Chapter Thirteen

"Your boyfriend is a nightmare," I grumbled, falling onto the cozy cushion of the couch. I leaned my head on Akira's shoulder, careful to avoid his wings tucked behind him, and downed my wine.

Akira laughed and wrapped his arm around me. "Is he bombarding you with work?"

"I think he's trying to bury me alive in it."

"I heard you managed to get over halfway through volume one of Royal Policies ," Dallas said from where she sat cross-legged on the floor in her silk tank top and pajama shorts.

After a long, tiring first day of intense meetings, even more intense revelations, and far more intense studying, I was exhausted. I'd barely managed to get through dinner without my head falling into my plate of food. My friends had apparently picked up on this, so now a few of them sat around my personal sitting room with me. We lounged in our socks and pajamas, sipping on wine, and eating a cheese, cracker, and fruit platter that Fitan had graciously sent up.

"I hate that book," I whined with a heavy sigh. "Do this, do that. Be this, be that. Never do this unless that occurs, but if that occurs, this needs to be done. It's all gibberish, and even though I could regurgitate every word for you, I don't want to waste my remaining brain power on that. What I do want to talk about," I started conspiratorially, sitting up and turning to Akira with a greedy smile, "is you . I want to hear all about what it's like having Jesiah back."

"I still can't get over the fact that the Akira we've heard all about was you this whole time," Imani said with a disbelieving grin and shake of her head. "Like what are the odds."

Akira's pale cheeks pinkened, and he grabbed a throw pillow to hide his face. " Kore wa hazukashii ."

I had no idea what the Japanese words meant, but from how bright he flushed, I assumed the Raven was embarrassed. I snatched the pillow and placed it in my lap. Grabbing Akira's hands, I beamed at him. "You finally found him. Was he here in Morardia the whole time?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. "He was. It's crazy. I had flown over Morardia dozens of times, thinking he might be here, but I never bothered landing because it looked so abandoned ."

"Well, you've reunited now," I hummed. "What's it like?"

He gave a breathless laugh and tilted his head back to smile at the ceiling. "There are no words. Truly. No words would suffice to describe how unbelievably happy I am."

My heart warmed, and I matched Akira's contagious expression. We all did.

"What about you and Rune?" Mingxia asked brightly. "You two seem so in love. I can't wait to see your Joining Ceremony. The last one was Queen Alesta and King Khal's, which was forever ago. For many of us, this will be our first time witnessing one."

I hoped my smile didn't slip, because I didn't want to ruin the lighthearted mood we had going. The Joining Ceremony was something I hadn't thought about since first hearing of it, because I didn't know if it was even going to happen. If I told Mingxia that, her sparkling eyes would dim with disappointment, and I really didn't want that.

"What's a Joining Ceremony?" Marlow asked. His glossy salamander eyes darted between all the Water Fae for answers.

Carlos glanced warily in Mingxia's direction. "It sounds like a viewing party of Rune and Bria doing the dirty."

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Avana laughed as she swung a pillow at Carlos's head.

"For real, Carlos," Rune said. We all turned to look at the doorway where Rune leaned his shoulder against the doorframe in full Fox Fae form. Smirking, Rune continued, "You think I'd let people watch? She's for my eyes only."

"Party pooper," Dallas pouted then threw a teasing wink at me.

"I was sent up with word from a few lonely, unnamed gentlemen who are dying to see their significant others now," Rune said, giving a pointed look at Akira, Dallas, and Carlos.

"Oh, and you expect us to believe you're not also looking to get your own lover all to yourself?" Avana asked with an all-knowing smirk.

Rune flashed a cheeky grin and held his clawed hands up in surrender. "Guilty."

Everyone gathered the empty food trays and the glassware before trailing to the door. Rune smiled unapologetically for crashing the party as everyone left. At last, it was just the two of us—him in the doorway and me staring at him over the back of the couch.

I folded my arms over the plush material and laid my cheek on my arms. Rune stood silent for a few minutes, his warm, golden eyes tracing over me. He seemed content to stand there and watch me, and I was happy to return the gesture.

