Page 141 of The Throne Seeker

Fear grappled at her again, demanding she stay far away from the water, but another part of her told her she needed to learn, that it wasn’t safe for hernotto know. It was a fear she desperately wanted to overcome. So she replied with a shaky, “Okay.”

Before she had a chance to reconsider, Roman removed his tunic, exposing his toned chest that caught her attention for far too long—she was no better than Hazel. He slipped off his pants,remaining only in his undergarments. He took a few bold steps down the staircase into the water before turning to look up at her expectantly.

She kicked off her shoes, removing her dress with one swoop, leaving her in her thin white slip. The night air grazed her bare skin, sending another shiver down her spine. She steeled herself and tiptoed to the top of the staircase, wrapping her arms around her body for warmth.

Her hesitant gaze lifted to meet his.

Roman’s eyes locked onto her with an expression she didn’t recognize, running themselves over her body, then back up to meet hers as his throat bobbed. He clenched his jaw, deliberate in his movements as he stretched out both hands.

She grasped his rough hands, letting him guide her into the water. She braced herself for the cold, and although it was cool, it wasn’t as frigid as she expected, the underground spring warming the entire lake.

The water was nearly at her hips when her body locked up. She took a deep breath, trying to force her legs to move, but they refused to respond to her demands.

His hand tugged hers gently, urging her to continue.

She glared at him. “You brought me out here to kill me, didn’t you?”

The question caught Roman so off guard that a harsh laugh escaped his lips. It was a breathtaking sound—one that made her heart pound as loud as a drum. “There was a fleeting moment when I thought it could be to my advantage,” he said, mimicking her words. He continued to drag her down the stairs, adding, “I won’t let anything happen to you… I promise.”

His calm, warm voice put her fears at ease. She held her breath and forced herself into the water.

Without hesitating, he pulled her into him. Her arms and legs wrapped around him in a deadlock as her shaking body clung to him.

A small, encouraging smile formed on his lips. Energy jolted through her veins as if lightning had struck the water. It was the most enchanted thing she’d ever seen. It wasn’t like the polished smile she’d seen at court. It was a genuine smile that reached his eyes. And for the first time, the smile was because of her—forher.

It was enough to distract her from the fact she was in the lake until Roman took them deeper. She gripped him tighter, her saucer eyes shifting to the water—like it might part and swallow her whole.

“Hey,” he whispered, his dripping hand tilting her chin to look at him. “Eyes on me.”

Slowly, she dragged her gaze upward.

They were close—too close—close enough that she could see the golden flecks in his amber eyes. Judging by how deep they were, she knew she could probably stand on her own, but she was too afraid to let go, especially in the dark, with only the sky and the distant lanterns from the patio for light.

Roman’s arms tightened around her waist, and he nodded in approval. “You just keep those eyes on me,” he rumbled, the sudden rough texture of his voice sending her heart to beat at an unimaginable rate. “We’ll just get used to the water, alright?”

Rose ignored the foreign energy within herself yet again—ignored how his bare skin ignited her own. She tried to hold his gaze, but something caged deep inside her threatened to take over her limbs, urging her to move just a few inches closer…

She tore her eyes away before she embarrassed herself. It was then she noticed scars scattered across his tanned skin. She counted three large ones—on his shoulder, on his right side just beneath his ribs, and the new scar from the arrow laced withthe Dragonshade which looked redder than the others. She had a hunch it’d stay that way even as it healed, the poison leaving a permanent mark on him.

“How did you get this scar?” she asked, her fingers tracing the one on his shoulder.

Roman looked down at it with her. “That was a gift from a Vertmerian soldier. We were on the battlefield when I saw one of my friends on the ground, wounded. He could barely stand when I saw the soldier he’d been fighting about to take his life. Not thinking it through, I stuck my left arm out to push him out of the way. Instead, the axe bore into my shoulder, nearly hacking my arm off. Luckily, he failed.”

Rose cringed. “And this one?” Her fingers glided through the water to his right side.

“That I got during a storm at sea coming back from Eristan when the ship was breaking apart. I was trying to salvage it when I saw a large wave coming for us. I tried to warn the men, and they moved just in time, but I wasn’t so lucky. The wave came over the side of the ship and slammed me into a piece of wood from the mast sticking out from the floor, if you can believe it.” He said it like a wound like that couldn’t have easily taken his life.

Rose’s gaze went to his forearm, tracing the red scar with her fingers.

“And you know how I got that one,” he said softly, looking down at it with her.

She stared at the bright-red scar. “Do you realize you got all these scars by saving other people?” She finally looked up.

Roman paused, blinking. “I suppose you’re right… I never thought of it like that.”

She studied him, questioning if his humbleness was authentic. “Is that how you came by your nickname by your fellow soldiers?”

His eyes became guarded as he looked out at the water. “Yes. They started calling me Drengr after the battle at Clairborn.”