Rowan smiled against my ear before nipping at the lobe and drawing back from me. But he didn’t go far. He led me closer to the water and plopped down on the grass, slowly pulling me down beside him.
I brought my knees up and rested my arms on them, staring at the glows dashing beneath the water. “I wonder what type of fish they are. Kind of reminds me of koi.”
“Do koi have teeth?” Rowan asked. “Because I saw one of them snatch a frog earlier and chow down.”
“What?” I was horrified. “You’re joking.”
“Am I?” His smirk returned, uplifting one side of his mouth. “We could always throw you in and see if one bites you. Pretty sure sad toads would taste just as good as a frog. Probably better. One taste and it’d come back for more.”
“You’re so mean to me.” I drew my legs in closer and inched farther away from the water’s edge. “I finally escaped from Herbert and now you’ve unlocked another fear.”
“There’s that flower you saw earlier too,” he said. “The one Specs said was carnivorous. It sure looked hungry.”
“Oh god. I forgot all about it. Yep. Total nightmare fuel.”
As an orange glow beneath the water passed too close to us for my liking, I pressed to his side. He slipped his arm around me and shook with another soundless laugh. The jerk. I bet he’d lied about the teeth just so he could tease me.
Howls echoed throughout the surrounding forest, one after the other. Sounded like a pack on the hunt.
“Fenrir.” Rowan faced the nearest set of trees. “Wonder if Oreo is out there with them.”
“Maybe,” I answered. “I think he’s more of a lone wolf though and likes keeping to himself. Until he wants head pats anyway.”
“Just like another wolf we know.” Kicking one leg out in front of him, he bent the other and rested his arm on top. “Since being in this realm, though, he’s come out of his shell.”
“Lake seems happy, doesn’t he?” I shifted my gaze to the multitude of twinkling stars above us. “He can go outside and be around people without worrying about being thrown into a dungeon or killed.”
“His tail keeps wagging,” he said, his earlier smile returning. “And not just because he wants to whack me with it.”
“I’ve noticed that too.” I mirrored his smile.
Cuddled together on the grassy bank, we watched the colorful fish swim in silence. Even if they possibly were bloodthirsty monsters, they were still pretty. Not as pretty as the man beside me though. The glow of the fish and luminescent water reflected in his topaz eyes, popping against his bronze skin.
“What are you starin’ at?” he asked with a humored note in his voice. “Afraid I’m actually gonna throw you in the lake?”
I shook my head. “You’re beautiful, Ro.”
His smile faltered in his surprise. “Seems you have me confused for someone else.”
“Nope. I’m not confused at all.” I leaned in and glided the tip of my nose along his. My heart ached at the fact that he thought so low of himself. “You may not see it, but I do.”
“When we get back, we need to ask Specs to give you his glasses. Because your eyes clearly aren’t working right.” He bit at my nose. “Still just as silly as the day I met you.”
“The day you Evan-napped me, you mean.” I took his face in my hands. “But I’m serious. You may think that you thrive in the dark and belong in the shadows, but to me, you’re like sun-heated sand and summertime. You’re warm and so damn bright you’re blinding.”
Rowan shakily exhaled. “Warmer than that stinky rabbit? I definitely smell better.”
“Oh stop.” I returned his earlier bite by nipping at his jaw. “Both of you are warm and smell amazing.”
“But you love me more, right?” He smirked.
“I love each of you for different reasons, but no one outweighs the other. You…” I searched for the words to explain my feelings. “You all keep me balanced. And when one of you isn’t with me, that balance is offset, making everything discombobulated.”
“That’s a big word.”
I snorted.
“Is that how you feel about Lord Onyx too?” he asked in a tone that was rougher than before. “Unbalanced without him?”