Finally, he came over to the couch and reached down to brush his knuckles across my cheek. "Tired?"

"Mhmm," I answered. My eyes slipped closed as I soaked in his touch.

"Too tired to do one last thing with me for the day?"

My eyes instantly opened as I eagerly got to my knees on the cushions. "I'm never too tired for that."

Chuckling, he came around the couch. He quickly scooped me up in a classic Princess style hold before making his way back to the doors. "I didn't mean that , although, I won't be mad if that's what this turns into."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him as he carried me in the direction of our room. "If you're about to ask me to do some late night studying with you, the answer is no. If I read another word of—"

"Are you shitting me?" Rune laughed incredulously, looking at me like I'd lost my mind. "I would prefer to never even see those boring-ass books again, let alone spend my free time going over them with you."

"Thank God because my brain is fried. It's bad enough that those texts will forever be ingrained in my mind now, stuck there like an irritating tune that you can't get rid of. I could've filled my head with so many better books."

"I don't envy your photographic memory right now," Rune noted as he strolled through our master bathroom with me still in his arms. He stopped outside a door in the back of the room, and he suddenly took on a thoughtful expression. "Unless Jesiah gives us a quiz on what we read. Do you think he's going to test us on the material?"

I shrugged. "Probably. How else will he know if we've retained what we read?"

Rune's face fell. "Fuck. I didn't actually read anything. I was just making a show of flipping through the pages while imagining you and me starring in a student-teacher porno."

Laughing, I swatted at his chest. "You're so full of it."

"Think what you want." He winked at me and set me on my feet outside the door.

I glanced at the door before us then raised a questioning brow at Rune. "The task you wanted to do before bed was see the linen closet together?"

"The linen closet?" Rune chuckled. "So you clearly didn't check what all the doors led to on this floor."

"I haven't exactly had the time."

"Fair enough." He pointed at the door. "Open it."

Curious, I grabbed the handle and opened the ornately decorated door. Instead of a small, dark room lined with shelves, I was greeted by a light, cool breeze. The distant sound of the ocean welcomed me, and I slowly walked out onto the balcony with my voice stuck in my throat.

The outdoor bath was a balcony off our bathroom, and the intricate railing spanning the edge was a smooth, iridescent design that reflected the glow of the moon. The pillars holding up the banister were designed to look like swaying seaweed with sea life sprinkled in tiny carvings along the material. A sleek, deep crater sat in the center of the balcony, and seats lined the rim of the pool to let its users sit within the water. Candles had already been placed around the balcony, their soft glow offering a more intimate lighting to the space. The sky, darkened with night but shining brilliantly with a thousand stars and the forever full moon, filled our view.

"This is gorgeous," I sang breathlessly.

"I found this last night. I thought you deserved a good soak before bed. A chance to completely relax and clear your mind."

Brimming with awe and thanks for this man, I looked back at the empty pool and noticed there were no spigots to turn on the water. "How do we fill it up?"

Rune came up behind me to press his chest into my back. His palms grazed my wrists before skating slowly up my arms. "I'm guessing you fill it up. Why would a Water Fae Queen need a spigot to fill her tub when she can call water with ease?"

I stared wide-eyed at the distant sea. The palace was situated on the far north side of the island, but even so, a good mile separated the palace from the shores. The ocean was right there in perfect view from this height, yet it felt continents away. I couldn't possibly call out to it from this height and distance.

"I can't do that," I said, and every part of me clenched painfully as the words left my mouth. I hated the sound of them.

After a day in which I'd faced trial after trial and came out feeling stronger after each one, it left a biting sting in my chest to suddenly doubt myself. I wanted to be confident in who I was, but I … I wasn't. I had pretended to be bold and sure throughout the day—hell, I'd believed I was—but now I was reminded of how unsure I was.

"You can do it, Bria," Rune encouraged. "I watched you call forth a wave the size of a mountain today. You did that."

"That was just me asking the water to reach out to the rest of Water Fae. I didn't make the wave. It appeared on its own. I-I've only ever manipulated small portions of water that have been right in front of me. To call the ocean—" I stopped, staring at the distant glittering sea. I swallowed hard. "To call the ocean when it's that far away is impossible."

