Page 27 of Forging Darkness

“Am I?”

“You know you are.”

“Why don’t you remind me then?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Why is that?”

“This conversation is dumb.”

“Are you saying you want to talk about something else?”

“Anything else.”

“How about the fact that you’re standing in the water without my help?”

What?

I check my surroundings and let out a small gasp. The sound echoes off the walls, causing ripples of sound to turn pink as they swim through the air.

He’s right. I’m at least two hand lengths away from Steel. My arms are crossed over my chest rather than wrapped around him. He pushes the water back and forth with his hands, making gentle waves in the crystal brilliance.

He just used our conversation as a distraction. And it worked.

“I think we should start with floating.”

“Floating?” He’s not going to berate me for the major freak-out I just had? That’s not very on-brand for him.

“Yeah. I think if you learn how to float, your anxiety about the water will lessen.”

His reasoning has logic, but floating is terrifying. I’ll have to lie back in the water and hope I don’t go under.

“This is happening. Embrace it.”

He reaches his hand out. The crystal brightness of the water caresses Steel’s skin, illuminating its deep bronze shade, so much darker than my own ivory skin. My eyes trace a line from his palm up his forearm, over his bicep and the tight cords of his neck, to settle on his face. He holds his features still, but there’s a challenge in his eyes.

I wrap my arms more tightly around myself and rub the goose bumps pebbling my skin, not sure I’m ready to accept his silent dare, but knowing that eventually I will.

Pulling in a deep breath of sweet-scented spectrum air, I force my arms to uncoil and take Steel’s hand. A half-smile quirks the side of his mouth as he raises our clasped hands, leading me in a slow turn until my back is pressed up against his chest.

I clear my throat, slightly uncomfortable with our closeness. “Is this position really necessary?”

“Yes.”

“You sure it’s not just an excuse to cop a feel?”

Like, for real.

His chuckles cause his breath to puff against my neck. It feels too much like a caress, and I can’t help the shiver that runs through my body. I’m only human after all. Or at least, part human.

“Can we just get on with—” A yelp slips past my lips as I’m pitched backward. He totally did that on purpose. Steel places an arm around my back and another under my knees to keep me afloat. I slam my lids shut and try to concentrate on not dying. My limbs shake so badly, water sloshes against the sides of the pool.

“Do I need to start asking about romance novels again?”

“Shut up.”

“Did you know Sterling didn’t learn how to swim until he was eleven?”

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