Page 27 of Calling of the Crown

“I think you’re going to find over time that you are greater than your idea of what’s impossible. But if you want to start smaller until you’re comfortable with your powers, we can. There’s water right here in this palace, running through the floors and walls and filling fountains. Try calling on that.”

I glanced over my shoulder to meet Rune’s eyes. “You want to see me use my powers?”

“I do. I want to see you realize how amazing you are. I want to see you as the fierce Queen I know you to be. Show me, Bria. Show me your power.”

I still couldn’t quite believe that this same man used to loathe Water Fae with his entire being. I knew how Rune felt about me and Water Fae now, but that didn’t stop the brief moments of awe in which I was reminded of how far he’d come. If I’d been asked months ago if Rune would willingly take a Water Fae as a lover, I would’ve laughed hysterically in that person’s face. Rune and Water Fae didn’t even belong in the same sentence, let alone the same room. To see him now—open and completely confident in me and who I was—left me breathless and certain of one thing.

I loved him, and I vowed to see myself the way he did one day.

Looking back at the empty tub, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I inhaled, I focused on water. The water running through the walls, the water I knew that dwelled within the fountains on this floor and the ones below us. I pictured it within my mind and held onto the image as I silently called out to it to hear me. After a few moments, a tingle started in my fingertips, and with the sensation, I felt my own body stiffen as the water within the palace paused its own movements like it was frozen and waiting for me to tell it what to do next.

“Come,” I commanded silently.

An almost electric jolt fired through my veins, causing me to sway slightly on my feet. Rune’s hands gripped my shoulders to hold me in place, and when a shadow fell over my eyelids, I opened them. A funnel of moving water was forming right before my eyes with streams coming from places below the balcony, from the open doorway behind me, and from either side of us. It spiraled and spun in a clear, dancing wall, and when I realized we had enough to fill the bath, I said, “That’s enough.”

The streams coming from every direction slowly trickled off until only this hovering funnel of water remained. Reaching my hands out, I felt the tether between this water and me tighten with a stronger connection. That was my green light to control it. With my outstretched arms, I guided the water down into the deep pool and released it from my hold. It immediately lost its form and filled the bath with rough splashes and small waves.

I let out a long breath and grinned at my handywork. “I did it!”

“Excellent job,” Rune congratulated, and I could hear the smile in his voice. His warmth left my back as he approached the tub. He knelt beside it, and his fox tail draped behind him. He skimmed his clawed hand through the water. “It’s a bit cold for an open air bath. Shouldn’t be an issue, though.”

He sank both hands beneath the surface. I watched in fascination as he took a deep breath, and as he inhaled, the water nearest his hands began to ripple. His fists seemed to be growing brighter beneath the water, like two embers slowly igniting with life. Finally, he released his breath and opened his fists at the same time. A rush of orange light raced through the pool, and in the same instant, the water started to bubble and steam.

“Holy banana balls,” I mumbled, staring dumbfounded at the bath. “You just made a jacuzzi.”

He laughed and came to stand in front of me. He gripped the back of his t-shirt and tugged it over his head, leaving me to salivate over his bare torso. “That was nothing. A mere parlor trick.”

“Oh really?” I raised a teasing brow at him. “Is it a trick you use on all the girls? Win ‘em over with a homemade hot tub?”

He leaned down to place a ghost of a kiss along my throat. “Only the ones who use their Water Fae powers to conjure the water for me.”

“Hmm,” I said, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach as he pulled my shirt off. “I’ll have to hunt these other girls down and have a talk with them.”

His fingertips slid over my skin to unclasp my bra before skating up my back. His touch moved featherlight along my shoulders, taking my bra straps with them as they glided down my arms.

“Nah, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about them,” Rune said. His hands moved across my lower back until they slipped beneath the hem of my pajama bottoms and underwear, guiding the garments down my legs for me to step out of them until I was left bare to him and the night breeze. He stood and discarded his own bottoms.

“Oh, and why’s that?” I asked.

He held his hand out for me, which I took, and he walked backward into the pool, helping me down into the deliciously warm water. I sucked in a sharp, contented breath as the heat soaked into my tired limbs, and I released a blissful sigh once fully submerged.

Rune waded through the water, which was chest-deep for me but only went up to his mid-torso. He moved behind me to cocoon me in his hold, and he perched us both on the underwater seats so that we faced the vast ocean view.

He leaned into me and whispered, “You don’t have to worry, because all I want is right here.”

A shiver trailed along my spine despite how warm I was from head to toe. I leaned back and let myself sink into his hold. Rune kissed my temple, and together, we soaked up the quiet stillness of the night with the dancing ocean as our own private melody. The stars twinkled with glee overhead, reflecting off the caps of the gently rolling waves. All I could see from here to the horizon was the open sea, and the endless waters made me think about all I’d learned today. The ocean created questions and curiosities—what lay in Ambrolia’s seas? Could Water Fae go back there one day? Could I connect with the ocean herself one day if I worked hard enough?

“You’re supposed to be relaxing and emptying your mind,” Rune said, but his tone was light and teasing.

I looked at him over my shoulder. “How do you know I’m not?”

He raised a brow at me and gave me a pointed look. “Because your nose is doing the scrunch thing it always does when you’re deep in thought and concentrated on something.”

I reached up to hide my nose. “Liar.”

The teasing light left his eyes until his lips were lifted slightly in nothing but sincerity. He brushed my hair back over my shoulder and swept it to the side. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Do you think Water Fae can become what we once were? You know, regain our lost abilities and maybe even return to the sea?”

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