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It was time for her to find out the truth, even if she knew it all along. The Waterfall of Uttara would strip her bare, right down to her heart.

She looked directly at him, and in a split second, she turned, bolting towards the edge of the rock. She could hear her name screaming from Torin’s mouth, but it was too late as she leapt from safety into the unknown water below.

Falling wasn’t what she expected. Her stomach flipped, and her heart was in her mouth, but a thrill ran through her bones, a thrill that almost took the edge off her thundering pulse. Even though the air ceased in her lungs, making it hard to take a breath, she felt free.

She wasn’t afraid anymore.

She hit the water, plunging into the dark, ice-cold pool. Her joints stiffened as her heart fought to keep her alive, hammering in her chest at the instant shock of cold that smacked her body. A thousand needles pierced into her skin and her hair branched out like seaweed, strands weaving and linking with each other. The water fought like a plague to enter her mouth and nose, and she kicked her legs, trying to find the surface.

However, the silence of being under the water, under the magic of it, felt secure despite knowing how quickly she would run out of air. But for just one moment, she stole a second to listen to her magic—to her heart—and she wondered if she bore the element of water too. Would it show itself to her now if she stayed underwater?

A heavy smash bombed down past her in the pool, creating currents that rippled towards her. They knocked her off course, but the burning in her lungs reminded her to fight, to kick and swim. She couldn't stay here in the peace of the tranquil water, and now wasn’t the time to explore if she bore the element of water.

Emara kicked harder than before and finally broke the surface.

Inhaling the sweet, frosty air into her lungs with a gasp, she reminded herself she was lucky to be alive. The rush of exhilaration reminded Emara that her heart was still beating hard and fast in her chest, and that magic thrummed in her blood, warming her.

It was a promise that she would live, not just exist.

Live.

A hearty laugh broke from her throat as she pushed her hair back, treading the water that came up to her neck. She had never felt anything like the power of the Goddess’ waterfall. Feeling the magic soaking into her skin, she laughed again. Dark hair broke the surface of the water a few paddles away from her before strong shoulders protruded up from the pool and his eyes finally caught hers.

Torin ran a hand over his face to take the water from his eyes, and then he pushed his hair back.

He blew out a breath. “Are you fucking serious?” he exclaimed. “Are you insane? You could have killed yourself.”

She kicked her legs softly, feeling every inch of her skin prickle not from the cold, but from the stare that lingered across the pool. Both soft and hard sentiment crashed over her; she was alive, but there were so many times recently that she had come so close to death, yet cheated it.

Her heart pinned still in her chest.

All at once, every moment, every touch, every unsaid word crashed into her mind, and all she could see were ocean-blue eyes that consumed her heart. All she could see was a mouth that bore her favourite grin, and a face that she couldn’t stop thinking about. Even though he hadn’t uttered a word, she could hear him breathe heavily, and the raspy moan of the word angel always sent her heart into a beat so violent that it vibrated through her chest. The waterfall behind him fell away, and the stars that looked over them aligned.

She was powerful. She was liberated. She was a woman, a woman who had deep feelings. She was a woman who had feelings that desired to be explored, uncontrollable and undeniable desires that beckoned across to the man a few feet from her. She wasn’t going to waste any more time pretending those desires weren’t there.

Her pulse thickened.

She was a woman who was going to take what she wanted—be who she wanted. She was a woman who was going to be brave and fearless, not just when she was training, but always. She was a woman whose desires burned right through to her soul for Torin Blacksteel.

“Kiss me,” she whispered, her lips wet from the water that coated them.

Torin’s face stilled, and she could see his chest heaving under the blanket of dark water. His expression changed from a raging warrior to a man in utter disbelief in a short second.

A vulnerability flashed in his icy eyes.

“Kiss me,” she said again, her voice croaky but unyielding. “I want you to kiss me, Torin Blacksteel.”

It was a demand this time, not a request.

His lips parted like he was about to ask if she was sure, but instead, he cut across the water towards her. In a flash, he had his body pressed against hers. “I never thought I would hear those words,” he said, pushing one large hand to the side of her face, grabbing under her chin with his thumb.

“I said them,” she whispered, almost too close to his lips. His familiar scent of frozen berries and pine surrounded her, infused with rainwater. It was intoxicating.

“Say them again.” His husky voice teased her, his eyes darting between her lips and her eyes.

“Kiss me.”

His eyes fluttered closed, a low moan ripping from his chest before he smashed his lips against hers. The kiss was not soft, nor was it innocent. It was wild. It was pure and animalistic as he held her against him with one strong arm, securing her body against him. The other clutched the back of her head, moving it to where he wanted her, demanding where she should be. His lips moved against hers, and Emara took the chance to deepen the kiss, feeling a rush of unfamiliar adrenaline. Her lips parted for him, and he brushed his tongue against hers. An explosion of fire and desire burst in her stomach; it rushed through her, tingling deep in her spine, blocking out the cold. She plunged her hands into his hair, pulling at him, desperately needing him closer.