Page 19 of Conquering the King of Storms

He inhaled slowly through his nose, and I did the same.

A slow exhale through our mouths followed.

It didn’t calm me immediately, so we continued breathing together.

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

My shoulders relaxed, and my breathing regulated.

“Where are Ivy and Tariq?” I whispered.

Sirus eyes flashed with amusement. “She told you his real name?”

“Fuck.” I closed my eyes. “Wasn’t supposed to admit to knowing it. Don’t tell him?”

Sirus chuckled. “As long as you don’t address him by his real name to his face, it doesn’t matter.” His hands slid down to my shoulders, and carefully kneaded the tense muscles there. I groaned, opening my eyes.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t have an answer,” Storm admitted. “The water seems to have separated us, and I can’t feel them right now. It’s going to take me some time to get in touch with every tiny bit of airflow between the caves. Until I do, I won’t have an accurate map in my mind, and I won’t know the safest way to reach them, even if I locate them quickly.”

My breathing started to grow slightly ragged again.

“Focus on your breath, Sway. In, and out,” he reminded me. “Match my breathing.”

I didn’t want to, but nodded.

His fingers massaged my shoulders, and I closed my eyes.

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

Breathing evenly wasn’t going to remove my fear, but it was helping slightly.

“We’re going to be down here for a while, Harper. A few days, at least. Maybe a few weeks. I couldn’t tell Dove that, but you need to know so you can get your mind to the right place. We’re only here temporarily, but we have to accept that we’re here for nowso that we can find Flood and his human. When you open your eyes, I want you to remember that. Okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered.

He lifted my hands to rest on his chest. “I’m here. You can feel me. You aren’t alone, right?”

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