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Our eyes met.

Whether or not Rowan felt it too, the warmth and connection that was becoming increasingly difficult to deny, I could not be certain. But I wasn’t surprised when he flipped his hand upside down and curled his fingers through mine.

It was beautiful, and natural, and no part of me wanted to pull away.

“Look.” I turned his attention to the clear, blue-green sea beside us as a school of marisol swam by, their fin-like frills giving the effect of ribbons.

“Incredible.”

Rowan’s hand tightened around mine as we rode further away from shore. Though he appeared calm, I sought to reassure him just in case.

“The pelagor is one of Thalassarian’s oldest creatures, their memory and lifespan longer than any Elydorian. He will deliver us safely back to shore.”

“I am not worried.”

He must be. Rowan was human, after all. And we were well beyond sight of the shore now on a creature very few even spotted much less rode.

“Not even a bit?”

His gaze was steady. “I’ve watched you all morning, Nerys. There is not a Thalassarian alive I feel safer beside in the sea than you.”

While it was true I could deliver us safely back to shore if anything were to happen, I appreciated his confidence in me.

Rowan trusted me with his life. I wanted to remark upon that fact, but instead said nothing. There were no words that would do this moment justice, so I simply offered a reassuring smile and looked to the horizon.

In fact, neither of us spoke for the remainder of the ride. Instead, deep in our own thoughts and companionable silence, we accepted the ride we’d been offered.

When the pelagor finally turned back and delivered us to the very spot where we began, dipping below the surface and depositing us back into the water, I thanked him, grateful for such an experience.

Grateful that it had been offered to Rowan, too.

When we made our way back to the shore, I thought to explain to him the true significance of what just happened. Except, no words came from my mouth. Instead, I simply stared, my feet sinking into the sand at the water’s edge, as Rowan casually removed his linen shirt and wrung it out.

His back, his shoulders, were that of a warrior. One who spent a good portion of his time wielding the heavy broadsword we’d taken from him. Rowan’s muscles rippled as he moved, glistening as brilliantly as the school of marisol. I had seen many warriors train. A man’s form was not new to me, and yet…

This was Rowan.

He turned and caught me staring. I didn’t move. But he did.

Rowan’s steps were measured, determined. And in that moment, I knew—whether it was a good idea or not—my longing for his kiss would soon be fulfilled.

17

ROWAN

I had every reason in the world not to do this.

The same refrain that had held me back before simply had vanished. The only thoughts that ran through my mind now were of seeing Nerys at my chamber door this morn. Of watching her train. Of Nerys’s smile while we rode the pelagor.

Of the way she looked at me now.

I knew well how to practice restraint. To keep the secrets that would allow Estmere to thrive in a world to which we hardly belonged. To put my family’s legacy before myself, and certainly that was more important now than ever.

And yet…

“Rowan,” she whispered, a clap of waves against the rocks behind us punctuating a moment that was about to become an important one in my life. Why did that fact seem so certain? I would explore later.

Reaching for her, I meant to be gentle. To cup her face, look into those bright-green eyes and take in the sight before me first. Instead, when my hands reached her, Nerys’s lips parting in anticipation, all thoughts of pausing fled my mind. Instead, our mouths crashed together, our tongues exploring each other almost instantaneously. Slanting my head for better access, I drank from her, relishing in a kiss that was so much more than that.