Page 149 of The Chains You Defy

And then the bastard licked his lips. Apparently, he enjoyed my flustered state, especially as he started to count down with a giant smirk on his godscursed, attractive fae face.

As he reached four, I finally inhaled deeply and inched into the water, hissing because of the cold assaulting my senses.

But the next step I took distracted me. “These stones on the ground. They’re soft.”

“But only underwater. Take them out, and they are hard as my—”

“Galanta is so crazy.”

Yes, I’d interrupted him.

A few paces before I reached Dion, I halted, eyeing the waterfall with suspicion. Being submerged almost up to my breasts was enough—stupid giant fae, making the water seem much more shallow—I didn’t have to get soaked by a torrent on top of that.

Taking my eyes off the predator in my vicinity had been my undoing plenty of times, and I’d never learned my lesson. Today was no different.

Strong arms caught me and hauled me closer, under the waterfall, then through the natural curtain. At least he hadn’t lied about the temperature being more pleasant inside the cave.

Drenched to the bone, I was about to snap at Dion as I took in the grotto for the first time, and my jaw dropped to the floor. If I were onlyallowed to use one word to describe what had appeared in front of me, I’d choose sparkling. The walls of the small cave gave the impression that they were bejeweled with precious stones of all colors of the rainbow, forming a natural mosaic of some sort. The soft light inside the grotto was shimmering and shifting in different shades, and the whole place—glittered. I’d called the clearing magical, but the outside held nothing in comparison to this slice of perfection.

Next to me, Harc’s tip peeked out of the water and rubbed against my arm like a cat asking to be petted, but this time, Dion was determined to keep my attention on him.

As I was still admiring my surroundings, he tugged me to the far edge of the cave and sat down on what must be a natural underwater bench, then tucked my back into his chest. Seated in such a manner, the water reached my chin, and I brimmed with satisfaction at how perfectly this aligned with my height. “Behind us is a dry patch.”

“Yes. I spent plenty of nights here when I wanted to escape court.”

“Your sanctuary.”

“Our sanctuary.”

My breath caught at Dion’s casual declaration, and I was relieved he couldn’t see my face. Instead of an answer, I hummed.

“And now it’s time to relax. Your muscles are stiff from riding. We need to start training again soon.”

“Ugh, don’t tell—ooh.” Dion’s giant hands clamped around my shoulders, and he applied pressure to my poor muscles as if he were offended that tension had dared to afflict me in the first place. It didn’t take more than one or two skilled touches, and I was melting like a piece of ice in the summer sun. The mixture of slightpain and relief was so exquisite, I couldn’t stop a sigh from spilling over my lips.

A low, masculine chuckle, accompanied by an exhale directly against my ear, sent a shiver down my spine.

And if I wasn’t already winded enough, there was nothing I could do but fall apart as Dion nipped at my earlobe. I didn’t even try to swallow the needy whimper, nor did I resist him in any way. My body, still not fully recovered from our earlier kiss, ignited, and there was no way for me to hide my unraveling state.

“Nayana—” Dion’s voice was a low rumble as he closed his arms around me—giving up on the massage—followed by his lips ghosting over my neck. “There’s more I long to share with you.”

There was no room for doubt about his intentions, not even a little. His entire behavior today had seduction written all over, and as much as I’d chosen to ignore the implications so far, now was the time to face reality.

A simple woman like me could only cling to so much resolve before she broke down. Dion and I had been drawn together by a magnetic force for too long. I couldn’t even pinpoint when our mutual attraction had actually begun, and even though I was still opposed to admitting that deeper, meaningful feelings were involved, the same couldn’t be said about acknowledging the over-the-top chemistry between us. Was I crazy because I truly considered his offer?

Gods, he hadn’t even spelled his aspirations out. Maybe I’d misunderstood him?

No, there was nothing to misinterpret—his possessive embrace spoke a clear language, and his arousal prodding unashamedly into my backside even more.

Somehow, this fae had managed what I’d believed impossible after that fateful encounter in the stable in Credenta—he might not have restored all my faith in the male population, but I trusted him at least.

Truth be told, I couldn’t even remember when I’d last suffered from a random flashback of my ex-fiancé’s assault in Dion’s presence. Without a doubt, he’d turned out to be the remedy for my broken soul.

The male behind me stayed still the entire time during my contemplation, to the point where I wondered if he was still breathing.

Yes, he had his arms enclosing me, my back nestled to his chest, but apart from that, he allowed me the time and the room to make up my mind.

Oh, he could have used the dirty tricks he’d discovered during the few times the line between friendship and more had blurred between us, but he chose not to mess with my ability to formulate rational thoughts. Like in Ivreiana, he set his ego and his needs aside for me, and I was more than aware of how this was the biggest miracle of all. So, in the end, the fact that he showed an unusual amount of patience tipped the scales.