“Old teal? I missed you.” I’m able to talk beneath the water now. I do a flip before coming back to Rosalina and grabbing her waist, pulling her in a circle. “This isn’t quite Aerantheis, but I’m glad to swim with you again.”
Rosie laughs and wraps her arms around my neck.
“Thanks for suffering down here with me, love,” I murmur against her. “I thought frozen water scared you. You fell in when you were younger.”
She pulls away to look at me, expression suddenly serious. “I’ll follow you anywhere, Day, through any darkness. And you know what? It didn’t scare me at all jumping in. Because you were down here.”
“Love is an endless sea,” I whisper against her skin.
“You know this is a lake, right?”
“Lake-schmake.” I kiss my mate.
If you two don’t come up soon, I’m getting in, and you won’t like the consequences.High Prince Keldarion’s voice booms in my mind.
We both pull away from each other. Rosalina must have heard it too.
“Is it weird I’m oddly turned on by that commanding voice?” I laugh. “Perhaps I’ll find out where my siren dick is?—”
“Come on, Day.” Rosalina takes my wrists, tugging me to the surface.
We break through the water, and despite the siren form, the frigid air hits me like a knife. “That was damn cold.”
Onshore, Farron is doubled over, and that little traitor Caspian doesn’t even try to hide his amusement. He’sclingingto Kel’s side, practically crying with laughter.
“Are you pleased with yourself, Ez?” I shout, spitting out lake water and flailing dramatically for emphasis.
Ezryn’s helm is as expressionless as always. “Get out of the water before we have to defrost you,” he calls. “We don’t have time for your dramatics.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I snap back, swimming to the edge with Rosalina. We’ve drifted quite far. “Did my suffering interrupt your brooding? Forgive me, Ez. I’ll try to freeze more quietly next time.”
Ezryn makes his way to the side of the bank, carrying our clothes.
Farron walks up beside him then, waves his hand. Tiny spears of flame erupt from his hands and hover in the air. “To help you dry off.”
Warmth brushes my face as we swim closer. Rosalina props herself up on the snowbank and flaps her tail, smiling. “What do you think of my new look?”
At once, all her mates surround her, touching her pretty golden tail. Kel removes his jacket and wraps it around her bare shoulders.
I plunk beside her. “Hey, I’ve got a tail too.”
“I love the color.” Farron sits next to me and runs his hand over the scales. There’s a stirring deep within me…
That’s it, buddy. Come out so I can see you?—
But then I notice something off in the distance. I narrow my gaze, squinting past the glittering expanse of the frozen lake and the distant snowbanks. There, cutting through the endless white of the Winter Realm, is Mount Rhuvenmark. It rises high into the sky, its peak crowned with snow. But something’s wrong.
There’s smoke—thick, black, and furious—billowing out of the top. I’m no researcher, but I’m pretty sure dormant volcanoes aren’t supposed to dothat.
“Uh…” I point, my voice still hoarse from all the freezing, drowning, and…sirening. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but see old Rhuvey over there? It’s smoking. It’s not supposed to be doing that, right?”
The group pauses, all laughter and teasing evaporating.
“Vemrís thu’ren calas,” Farron says, repeating the ancient words of the underfae. “Winter will burn.”
61
Rosalina
