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Nodding, I turned back to the water. One of these days I would have to ask him about his adventures before he tagged along with us. What parts of the fae realm had he seen? What kinds of stories did he have to tell? Surely they didn’t all have to do with his “quest.”

Well, we had plenty of time to have those conversations. I pulled myself away from the railing, intent on taking advantage of the free time and sparring partners while I had them.

“All right,” I announced, hands rubbing together. “Where were we?”

Approximately an hour later, Luthri and I circled each other.

I tried to look past his smile—which bordered on unhinged—to watch for signs of weakness.

Fresh from a round with Hohem, he favored his left wrist, and his chest rose and fell rapidly.

If I could get underneath him, I could use his weight against him.

The best opportunity for that would be when he charged.

“Are we dancing, love?” Lu teased, the endearment making something flutter in my gut.

“I’m ready when you are,” I told him. My hands were in front of me, ready to redirect his advance. I shifted my weight from side to side as I studied his shoulders, hips, and feet for a balance adjustment that would key me into his next move. The anticipation was intoxicating.

His shoulders pitched forward without warning.

It was a reckless dive for my knees, easily thwarted by catching his torso and extending my legs in a sprawl.

He twisted underneath me, more flexible than I had expected, wrapped his arms around my waist, and yanked.

We fell together, his quick thinking earning him a faceful of armpit.

I smothered a laugh against his side before releasing him and sitting back on my heels.

“Not the most effective of takedowns,” I remarked, “but points for effort.”

Lu grinned at me, a familiar spark of mischief lighting up his features. “Maybe I just wanted to see you on your knees.”

I met his taunt with one of my own. “If that’s the case, all you had to do was ask.”

Vyrain grumbled something about “flirting when lives were on the line being plain inconsiderate,” but my focus remained on Luthri as the grin faded from his face.

His jaw went slack, his chin bobbed. Mischief was replaced by thinly veiled hunger.

Before the mood could shift too much in the wrong direction, I was on my feet and helping Lu to his.

“Shall we go again?” I asked brightly.

“Sure, but I won’t go easy on you this time,” he warned, shaking out both arms. His gaze smoldered with heat, but he got the message: not now.

I ducked my head to hide my smile and leaned into a hamstring stretch for good measure. “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I told him. “Try to end up on top this time?”

Pulling a face, Luthri waited until I was upright before lunging.

This time he skirted around my reach, much faster than before, and clamped his arms around me from behind.

I thrashed for a moment and went limp. Luthri corrected his footing to accommodate my dead weight but was otherwise unaffected.

Built like a brick wall, he revealed no weaknesses.

Luthri tittered. “Are you fighting me, or are we cuddling? I can’t tell.”

My blood heated. I reached back to slip my hand in between my back and his front in search of the bulge of tender flesh all males had between their legs.

My fingers closed like a vise, eliciting a choked squeak from my victim.

His hold loosened as he prepared to push away—I didn’t hesitate.

Shifting my body underneath his, I captured his waistband and yanked, rolling him over the curve of my pelvis.

He hit the deck with a dull thud and muted hiss.

“Are we fighting, or are you taking a nap? I can’t tell,” I mocked. Luthri made a motion like blowing a kiss, and the next thing I knew, a powerful gust of wind put me on my ass.

“If underhanded tricks are on the table,” he retorted with a wink.

We kept at it most of the afternoon, rotating partners and switching between hand-to-hand combat and magic practice. Luthri was a little rougher than the twins, but I appreciated that he didn’t pull his punches to the point that they were love taps.

That wasn’t all there was to appreciate about Lu. When the topic of my training with Cantal came up, he was eager to help me figure out the combination of making and changing magics. Regrettably, he wasn’t the most articulate teacher.

“You’re trying too hard,” he exclaimed when I threw my hands up after the latest attempt.

“It’s harder than it looks,” I growled, collapsing in a heap on the deck. I grabbed for the nearest canteen and helped myself to a drink. Staying in motion was a good distraction from the swaying of the ship, but it wasn’t a permanent solution. Good thing I’d skipped breakfast.

Lu settled beside me, stretching his arms over his head with a satisfied grunt. I followed the ripple of muscle out of the corner of my eye as he spoke. “If changing comes naturally to you, this shouldn’t be that difficult. That means you’re doing it wrong.”

Looking to the sky for patience, I responded, “As helpful as that is to know, perhaps instead of telling me I’m doing it wrong, you’d like to tell me how to do it right?”

“It’s like…” One clawed hand opened and closed as if trying to pluck the words from the ether.

“When you hold your breath, you crave air. The sensation builds until you either breathe or fall unconscious. It’s like that.

When you take in mana , you can either use it or let it go.

If you don’t use it, you risk burnout—your body’s way of resetting. ”

“And?”

“It should be like breathing. But instead of using your lungs, you’re using your magic ability.

Instead of air, you’re taking in mana and putting out whatever you’re trying to make.

” Luthri showed me his palm as he nurtured a small purple flame into existence.

“The initial change is the hardest part. Well, that and returning it to a neutral state. Once you’ve changed mana into another form, it doesn’t take much energy to control it. ”

My free hand flexed. Would I also be able to make fire if I tried? Well, best to focus on one thing at a time. The breathing analogy made sense… Maybe switching up my approach was all I needed to get a handle on this.

Hohem and Vyrain took a break from their drilling to join us. Luthri dropped his hand, and the little flame he’d kindled winked out.

“Don’t stress if you can’t get it,” Vyrain said, crouching by my side as his brother slumped against the wall to catch his breath. “Certain kinds of magic come more naturally to certain people than others. If it were as easy as he’s making it sound, we’d all be shahim .”

“I’ll get it.” My hand curled into a fist. “I’m close. I can feel it.”

“Keep at it,” Lu encouraged. “It might help to raise the stakes. Drive yourself to physical exhaustion and then try it, or, I don’t know, have someone choke you.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “If you opt for the latter option, I happen to have some experience.”

“We could tie you to the front of the ship,” Hohem proposed.

“Or drag you behind it,” Vyrain chimed in, raising his canteen to his mouth.

“Oh, gosh. Tempting, but I’ll go at my own pace.

” I did take a moment to savor the image that popped into mind at Luthri’s words: the two of us pressed together so close that our breaths mingled, his fingers locked loosely around my throat while his other hand got acquainted with lower parts of my body.

It wasn’t a terrible option. Especially next to getting keelhauled .

“Think we could bother someone for some food?” Vyrain wondered aloud.

His brother perked up at the suggestion. “I could eat,” he agreed, looking around for signs of life from the crew. “It’s almost suppertime anyway. Crazy how the time flew.”

My stomach growled in accord, reminding me that it had been a while since I last ate. Could I handle something light? A few crackers or a piece of fruit?

“You didn’t have breakfast.” Lu phrased the statement like an accusation.

“Or lunch,” I admitted. “But it’s all right. I can afford to skip a few meals. Better that than be bent over the side of the ship for the rest of the evening.”

His lips clamped together, holding back the suggestive comment that surely sprang to his mind as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I had to admit the same came to mine.

“Let’s find something to eat,” he said instead, getting to his feet and offering me a hand. When I accepted it, he drew me upright so quickly that my head spun. I steadied myself using his forearm, helping myself to a subtle grope since the opportunity presented itself.

The twins also stood, expressions eager and flushed with the evidence of an afternoon spent toiling away, and we made for the galley as a group in search of sustenance.