Page 126 of Taste of Thorns

“There are a lot of advantages,” Dray says. “Do you know how many orgasms that girl has had in the last week alone?”

“Are you complaining, Dray?” Briony asks, holding the flask out to me. I shake my head and point to the ground. She places it on the frozen grass and I pick it up. The rim of the mug has a hint of toothpaste about it and I wonder if that is how her mouth would taste.

I peer at her lips. Rosy pink in the cold along with her cheeks and the end of her nose.

“I’m not complaining,” Dray says, devouring a pastry. “I love making you come. I love eating you out. I love fucking you. They are my three favorite pastimes.” He stuffs the last bit of the pastry into his mouth, chews, swallows and licks his fingers. “I also love how wet you smell whenever I talk like this.”

Briony sticks her tongue out at him.

After a while we leave the rail tracks, peeling off to the east, the land rolling up and down in shallow hills and then, as the sun reaches its peak in the sky, we spot the lake, dark and shining menacingly on the horizon in front of us.

Briony stops again, that color in her face from earlier draining away.

“It’s much bigger than I imagined.”

Beaufort rests his hand on her shoulder and kisses the crown of her head. “You’re going to be fine. You’ve been practicing those spells with Fox, right?”

“Yeeeessss,” she murmurs, “but I haven’t mastered them yet.”

“And that’s why we’re here. To ensure you can do this.”

It takes us another hour to reach the lake and we sit at its shore, eating sandwiches and drinking more of the coffee before we get started. The wind whips across the surface of the dark water, and waves ripple on the shore beyond our feet. In the center the water swirls in rapid spirals and I don’t think I’ve seen anything less tempting in my life.

“Do we have to do this?” she says, as the three of us strip down to the trunks we’re wearing under the layers of our clothes, then use our magic to create a layer of warm air around our bodies.

“No,” I tell her. “You always have choices, Briony. But if you don’t do this, you’ll be at a serious disadvantage come trial day.”

“Shit,” she mutters, and strips down to her own worn bathing suit, standing before us shivering in the cold.

“Briony,” Beaufort says, “can you do the spell? We can do it for you but I think it’s better if you try it yourself. We won’t be able to help you during the trial.” He throws a knowing look my way.

She squares her shoulders, letting her arms hang straight by her sides, and with her eyes closed, mutters words under her breath. Light sparks on the ends of her fingertips. But it takes her several more attempts before the air sparkles around her and she sighs in relief.

“Oh my stars, that feels amazing.” She peers at the water. “But do you really think it’s going to work in there?”

“Only one way to find out!” Dray cries, crashing straight into the water and diving under the waves. He disappears for several moments and then reappears, shaking his head and sending droplets of water flying. “A little cold, but not too bad.”

“Really?” Briony says, creeping towards the water’s edge.

“Cross my heart, Kitten. Come on in.”

Beaufort follows in after Dray, but I stay back waiting for Briony.

“And there could be creatures in the water?” she asks me as Dray and Beaufort start splashing their hands through the water, drenching each other’s faces.

“According to Tudor, there’ll be creatures in there during the trial. That doesn’t mean they’re in there now.”

“That does not make me feel any better, Thorne Cadieux.”

“Come on. May as well get it over with.” She keeps peering at the water, looking unconvinced.

“How about we do it together?” She glances at me, chewing on her cheek, and nods. “On the count of three – one … two … three.”

Together we run into the water. The force of it hits my legs as I sprint through, water splashing up my body and into my face. The temperature isn’t too cold. In fact, with my shadow magic wrapping me up, I’m just fine. I look across to Briony. She’s not screeching in agony or gasping for breath. Her spell must also have worked.

When the water reaches our waist level, we stop and Briony sinks even further in, lifting her feet from the ground and floating on the rippling water.

“This is actually kind of nice,” she admits, closing her eyes and drifting. Then suddenly she squeals and splashes around in the water.