I turned around and watched her moving through the water with a carefree energy that made my chest tighten in the best kind of way. Every laugh, every splash, every wild, unrestrained gesture reminded me of why I had missed her so much. Being near her like this made the world feel less lonely, less heavy. I wanted to hold her hand, to teach her everything I knew, to learn everything I didn’t from her. Shewas so impossibly unique, so alive, it made me ache just to be close.
And then she started taking off her clothes.
My gut twisted, and I clenched my jaw. Fuck. I’d seen women naked before, but this wasn’t just nudity—it was her, entirely herself, reckless and unaware, and there was no way I could let myself look. My face heated, my hands curled into fists at my sides.
“Lydia,” I said quickly, keeping my gaze firmly on the horizon, “make sure she gets home safely.”
Lydia smirked, ever so amused, but nodded.
“You can take the Pathways. I’ll send for the horses,” I added curtly. The moment I vanished, I willed myself to stop thinking of her like that, to contain the heat rising through me.
* * *
Maelis
I didn’t remember much after that or how exactly I got home, but I woke up a few hours later on a sofa in the living room at the Lodge. Fates, my head was throbbing and my mouth was dry as the desert.
I groaned when I sat up. What the Fates had happened?
I peeled my eyes open and was greeted with a big grin on Caelan’s face. He was sitting on one of the chairs opposite of me.
“Our little streaker is awake again. How are you feeling?” He laughed.
“I feel awful, what happened?”I rasped.
Caelan leaned over and handed me a glass of water and a little bag of white powder.
“This will help with your headache,” he explained and emptied the contents of the bag into the water. “Unfortunately, there is not much time to recover, the Abbot is back and has called a meeting in the temple library.”
The thought of having to travel the Pathways with Caelan made me feel sick to my stomach. I drank the potion Cae had mixed for me and was slowly starting to feel a little better.
“Don’t worry, it has happened to the best of us. You should have seen Theo when he started using his magic. One time, he actually conjured up a bull and started riding it around the temple. Man, the Abbot was pissed.” Caelan chuckled.
I wanted to laugh, but every movement made my head throb.
“I don’t even remember what happened. I tried to make the tree fall over by the river with Lydia, and the next thing I know, Theo is there in the water and I’m… having so much fun!” I took a sip, trying to gather my scattered thoughts.
“Let’s walk and talk, shall we? The others are waiting for us,” Caelan said, taking my elbow to steady me as I struggled to stand.
“Yes, it seemed like you were inan excellent moodafter hurling a tree at yourself, nearly dying, and then stripping off for a swim,” he added, a smirk tugging at his lips.
I gasped. “You’re not serious! That’s—awful!”
“Oh, please,” Caelan said, waving a hand. “I’m sure you aren’t the first woman to have flashed the God of Purity.”
I froze.
“Even though,” he added thoughtfully, “now that I think about it… I can’t actually recall that ever happening before.” He glanced atme, clearly enjoying himself. “Impressive, truly.”
My face went up in flames. “I didnot—I wasn’t—that wasn’t on purpose!”
“Hm,” he hummed, eyeing me sidelong. “So merely an unfortunate side effect of near-death, temporal magic, and poor impulse control?”
I made a strangled sound and covered my face. “Please stop talking.”
He laughed. “Relax. If it’s any comfort, I don’t think he’ll hold it against you.”
“That isnotcomforting,” I muttered. “I want to disappear.”
