Page 130 of Taste of Thorns

I give it my best shot but the fucker had a head start on me and as a consequence, hits the shore just a millisecond or two before me.

He whoops, raises his fists above his head and then collapses down onto the shore. I follow after him, both of us panting and gasping for breath.

“What the hell happened?” Briony says, all wrapped up in her oversized coat and hat. She peers down at us like we’re a pair of misbehaving children.

“There was a whirlpool,” Dray tells her.

“I saw!! You could’ve drowned.”

Dray grabs her hand and drags her down towards him.

“Nah, we had it under control.”

“You’re all wet!” she squeals, attempting, half-heartedly, to pull away as he litters her throat with kisses.

Eventually, he lets her go, and she sits out on the shore alongside us as we dry our bodies.

“Who do you think is better looking?” Dray asks Briony once he’s whipped off his trunks and is standing there butt naked as usual. “Me or Beaufort or Thorne?”

“Jeez,” I say, spinning my towel until it’s a tight coil and whipping it towards him. “Enough with the competition.”

He jumps out of my path. “I can’t help it. It’s part of my wolfy nature.” He lifts his arm and flexes his biceps. “What’s your answer, Kitten?”

“You can’t ask me that question,” she says. “If we’re doing this thing between us, then I’m not going to have favorites. It isn’t fair.”

“So you do have a favorite.” Dray winks at her. “It’s me, isn’t it? I mean,” he points towards Thorne, “he’s a grumpy grouch most of the time and his conversational skills are trash.” Thorne scowls at our bond brother. Dray points at me next. “And he has the ability to put his foot in his mouth every time he speaks.”

“Whereas you …” I say.

“Handsome, outgoing, very talented in bed,” Dray says and Briony laughs. “You don’t think I’m talented in bed, Kitten, because the other night when I stuck my finger in your–”

“You’re very talented in bed,” she says. I go to argue but she beats me to it. “But so is Beaufort. And Thorne–”

Dray and I snap our heads around to stare at our bond brother.

“I thought that wasn’t possible,” I say. Thorne has gone out of his way to avoid touching others ever since I’ve known him. It’s always been how things are – our bond brother moves several steps away from everyone else.

Have things changed?

“It isn’t,” he says stoically.

“But we’re making things work,” Briony says, smiling at him, “and we’re having a good time.”

“Are you?” I ask him.

I can’t imagine not being able to touch this girl. It’s all I want to do. It’s all I can manage not to touch her every minute of every day.

“Yes,” he says, holding Briony’s gaze in his own dark one. “Very much so.”

“Shit,” Dray says. “This is fucking epic! I’m so happy for you, man.” He smiles with genuine joy at Thorne and this, despite all his fucking craziness, is why I love my bond brother.

Thorne, however, glares right at Dray and tells him, “Put some clothes on.”

On the hike back to the academy, we go over everything we’ve taught Briony today as well as the spells she needs to keep practicing with Tudor.

“We’ll need to talk to the professor about any spells he has to counteract whirlpools,” I say.

“Why?” Briony asks.