Page 43 of Waves
The monster swooped towards us headfirst and the ocean practically bellowed in my ears, begging to be unleashed. This time it took no more than a wave of my hand and the waterin front of us shot upward like a wall, bubbles turning it nearly opaque. The kraken was caught in the rising plume, and we craned our necks back to watch it catapult upward above the waves, tossed by the geyser all the way into the sky.
Holy shite.
I ended up unlinking our hands and turning to Stavros because of an overwhelming need to see his face. His blue eyes were practically dancing.
“Are you having fun?”
“Absolutely.” His gaze slowly dropped from the flailing beast to meet mine, and my chest grew airy. Light.
Biting my lower lip, I worried that he was caught up in this momentary fake victory, that he’d hate the true implications of my power once he thought them through. Hesitantly, I asked, “You don’t find the destruction, the violence…wrong?”
“Do you?” His head tilted; curiosity peaked.
“I…wish I did.” The admission came out small and quiet.
Stepping closer, his leg between mine, pants gliding along my thighs, Stavros leaned down, his expression intense as he murmured, “Why? It’s gorgeous.”
Delirious, delicious desire flickered.
Another step in, and our chests pressed together, my pulse flaming, a wildfire spreading across my cheeks, down the back of my neck, to my lower belly.
“Too gorgeous,” I whispered.
“No such thing,” he returned as his hand grabbed hold of my hip, fingers fanned wide. Possessive.
“It’s addictive.”
“Yes.” His truth curled around me like dark smoke, and I inhaled it.
Drunk on admissions, on the merciless but heated gleam in his eyes, on his complete and utter acceptance of the most shameful part of myself, I leaned closer, my lips nearing thethrumming pulse in his neck. His strong jaw. My gaze traced the blond hair falling across his forehead and darted between those whirlpool eyes.
Here, in this moment, amongst ice and cold truths, I was seeing a new side of Stavros. A side he kept hidden, just like I did. His rapid heartbeat seemed to resonate through my own hollow chest, his beats my own for just a second.
“Are you going to fight me or hump him?” Lizza yelled irritably, utterly disemboweling the moment. “Because I’m not sticking around for the latter.”
The kraken splashed down into the sea thirty feet away, sending ripples thundering through the water with all the power of a stormy wind, blowing me slightly off-balance.
When I glanced back up, the expression on Stavros’s face had changed. It was closed. Stiff. “I should go,” he murmured. And the quiet siren fled from my sight quick as a flash, leaving only the lingering warmth from his skin and a million unanswered questions behind.
Chapter 18
Avia
Thrumming with nervous energy as Stavros retreated, I reached into my pouch and retrieved my elven chain, sliding it up onto my neck and quickly clasping it.
Lizza heaved out a sigh that I heard despite the distance between us. “Guess we’re done then? One enemy is enough for you?”
“It is for today,” I responded, though I didn’t say aloud that the true reason I wanted to stop was because I wanted to go after Stavros. Because I was afraid of what he thought of me but also terrified that I couldn’t do this without him.
But as I turned, fluttering my wings, a new voice called out.
“Queenie! We’ve been looking for you!” With a bright smile and Mr. Whelk floating near his head, Keelan darted across a nearby bridge, hurrying toward me.
I turned back to Stavros and Keelan noted my gaze.
“You aren’t going to spend all day with just one contestant are you? I can get a little bit of attention…” He jutted out his lower lip, utilizing that guilt-inducing pout he was so good at.
My throat tightened, but part of me knew Keelan was right. As much as I wanted to follow Stavros and clear the air, so long as I was locked into this tournament, I had to spread myattention between the men. In fact, I’d probably always need to do so once I was married.
