Page 45 of Death’s Kiss (The Order of the Tide Raiders #1)
“There honestly isn’t much known out there about elementals. That kind of power is just as rare within the landmasses as it is among the raiders, even more so,” Kerau admits after a moment.
“Most of what is known is based on ancient myths and stories from before The Great Deluge.” I rub my left temple, beginning to ache, while he continues quietly. “In the landmasses, many people believe elemental powers are really just fragments of a greater whole.”
My head tilts to one side at his words, my eyes crowded with uncertainty.
"I mean to say that some elementals have a stronger foothold in their 'element,' so to speak.
" Kerau explains. “The more powerful they are, then naturally, the more control and access they possess. If the legends of Pontus are to be believed, fire and lightning are actually slivers to a much larger sum of energy.”
He laughs at my expression, growing more skeptical with every claim.
“Think of it like there’s a wide array of potential abilities within a single element and all of them are little pieces creating a great big puzzle.
Very few elementals, if any at all, have been powerful enough to access more than just one. ”
I ponder this idea while twisting a long, wavy strand of white hair around my index finger.
“So, what you’re saying is that your affinity is really just a fragment of an element? Not an actual element?” I ask, my voice hoarse with disbelief.
Kerau’s head tilts from one side to the other. “More or less, yes. The same way that your affinity for ice is really just a sliver or rather a subsection of its pure element. It’s powerful, of course but it isn’t access to or mastery over the complete domain itself or its source.”
“So then Agni must have a greater hold over his element—he really can use more than one,” I muse, not entirely sure whether I’m speaking to Kerau or myself at this point.
My insides feel as though they’re starting to disintegrate.
If what he’s saying is true, then I don’t know where this will leave me or my chances for The Vault.
Panic twists my insides and the soothing chill of my affinity works to ease its grip.
Kerau angles his head of burnished gold locks in an unspoken question and I realize my tiny misstep.
“Captain Agni. He’s the elemental from the south that I mentioned,” I clarify.
Something moves in the set of Kerau’s jawline while his arms come to fold across the width of his chest. “You seem... informal with this captain,” he comments, but my mind is still a bit too dazed to grasp how his eyes are studying me.
After a moment of silence on my part, he asks bluntly, “So is he warming your bunk then? ”
My eyes go about as wide as they can without falling right out of my skull. “ Gods no. That’s obscene—our relationship is about as far from that as you can possibly imagine,” I sputter in surprised disgust.
Kerau narrows his eyes fractionally. “Well he could, you know.”
I return him a look of complete disbelief, my mouth popping open slightly to gape in affront at his insinuation.
Kerau then scrambles to clarify. “I meant—only if you wanted him to I—I mean that you are free to take whoever it is you want to your bed,” he rambles, waving a hand over me in emphasis.
“I’m certainly not here anymore and I’m not an idiot—or some love sick level-five.
I would expect you to have moved on to a new—well— partner . ”
By the end of his uncharacteristic babbling, Kerau’s typically aggravatingly calm demeanor is nothing short of frazzled. One hand shields most of his face while the other tips his wine chalice back for a long drink. My lips press tightly against the laughter working its way up my throat.
Kerau glances at me through an opening in his fingers and groans outwardly in response to my clear amusement. “ My gods —why am I so bad at this now?” He pulls at the collar of his pristine uniform. “I don’t really know exactly how to act around you anymore, Merena.”
“Why? Too intimidated by my captaincy?" I tease, flashing my brows with a playful shove to his knee resting solidly against mine.
Kerau shakes his head, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“That and—” he falters with a thick swallow, his eyes roving over my person once more.
The area inside our little alcove feels like it might be vibrating.
“And you are not the same kid I left here.” He shoves out the words with the shake of his head, like he has to physically force his eyes to remove themselves from me.
“I’d hardly say I was a kid,” I remind him with the roll of my eyes. We’re only two levels apart but Kerau has this terrible habit of making it seem like that might as well be decades .
His lips threaten to curve upwards. “Okay, then you were a very reckless young adult last time we were together.” I’m primed to argue that point but he barrels onward. “I do believe you were the level-four I caught stealing a speeder to take out for a midnight joy ride, correct?”
A line of reluctance forms between my lips and I choose to sip my wine rather than answer.
Kerau laughs deeply. “That's what I thought! This was also the night after you’d just spent a week in the hole from freezing Preceptor Bealu’s eye shut, wasn’t it?”
I take another drink from my chalice, and my cheeks suddenly feel quite warm from the reminder of my prior escapades.
Eyeing him over the burgundy liquid, I admit, “It was. But as I recall, a certain level-six showed me that very same night exactly how to put the speeder back so Skelm would never know it’d been taken out in the first place. ”
Kerau has the good sense to look a bit guilty before waving the facts off in nonchalance. We catch each other's eye again and promptly break into a round of breathy laughter in remembrance of that night. The first night we ever spoke.
“But what I can’t quite remember,” I add, leaning towards his electric eyes shimmering upon my approach, “is whether that was before or after that same level-six joined me in said joyride.”
Kerau inches closer with a heart-rate-spiking grin just on the horizon.
My hand comes to brush along the side of my throat absently and his vivid gaze follows the movement before traveling slowly lower until my breath catches. I’m not sure at what point we stopped laughing and when we began closing that sliver of a gap between us.
In a flash of movement, his hands are on me.
One hand gently cups the back of my neck, and the other carefully holds the side of my face while softly pressing my lips against his own. Kerau even tastes just the same as I remember, like wildflower nectar. His mouth moves in sync with mine and electricity tickles the air between our tongues .
I’m thankful to have kept my hair down as Kerau begins lightly running his fingers through it.
His hand on my face drops away to sneak beneath my gemstone-layered cape and gain entry to the open exposure of my back.
His fingertips hold tiny pinpricks of real lighting while trailing up and down my affinity mark.
I arch into his touch and am unable to conceal the moan escaping my lips in response to that voltaic power along my skin. It’s been so long since anyone has taken me to bed. Maybe too long.
Kerau makes a low sound in his throat before deepening the kiss. Frost spreads over the garlands decorating our little alcove as he then proceeds to pull me into a straddling position atop his lap.
My body begins reacting to the familiarity of his touch immediately and I can feel the very prominent way in which Kerau’s is responding to mine. The firmness of him pressing into my thigh is nearly enough to make me forget about the rest of the evening and drag Kerau back to our empty cabin.
His tauntingly light caresses send bolts of buried desire skittering up and over my skin.
My hands press down on his strong shoulders in order to gain some leverage as more breathy noises slide past my lips.
I’m practically melting into his kisses and quickly growing impatient with my suddenly very real needs.
I’ve begun mentally calculating how long it would take to get to the cabin from here when someone clears their throat.
My eyes dart above Kerau's head to find a shadow standing in the garland entryway to the tiny room. A shadow whose eyes have darkened considerably from their usual glowing embers.
Scorching black coals glare at me.