“Yes. I think so.” My voice is hoarse, but audible.
“Good.” He smiles. “Are you ready to see your…what is it called again?”
“An ocean.”
“Ocean.”
“I’m ready.”
Katem threads his fingers through mine and we walk slowly across the clearing and into the grove of trees. He’s gone through all the trouble of planning this day for me, I don’t want to disappoint him or myself. I’ll do whatever I need to and not think about any potential consequences.
The sun has moved directly overhead, but the trees once again block out most of the heat, which I’m grateful for. Plus, there’s a nice breeze that cools my skin.
Katem comes to a stop at the base of a giant tree. I glance up. The tightly packed branches and leaves block out any fleck of light that tries to make its way through. He glances at me and gives me his back without breaking eye contact. I swallow down thefear—be brave, remember?—and approach him. With as deep a breath as I can take, I wrap my arms around his neck and jump.
Katem’s hands go under my ass to boost me up and my legs go around his waist, locking at the ankles. He turns his head to look back at me and our faces are so close together I can feel his breath against my skin. My gaze drops to his lips and I unconsciously wet my own. His pupils blow wide and that familiar throbbing starts up in my center. Katem’s nostrils flare next and I’m mortified with the thought that he might be able to smell my arousal.
“I’m not sure how long I can hold on.”
He blinks out of whatever spell he’s under and secures me more fully against him with his tail. “I will not let you fall. Hold tight.”
I swallow and do as he says. When his claws extrude and he digs them into the bark of the tree to climb, my heart leaps into my throat and my eyes close. I can’t watch or I’m going to lose my nerve. We go higher and higher and with every bit of distance we climb the panic grows. Right when I reach the point where I can’t deal any longer, Katem shifts and stops moving.
“We are here, Piper. There is a wide perch that is big enough for both of us to stand on. I promise I will keep you safe. You will not fall.”
Since I either trust him or I don’t, I unhook my ankles and lower myself until my feet touch a solid surface. It still takes me a couple minutes before I can open my eyes and loosen my complete hold on him. The second I see how high up we are, vertigo hits.
“Oh, god.” I slam my eyes shut and bury my face in Katem’s chest.
He wraps his arms around me and whispers what sounds like gibberish in my ear. Finally, his words make sense and they make me want to hug him tighter, because they’re nothing but encouraging. He keeps saying how brave I am and how proud he is of me. I think I fall a little in love with him right then. Or at least a strong like.
Hearing all these things from Katem bolsters my courage. Hesitantly, I draw back from him, increasing the distance little by little. I keep my arm wrapped around his waist though and he does the same with me.
“Let us sit. This is the best place to see.” He lowers himself into the saddle formed by the branches and gestures for me to join him.
I move to sit at his side, but he guides me between the vee of his thighs so my back presses against his chest. The warmth of him soaks all the way into my veins. A persistent hardness presses against my tail bone, but I ignore it.
Katem whispers in my ear, making me shiver. “Look out beyond the trees, Piper.”
I do what he says and gasp at the sight. In the distance, is the largest body of water I could have ever imagined. If I squint really hard, I might be able to see across the length of it. What has me mesmerized, though, is the way the sun shines on it. The beams reflect off it so brightly it’s as if diamonds float along the surface.
It’s blinding, but the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Tears spill down my cheeks, because I did it. I fulfilled one of my wishes. What lies before me may not be an ocean to other people’s standards, but it more than qualifies by mine. I leanmore fully back into Katem, almost melting into him and rest my head next to his.
“Thank you.” My voice is barely above a whisper, but that’s because emotion has me caught up in a stranglehold.
“Is this one of your oceans?”
“It is.”
“Deeka has blessed us both this turn.”
Yeah, maybe she has.
We sit there longer—even after the sun has shifted and the diamonds that appeared to once sparkle across water’s surface are gone—doing nothing more than breathing in the air and enjoying the stillness. Being this high up, it’s much easier to watch the mellenje fly through the lavender sky, their yellow wings a bright splash of color against all the purple.
“I wonder what else is out there?” Not wanting to disturb the quiet too much, my voice is hushed.
“What do you mean?” Katem is as equally reverent of the moment.
