile to his lips. Those intimate moments we’d shared came rushing back. Heat crept up my cheeks, and I offered a smile so that I wasn’t just staring at him awkwardly. The jitters in my stomach only heightened when he moved toward me.

“Good morning,” Rune greeted as he came to stand near me.

“Morning.” My voice came out far smaller than I meant it to, and I mentally chided myself. I was confident in my decision, and I didn’t want my tone to suggest otherwise.

He poured a cup of coffee and handed me the steaming mug, which I happily accepted. After filling his own, he sank down on the cushion next to me. The parts of my body closest to him electrified with awareness, and I found myself leaning in closer to his side.

The four of us sat around and discussed our plans for the day—mine and Rune’s consisted of tea with his family at eleven, followed by a tour of the house with the twins—as the rest of our group slowly trickled in with sleep still clouding their features.

“Thank Zanahary there’s coffee,” Avana said with a large yawn. The iridescent shine of her Chameleon Fae skin rippled blue and green as she reached for a mug.

Marlow followed closely behind her, stretching his arms wide. The two of them got coffee and sat around the other love seats. Bassel finally joined our party almost thirty minutes later, but it was only because Marlow sneaked into his room and scared him.

“Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to grace us with his presence,” Akira laughed.

“Hardy-har-har,” Bassel mocked, dropping heavily onto the seat by Ardley. His thin liger’s tail landed in Ardley’s lap.

“Late night?” Rune asked, smiling from behind his mug.

Ardley plucked Bassel’s tail from his lap and draped it over the liger’s firm thigh, though Bassel hardly seemed to notice. Bassel laid his head back, and his eyes drifted shut. “You have no idea. Can someone pour me some coffee so I can drown myself in caffeine?”

While Akira poured the last of the brew for Bassel, Rune nudged me. I turned to him as he said, “You and I are expected downstairs for morning tea soon. We should probably get ready.”

Unease seeped into my veins, but I tried to ignore the foreboding sensation. Instead, I nodded and followed him to the door. Akira’s and Avana’s smirks were not lost on me either as I left the room with Rune. As soon as we were alone in our room, my body became charged with his presence. It was the first time we’d been alone and conscious since last night, and I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say or do, but even more than that, I wasn’t sure what he was going to say or do. Part of me was afraid he was going to brush off what happened and reiterate that we were simply friends, while the other part of me was drowning in hope that it would send us in a new direction for him. Though, if it did succeed in spurring us into a more real relationship, that created a countdown for my telling him the truth about being Water Fae, which I still wasn’t prepared to do.

Rune turned to me, his eyes glittering as his gaze traveled from my feet to my eyes. He squared his shoulders as if preparing for a physical blow when he asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m great. Are you okay?”

Laughing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m good, yeah.”

Pursing my lips, I crossed the space between us until I stood directly in front of him. Holding his worried eyes with confidence, I gave him a reassuring smile. “If what you’re really trying to ask is do I regret what happened, the answer is no. I don’t regret it, Rune.”

Relief instantly seeped into the lines of his face and the hunch of his shoulders.

Taking that as a positive sign, I asked, “Do you regret it?”

“Hell no,” he said with a wide smile. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him.

A tingling warmth cocooned my heart. I’d never get used to being in his arms. Our bodies molded together like we were two puzzle pieces finally conjoining, and my body hummed a contented tune while he held it. This was the place I loved to be.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I said, “Then stop fretting. I’m great. You’re great.”

His mouth suddenly morphed into a frown, and his features turned serious. “I’m not great. In fact, I’m really struggling right now.”

Concern clouded over my previously high-spirited mood. I searched his face for any signs of what had suddenly changed. “Why? What’s wrong?”

He sighed and pressed his forehead to mine. “We now have less than thirty minutes alone, but I need way more than that for all the things I want to do to you.”

Sickly sweet flames lapped at my core, and I bit my lip as I pressed further into him. “Maybe later.”

“Definitely later.”

He placed a kiss on my neck, which sent a delicious shiver down my spine. I wanted to pull him back into my hold, lock the door, and spend all day lost in each other. But I also knew doing so was not smart. We had people as cuddly as cactuses waiting on us.

We parted to get ready for the day, with Rune taking the bedroom and me the bathroom. I wanted to take a shower, but I wasn’t sure how smart that was with Rune right in the other room. It would be just my luck to have something go wrong and Rune walk in to find me in a water suit instead of my birthday suit. Until I found the right time and way to tell Rune the truth, I didn’t need any slip-ups with water. What I did need was guidance. My ability to confidently harness my powers was nonexistent. It was still so new and confusing. I needed help figuring out how it worked, as well as better ways to control it.

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