"I think you're going to find over time that you are greater than your idea of what's impossible. But if you want to start smaller until you're comfortable with your powers, we can. There's water right here in this palace, running through the floors and walls and filling fountains. Try calling on that."

I glanced over my shoulder to meet Rune's eyes. "You want to see me use my powers?"

"I do. I want to see you realize how amazing you are. I want to see you as the fierce Queen I know you to be. Show me, Bria. Show me your power."

I still couldn't quite believe that this same man used to loathe Water Fae with his entire being. I knew how Rune felt about me and Water Fae now, but that didn't stop the brief moments of awe in which I was reminded of how far he'd come. If I'd been asked months ago if Rune would willingly take a Water Fae as a lover, I would've laughed hysterically in that person's face. Rune and Water Fae didn't even belong in the same sentence, let alone the same room. To see him now—open and completely confident in me and who I was—left me breathless and certain of one thing.

I loved him, and I vowed to see myself the way he did one day.

Looking back at the empty tub, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I inhaled, I focused on water. The water running through the walls, the water I knew that dwelled within the fountains on this floor and the ones below us. I pictured it within my mind and held onto the image as I silently called out to it to hear me. After a few moments, a tingle started in my fingertips, and with the sensation, I felt my own body stiffen as the water within the palace paused its own movements like it was frozen and waiting for me to tell it what to do next.

"Come," I commanded silently.

An almost electric jolt fired through my veins, causing me to sway slightly on my feet. Rune's hands gripped my shoulders to hold me in place, and when a shadow fell over my eyelids, I opened them. A funnel of moving water was forming right before my eyes with streams coming from places below the balcony, from the open doorway behind me, and from either side of us. It spiraled and spun in a clear, dancing wall, and when I realized we had enough to fill the bath, I said, "That's enough."

The streams coming from every direction slowly trickled off until only this hovering funnel of water remained. Reaching my hands out, I felt the tether between this water and me tighten with a stronger connection. That was my green light to control it. With my outstretched arms, I guided the water down into the deep pool and released it from my hold. It immediately lost its form and filled the bath with rough splashes and small waves.

I let out a long breath and grinned at my handywork. "I did it!"

"Excellent job," Rune congratulated, and I could hear the smile in his voice. His warmth left my back as he approached the tub. He knelt beside it, and his fox tail draped behind him. He skimmed his clawed hand through the water. "It's a bit cold for an open air bath. Shouldn't be an issue, though."

He sank both hands beneath the surface. I watched in fascination as he took a deep breath, and as he inhaled, the water nearest his hands began to ripple. His fists seemed to be growing brighter beneath the water, like two embers slowly igniting with life. Finally, he released his breath and opened his fists at the same time. A rush of orange light raced through the pool, and in the same instant, the water started to bubble and steam.

"Holy banana balls," I mumbled, staring dumbfounded at the bath. "You just made a jacuzzi."

He laughed and came to stand in front of me. He gripped the back of his t-shirt and tugged it over his head, leaving me to salivate over his bare torso. "That was nothing. A mere parlor trick."

"Oh really?" I raised a teasing brow at him. "Is it a trick you use on all the girls? Win ‘em over with a homemade hot tub?"

He leaned down to place a ghost of a kiss along my throat. "Only the ones who use their Water Fae powers to conjure the water for me."

"Hmm," I said, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach as he pulled my shirt off. "I'll have to hunt these other girls down and have a talk with them."

His fingertips slid over my skin to unclasp my bra before skating up my back. His touch moved featherlight along my shoulders, taking my bra straps with them as they glided down my arms.

"Nah, I don't think you'll have to worry about them," Rune said. His hands moved across my lower back until they slipped beneath the hem of my pajama bottoms and underwear, guiding the garments down my legs for me to step out of them until I was left bare to him and the night breeze. He stood and discarded his own bottoms.

"Oh, and why's that?" I asked.

