My cheeks warm at his words and his closeness. Biting my lip, I drop the sheet. Cool air caresses my naked skin. Qurill hisses beside me. I force my eyes open, refusing to feel shy. I’ve never been naked around a male before, but Qurill isn’t any male. I’m giving myself to him today—I’m allowing myself to be reckless and selfish if only for tonight. There is no time to be timid.
I know what I want—I want him to see me. All of me.
Qurill steps back, I can feel his eyes looking over my body as if his stare was a physical caress. My pink nipples harden under his attention. I clench my thighs together, grateful we will soon both be wet, and I can hide the state of my arousal. His hand finds my chin and tips my eyes up towards him. He is so tall that my head tips all the way back in order for us to lock gazes.
“You are very beautiful, Astryd.”
There’s an edge to his voice. I let his compliment wash over me. To have spent so much of my life hidden, it feels ridiculously decadent to be on display like this. I nod my thanks as he drops his hand. We both turn towards the door at the same time.
“Do we just…dive right in?”
“Yes,” Qurill says. “No time to delay.”
He takes a step forward, and the reality of what we are doing catches up to me. Once again, I can’t seem to stop being a fool. How had I not thought about this sooner?
“Wait.” I grip his arm, turning towards him. “I—I’m not a very strong swimmer.”
He raises a pale brow. “Meaning?”
Color floods my cheeks. “Meaning, I can float. As a means of survival, but swimming…”
I trail off, letting my sentence just linger there. Qurill’s lips twitch as if he is fighting off a laugh. He walks behind me, leaning in close until his soft scales tease the skin of my back. A hardness presses against my backside, and I swallow a moan. Sweeping the hair off my neck, I feel his mouth at my ear once more.
“Don’t worry, Astryd. I’ll teach you.” His hands trail down my arms before locking around my wrists. “Put your arms out in front of you. Fold your hands over each other and jump forward. I’ll guide you through the next bit.”
With a steadying breath, I do as he says. I leap forward with my hands extended. Crashing through the air bubble, cool water covers my skin. My gills flex along my neck, filtering the water so I can suck down lungfuls of air. I can keep my eyes open, no doubt another perk of his magic. Bubbles fly from my nose as my hands and feet slap around, trying and failing to tread water.
Large palms fall to my hips, holding me still. I turn, my hair flying around me in a dark gold veil. Qurill is beside me, amusement written in every line of his face.
“Relax,” he says, though the words don’t come from his mouth. They echo through my mind as if he speaks directly into my head.
“Can you hear me?” I ask in my mind.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Magic,” he replies with a wry grin.
I’ll have to be careful to keep my thoughts as innocent as possible. The last thing I need is for him to hear a thought before I’m ready to share it.
“I heard that too,” he replies into my mind.
If the water weren’t so cold, I’d surely be painted in scarlet. Keeping my mind carefully blank, I allow him to guide me through the water. Our slick bodies slide together as we part the water. Qurill frames me, lifting my hand to touch the floating seaweed. We pass through a school of fish, their colors dazzling up close.
They swim between us, skimming my bare legs as they pass by. Once we are in open water, Qurill releases me, and panic begins to set in.
“Remain calm, Astryd. Panicking is the worst thing you can do.”
He floats beside me, indicating I should mimic his body. Once I am certain I’m not going to float away, he kicks his feet slowly below him. I follow his movements. He begins pumping his arms, and I do the same. It’s not long before I’m treading water with more success than I previously had.
“Very good, Astryd.” His praise washes over me as I continue to tread water. “Now, turn to your side and repeat the motions. I’ll be right beside you.”
I do as he says, relishing in how easy it is to follow his commands. Floating onto my side, I kick my feet and move my arms in a similar fashion. I’m sailing through the water in notime. I spin and dive deeper. My hands trail over the bumpy texture of the coral and weave through the long strands of the seagrass. Pushing off from the jagged edge, I swim up from the floor and return to Qurill.
“You’re a natural.”
I smile at his words, floating near him and hooking my hand around his.
