Page 46 of Conquering the King of Storms

I formed a circle with my hands. “You know, pipes. The water goes through them, to other places.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Your people used technology to move water? Interesting. We don’t have pipes; Bluhm’s elements are eager to work with us. Flood’s strongest fae work together to set them up when a new city is established in any part of the world. We didn’t have as much running water or working heating for our homes before our kingdoms signed the peace treaties.”

Before he and the other kings became friends, he meant.

“That’s really cool,” I admitted, studying the flow of the water. “Do you think I’ll be a water fae?”

Storm lifted a shoulder. “I’ve never been good at guessing which element a fae will appeal to.”

Huh. “Why not?”

“I’m not good at intimacy,” he admitted.

My eyebrows lifted. “Sex? I thought you were a virgin.”

He had said that, hadn’t he?

“Other types of intimacy,” he clarified. “Expressing my thoughts. Emotions. I prefer to keep a level head, to think things through before they happen. Take things slow.”

Shit.

He was a little awkward; that was what he was saying to me.

The lack of communication in the cave, and his avoiding the subject, and… everything suddenly made a lot more sense.

I hadn’t exactly been going easy on the guy, either. I had been expecting him to read between the lines, and understand what I wanted, and push for whathewanted.

But did he evenknowwhat he wanted, yet?

Other than all of the dirty shit his wind was constantly whispering to me about?

He had mentioned that it would be good for his people to have a queen who loved children, but he had never said that he wanted me to live with him, in his castle, when all of this was over.

That was all I had really heard from him, in regards to the future.

The only times I’d even really seen him mad were when I’d accidentally risked my life in the water, which he had no control over, and…

When he realized I had let Ayla sleep close to him.

Fuck.

Maybe I was just as awkward as he was. It wasn’t as if years with Steven had helped me to be more open, or more understanding.

Did I evenwantto be more open or understanding?

I wasn’t sure.

It had been a long few days. Or was it weeks? However much time had passed while we were in the Aboa, it had felt like an eternity.

Maybe I just needed to sleep before questioning myself or Sirus any further.

I slid off the countertop, and my knees buckled the moment my feet hit the floor.

The wind caught me, holding me upright while Sirus crossed the room in one gigantic step and wrapped an arm around my waist.

“I’ll just sit in the shower,” I mumbled to him, suddenly feeling really damn vulnerable.

And I could ask him to get in with me, but that felt…

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