He held his hand out for me, which I took, and he walked backward into the pool, helping me down into the deliciously warm water. I sucked in a sharp, contented breath as the heat soaked into my tired limbs, and I released a blissful sigh once fully submerged.

Rune waded through the water, which was chest-deep for me but only went up to his mid-torso. He moved behind me to cocoon me in his hold, and he perched us both on the underwater seats so that we faced the vast ocean view.

He leaned into me and whispered, "You don't have to worry, because all I want is right here."

A shiver trailed along my spine despite how warm I was from head to toe. I leaned back and let myself sink into his hold. Rune kissed my temple, and together, we soaked up the quiet stillness of the night with the dancing ocean as our own private melody. The stars twinkled with glee overhead, reflecting off the caps of the gently rolling waves. All I could see from here to the horizon was the open sea, and the endless waters made me think about all I'd learned today. The ocean created questions and curiosities—what lay in Ambrolia's seas? Could Water Fae go back there one day? Could I connect with the ocean herself one day if I worked hard enough?

"You're supposed to be relaxing and emptying your mind," Rune said, but his tone was light and teasing.

I looked at him over my shoulder. "How do you know I'm not?"

He raised a brow at me and gave me a pointed look. "Because your nose is doing the scrunch thing it always does when you're deep in thought and concentrated on something."

I reached up to hide my nose. "Liar."

The teasing light left his eyes until his lips were lifted slightly in nothing but sincerity. He brushed my hair back over my shoulder and swept it to the side. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do you think Water Fae can become what we once were? You know, regain our lost abilities and maybe even return to the sea?"

Rune considered my question a moment. "Water Fae powers changed over the centuries, kinda like evolution. As Water Fae made huge changes in their behavior and the way they lived, their abilities altered as a consequence. To regain them, well, that would take a long time, and I can't say for sure that it could even happen."

"You don't think Water Fae could relearn those things?"

"I don't think breathing under water is something you can relearn . That's either an ability you have or don't."

My shoulders slumped slightly at the discouraging truth of that. I wanted to help Water Fae get back in touch with the core of who we were and get all our abilities back—abilities of which I myself hadn't even begun to scratch the surface.

Refusing to give up completely, I looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Do you think some things can be retaught? Some abilities you might have to be born with, but other things can surely be learned. Like the ability to become water."

Rune didn't look sure, but he said, "We'll see. You haven't even learned those things yourself, Bria. Let's start there first, okay?"

Pouting, I leaned back against him again, letting the back of my head rest on his shoulder. "You're right."

That seemed to satisfy him, and we once again sat in the warm water, letting the silence blanket us with a sense of calm. Instead of my mind emptying, though, I dwelled on Rune's words.

It was true. I didn't know even a sliver of all I could do as Water Fae, but the one power that intrigued me the most right now was the ability that made me feel connected to my mom. It was the one we supposedly shared. The ability to become water.

According to Jesiah, I'd already used this power at some point, which was why the tips of my hair were turning blue, but I didn't remember ever turning into water. Could it be something easier than what it seemed, so I'd done it without even realizing it?

Glancing at the water wading around Rune and me, I nibbled on my lip as I stared at my hand beneath the water. I concentrated on the peachy flesh, the five fingers there, and each groove visible from above the water. I studied my hand with my painter's eyes, and as I did, I also tuned in to the warmth surrounding the entirety of it. I passed my hand slowly through the water, focusing on the way it felt to have pressure push against my palm as I swiped right then against the back of my hand as I moved it to the left. I continued to pass it back and forth, and I focused on a new thought—my hand slowly turning less peachy and more transparent, and my fingers smoothing over as the flesh and bone was replaced with water.

My hand started to tingle, and I instantly held my breath with excitement as I kept watch of my hand. A firm warmth began to grip my hand like a mold slowly stitching itself together along my skin until a new kind of feeling settled over my extremity.

"What are you doing?" Rune asked slowly.

"I think I did it! I think I—" I excitedly pulled my hand out from beneath the water, but as soon as I saw it, my stomach sank. Frowning, I groaned, "No."

