Asher kissed me suddenly and all words and thoughts faded away. “So fucking cute,” he said softly as he pulled away.
I shook my head, surprised to see that we’d made it through the walkway and were now at the door. Dude messed with my head; it would scare me if I wasn’t so stupidly in love with the idiot. Not that I’d told him that of course, but I wasn’t going to lie to myself about it any longer.
Asher waved his hand toward the barrier. “After you.”
I narrowed my eyes, but I was interested to see if I still couldn’t get through. Last time it had been like wading through jelly, and I’d bailed before I got to the other side. Stepping forward, I placed my hand against the barrier and it actually felt different, like … water with a slightly higher viscosity. The moment my face touched it, my underwater breathing kicked in, and I no longer feared that cloying sensation. This was usually the point I bailed, but Asher always told me that I needed to push through, so I did.
There was a mildpop, and I opened my eyes to find myself on the other side. “Woohoo!” I let out a cheer, smiling broadly at Asher when he appeared. “I did it,” I yelled. “I would have made it to year two.”
“You did it, Maddi,” he said, pulling me into his side for a hug. “Only I have a small confession to make.”
I stopped cheering, eyeing him suspiciously. “What confession?”
“No one can make it through the doorway.”
I blinked before tilting my head toward him. “What do you mean? I just went through it.”
Asher nodded. “Yep, which makes it a grand total of two students to ever step through without someone lowering the barrier.”
I was so confused. “How did those second, third, and fourth years make it through at that first Water Magic class?” I’d seen them all step through, and with ease.
Asher grinned. “I secretly lowered the barrier and let them cross before reinstating it. We tell all first years that it’s part of their test, because it’s the best way for them to truly embrace the water. It’s not until the very end that I let everyone in on the little lie.”
My hand swung out and I smacked Asher on the shoulder. “That’s fucking terrible, you asshole.”
He shrugged, his grin more than a little amused. “I shocked the hell out of the teacher when I crossed, because no one thought it was possible. There’s a strong spell on the door … one with a very simple counterspell. It was put in place to keep anyone from wandering in here without assistance. There’s some dark shit further back in this section.”
I let out a low laugh. “No wonder you looked so stunned when I almost made it through. But how did I make it through? How are we breaking through the spell?”
His expression turned more serious. “Ever since that first class, you’ve been on my radar. Only those with very strong water magic could have broken through the spell. I didn’t know what you were then, but I was certainly intrigued.”
Asher had been on my radar since the first moment I caught a glimpse of black hair with silvery-blond streaks. The powerful aura. The broad shoulders that had taken up half the table. Then when I got to know him, it was so much more than his physical perfection. It was the way our energies mingled and our souls reached for each other, just the way I imagined true mates’ souls would.
We might not have triggered the actual true mate bond yet, but I didn’t care. I chose Asher.
When we stepped out onto the beach, I threw my arms out and let the magic sun warm me. Asher laughed, and I was reminded of something. “I guess we’re friends now.”
His smile remained as he tilted his head. He didn’t remember.
“You told me that you’d reveal everything about the door when we were friends,” I reminded him.
His arms wrapped around me and I snuggled against him, loving the feel of his skin on mine, and our energies together. It was hard to believe that when we’d first met, the block on my power had clashed hardcore with Asher’s energy, and we’d almost blown up the school.
Now, with the help of the powerful necklace Louis had given me, it actually felt like my energy was soothed by Asher’s.
We’d come so far.
“Happy birthday, Maddi,” he said softly, pressing kisses just below my ear and down my cheek. I was barely breathing by the time he reached my lips, desperate to taste him.
We kissed for a long time, and then he lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around him.
When he pulled away to open the door, I realized he’d taken us up to one of the small, colorful huts that sat at the edge of the white, sun-kissed sand.
“We get to stay here?” I asked, excitement sending my voice higher. “I’ve never even seen inside them.”
I’d swum in this water, sunbaked under the magical sun, frolicked with the unique pink dolphins of the water world, and made out with Asher on the sand multiple times.
But I’d never made it into the huts.
