And as I blink, the image of the tired, messy-haired girl is transformed into…
Something else.
It’s me, but it’s not me. This Dove has fire in her emerald eyes, a crown of fairy flowers on her head, a blood-red dress thatdips so low that her whole scar is on display and soft, glowing, silvery lines that dance around her skin.
That cannot be me.
In one blink of my weary eyes, the image is gone, leaving my sullen expression looking at me. Troubled eyes crease through the ripples as I squint back at myself.
You’re delusional, Dove.
Rivern is off finding food for us to eat, so, with his earlier assurance that the lake is okay to bathe in, I quickly strip down and wade into the surprisingly lukewarm water, my hair out and blowing in the chilling earthen breeze.
“Godesssss.” The relief passing through my body is immeasurable as I continue to sink inch by inch, just letting my head bob above the soft current.
With my feet barely touching the floor, I decide to dip my whole body under to wash the dirt out of my hair. Without soap on hand, I will not be as clean as I like, but the firm pull of the water on my skin is a reprieve after turns of travel. My body almost seems to calm down enough my heart rate lowers to a normal, non-erratic speed.
Soon, the suns are dipping below the trees, a warm glow illuminating the lake around me.
As I move my hands up and down my body, washing the dirt and grime off my skin, my thoughts drift unbidden to the fae male I’m bonded to.
Truly, this would be the best time to flee, but I am cautious that, with Rivern awake, he could come back at any moment to find me gone. I need slumber to hold him through the darkness, giving me a head start before he notices my absence.
What will he think when I leave? He will be disappointed, but surely if he were in my position, he would understand. My saving grace continues to be that we aren’t fully bonded, meaning he cannot read my thoughts. Just my feelings.
Suddenly, a slight splash comes from behind me, and I jerk my whole body around.
There, clad in nothing but his nakedness, is Rivern. Completely highlighted by the last of the suns’ rays peeking through the trees, the map of his skin weaves vined, golden lines from his face, down his neck, his arms, his torso. Even reaching for his—
My eyes shoot back to large, violet orbs. “Since it’s just us out here and we are bonded, I thought you would not mind me sharing this lake with you.”
Words get caught in my throat.What the actual fuck?
I take a step back, slipping on a rock.
My reflexes do not compare to those of the fae before me, and before I slip through the water, two firm, strong hands are pulling me against one large, taut body.
Eyes closed tightly to the overwhelming torment of this male holding me, I lower my forehead to rest on Rivern’s firm chest, my body on fire from the contact between us.
My brain turns to mush, an unthinking cavity as everything Rivern becomes heightened to me.
Iron fingers hold my upper body close to his strong form.
Everything in me stills, waiting and pliant as the bond’s beat is all I hear in my ears.Thump. Thump. Thump.Music to my weary body.
Rivern exhales. I inhale. A rhythm unbroken, reminding me of the double-circled loop symbol the fae use. Always connecting back to each other. A dance of forever.
His unyielding fingers slip from my arms and trail a line from my upper back to my waist, and further down to the cheeks of my bottom.
“I would stop, but I cannot,” a croaking, smooth timber says from above. I finally open my eyes to see my shining prince encased in a halo of wispy light.
“What if I don’t want you to stop?” The voice betrays me, my lips unbidden.Shit, what am I doing? This bond cannot be sealed.
“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my lifetime, Princess.” That name again unlocks a little part within me, welding it back to the shattered pieces of my heart.
Rivern stirs my fire to unheard-of temperatures, making the water milling around our bodies hotter than it should be.
Fingers flex on my bottom, giving it a tender squeeze.
