“Because she’s not good enough for him.” I pluck at the vibrant green grass lining the water.
“Will anyone ever be?” He pushes off the side and butterflies away from me on his back. His eyes link with mine. “Other than you, of course.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I turn to him, crossing my arms over my soaked chest.
“Is it?” Jace once again swims toward me, his lips skimming the water’s surface. “Bonds like yours can be tricky. Familiars don’t tend to have lasting relationships.”
“Why not?” I ask curiously.
“How can they, when their significant other will always be second to their bonded? There is a mutual sense of ownership that accompanies ties like that. It’s easy to mistake those feelings for attraction.” He looms closer, sharklike, as I retreat into the edge of the pool.
“Desire.” Rivulets of water drip down his chin and snag on his stubble as he stands, rising to his full towering height. He braces his hands on the grass on either side of me and leans in close to my ear.
“Lust.”
I shiver, and he chuckles, backing away.
“That isn’t what Zadyn and I feel for each other,” I say with false bravado. “He’s been with me my whole life. He’s more like a brother to me. A—a cousin.” I shrug.
“Distantcousin.” Jace smiles in wicked amusement, and the sight is breathtaking. I make a disgusted sound and splash at him.
“Come on. Go again.” He waves his hands, shooing me away as I mutter a string of complaints. “You’ll thank me one day.”
I repeat the same steps as before, envisioning a pair of wings sprouting from my back, carrying me on the wind. The effort is exhausting. Jace catches me each time as I plank and fall into him. His strong arms steady me, and I marvel at how he can hold me above his shoulders without buckling or breaking a sweat. For a second, we’re Johnny Castle and Baby, and I feel like I can check that fantasy off of my list.
“Tell me about your magic,” I say, hoisting myself up to sitat the edge of the pool, still submerged from the knees down. Jace swims to the ledge, his chiseled arms flexing as he folds them over the grass. I have to drag my eyes away reluctantly.
“My affinity?” he asks, pushing his slick hair from his face. “I can manipulate air, wind.”
“So you can levitate things?”
“That’s part of it. A lot of fae from Aegar have mild telekinetic abilities.”
“What’s the other part?” I gather up my heavy hair and wring it out beside me.
“I can touch you without ever really touching you.”
My hands still.
I fumble for words.“That sounds…dangerous.”
He chuckles, one of his rare million-dollar smiles flashing.
“It’s convenient,” he says casually. His eyes close as he tips his head back to the sun. I bite my lip, engrossed by his glorious form. The water sparkles around him, its reflection brightening his tan complexion. After a moment of unrestrained admiration, I speak.
“Show me.”
His eyes slowly open. Wordlessly, he propels himself backward, retreating from me without ever breaking eye contact. I feel a cool breeze trickle up my arm, starting at my wrist and working its way up to my neck. I would swear that phantom touch belonged to a hand, except as I gaze down in wonder, there is nothing there. The touch spreads, dusting featherlight across my clavicle, causing my chest to pebble. My teeth clamp down on my lip to suppress the shudder threatening to rack me. Another touch joins the fray, lightly grazing up my knee, wrapping around my hips, and sliding into my hair. My head tips back as the ghost fingers dance up my neck and lips. I feel everything as if it were really happening. The wind traces small circles on my inner thighs, and a tiny whimper escapes my lips.
Then the wind disappears from every place it connected with my body. I instantly want it back to finish what it started. My eyes open as I lift my head.
Jace stares at me like a predator, his eyes dark and lustful, as I’m sure mine are. The silence in the air between us is palpable.
“We should head back,” he finally says, his voice low and rough. I nod, unable to trust myself to open my mouth and pull my trembling legs from the water.
Jace gets out silently as I gather my clothes in my arms and shove my feet into my boots. Dripping wet, I don’t bother to redress. I mount the horse in my underwear, ignoring Jace’s eye roll.
When we reach the clearing behind the stables, we dismount and begin walking the horses back to their stalls. We both stop dead in our tracks as Sorscha emerges from the stable, holding the reins of a lithe Stygian in her gloved hands.