Instead of water for a new hand, I simply wore a second skin of water like a glove. Frustrated, I shook my hand, trying to get the water off, but it remained where it was.

"Are you practicing your abilities while bathing naked with me, dear? Is this what our relationship has come to?" Rune asked, and when I heard the smile in his voice, I wanted to wipe it away with my stupid water glove.

"I wasn't trying to do this ," I moaned, and I wiped at my hand with my other one in a futile effort to scrape the water off.

"Uh-huh," Rune said. He grabbed my encased hand and turned it this way and that to examine it. "What were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to become water. You know, like my mom. But my hand isn't water. It's just wearing it. And now I can't get the stupid stuff off."

Rune chuckled. "That's what happens when you try to teach yourself things without proper guidance or understanding of what you're doing. Especially something like this. Jesiah and everyone else will work on your abilities with you, Bria. You don't have to figure it all out right now by yourself, especially not when you're supposed to be relaxing . For now, I'd say to get that off, just walk back through what you did to get it on and essentially do it again but backward."

Trying to set aside my bitter frustration to give Rune's suggestion a shot, I focused on the water encasing my hand and pictured it melting away to reveal my hand beneath. Without too much effort, the water began to drip back down to the bath until my hand was glove free.

I wiggled my free fingers and let out a defeated sigh. "I don't get why that didn't work."

"Because you're messing with an extremely powerful ability that none of your kind understands anymore. Becoming water is going to take more than you waving your hand in a pool for a couple minutes. Hell, who knows what that kind of power takes to perform it. All the more reason you shouldn't be trying to mess with it without proper help and understanding of what you're doing.

"Please, Bria. I don't want something to go wrong and you hurt yourself—or worse. Just wait and practice after you've learned what to do."

The sudden urgency and seriousness of Rune's voice had me turning to look at him. All of my frustration melted away when I saw the way his amber eyes pleaded with mine to listen. He was right. I was messing with ancient powers that were beyond me. There was no need to put myself in harm's way to try to learn them on my own.

"You're right," I said, spinning around to face him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a reassuring smile. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll wait for Jesiah or someone to help me with these things."

He placed his hands on my hips, which now braced either side of his thighs. "Good. Thank you."

There was no missing the feel of his hard cock poking against my middle. I nibbled on my lip as I fingered the white hair around his shoulders. "I haven't done a very good job of relaxing like I was supposed to."

"So I noticed," Rune smirked.

Wiggling my hips just enough to show him that I was aware of his erection, I purred, "You know, there is another Water Fae ability that I have that I've been wanting to explore."

Unease suddenly bracketed the lines of his mouth. "After what you just tried, I'm afraid to ask."

Grinning, I dropped my voice and skimmed my hand down his chest. "I can breathe underwater."

This was something I'd learned when I'd first gotten my powers. It was technically the first ability that I had used when Jonah tried to drown me.

A heated look suddenly filled Rune's eyes as he caught on to what I was suggesting, and his cock stirred between my legs. He tried to fight against the hunger rearing its head as he said, "We don't know how long you can breathe under water. It could only be seconds."

"So let's find out together," I said, slinking back and dipping lower into the bath.

His chest rose and fell, and the muscles in his shoulders and neck flexed as he fought to keep his composure. "Bria." My name left his lips in a low, husky warning, and I practically came myself from the mere sound.

I placed my hands on his hard thighs and sank to my chin in the water. "Whether it's a few seconds or a few minutes, if I run out of air, I'll come back up. Scouts honor."

His predatory smirk did things to the now-aching throb that took up residency between my thighs. "I'll need more than a few seconds."

I matched his heated smile. "How long do you need?"

He let out a growl at the challenge, and it sent excited shivers racing through my whole body.

"Let's do it this way," I said. "Whoever lasts longer wins. I'm excited to see the results from this experiment. Aren't you?"

"Fine," Rune agreed, draping his arms along the edge of the bath. "Hope you have some strong water lungs."

God, so do I.

"In that case—" I slipped beneath the water and inhaled deeply, swallowing Rune's delicious cock at the same time.

Oh yeah.

I really fucking hope I have more than a few seconds of this.