“Uprising?” Everly asked, brows pulled together.
“The rock uprising,” Finley said, her smile tentative as she made Rocko disappear into her inner pocket of magic. “We fear they’re after the king’s crown.”
Smiling, Everly shook her head, pointing a finger in my direction. “So there are two of you now?”
“Impossible. The realms would crumble under that much charm,” I joked. “But Finley? You don’t duplicate perfection.”
I rose and offered Finley my hand, not certain she’d take it. She did, and my chest loosened at the feel of her fingers sliding around mine. I gently pulled her closer, wrapping an arm over her shoulders. Part of me braced for her familiar retreat. When she inched closer, I pressed a kiss into her hair.
“Perfection, huh?” Finley’s lips twitched. “You really will say anything to get me to laugh.”
Everly rolled her eyes. But my focus remained on Finley, who still hadn’t pulled away. Instead, she pressed her shoulder a little firmer against me. The warmth in that small gesture said more than her teasing words ever could.
“Elias and Kassidy are waiting for us,” Everly said, moving toward the opening. “Unless you feel your time is better spent monitoring the rocks for their supposed uprising.”
Again, Finley laughed, and that sound swam through me, pulling tight in places that had once starved for her.
“I believe Rockana will behave herself since I’m holding Rocko hostage,” Finley said, putting the rock formerly known as Luana 2.0 on the bed mat we’d shared.
Shared. I swallowed hard at the thought.
Here we were, getting a second chance, because her intended saw the way she quietly longed for me and wanted her to be happy. I could kiss him for it. If he were here, I probably would.
In fact, I planned on planting a big, grateful kiss on his cheek the moment we crossed back into Niev.But would that rub salt in the wound?I’d hate to do that to Etienne. What he was doing was noble. Kind.Sacrificial.To gloat would be cruel when it wasn’t my intention.
“Wait for me outside,” Finley said. “It won’t take me long to change clothes.”
My gaze lingered on my clothes, which dwarfed her athletic frame. My every instinct screamed to keep her that way. Marked in my scent and covered in something that said she was mine.
“Fine,” I said, my voice raspy but resigned. “But I’m enjoying the view of you in them. I might have to convince you to wear it again later.”
We foundElias and Kassidy near the beach that overlooked the bay. At the heart of their strange village was an outdoor cookery, where males and females prepared lunch for what appeared to be hundreds of people.
From the stilted houses across the bay, the people came to the island for the midday meal. Some paddled long canoes across the shallows with precise strokes, others dove straight in, swimming the distance with long, clean lines. I caught myself noting who favored the canoe and who had the stamina to swim, measuring their strength and endurance as if I might have to meet them on the battlefield one day.
I was surprised to find Everitt, the youngest of Kassidy’s brothers and the same fool who’d disrespected Finley, at the lead, cutting through the water as if that’s what he was made for. Callan, the eldest, trailed him by only a head. When they reached the shore, I caught the way Callan shoved Everitt, good-natured but with an edge of competitiveness to it.
“Don’t fill your belly too much, Cal,” Everitt teased. “Or you won’t be able to swim back.”
“Don’t worry about what I put in my belly.” Callan tousled his younger brother’s hair, making water drip into his eye. “Worry about how I’ll beat you on our way back.”
Kassidy laughed, moving to stand beside me. “Cal hasn’t beaten Everitt in a swimming race in well over a month. I worry his pride may never recover.”
I snorted, my attention lingering on the brothers. It was a harmless rivalry, but there was always a bite of truth in the way we males tested each other. In the way we couldn’t help but show our teeth and muscles. George, Elias, and I were much the same when we trained, whether it was with a bow and arrow or a sword. Especially if their females were around to witness it. I was a good friend, though, and sometimes let them win so their mates wouldn’t think them weak.
The back of Finley’s fingers brushed my hand, but before I could hold it, she joined her hands together.
“I wonder how well you’d fare at a swim competition.” Her smile was playful.
“Which is it you’d like to see?” I asked, tilting my head as my lips curved. “Me aggressively beating my opponent, or me naked and wet?”
Her silver eyes flared, heat sparking in them, and she dragged her tongue over her bottom lip. The sight tightened my chest, and I swore her pulse kicked up at the base of her throat.
“Neither,” she said, her voice softer and huskier. “I simply want to see if you’re well-matched against Rockana.”
I laughed while Everly muttered, “Gods be with us.”
Dipping my head, I let my breath brush her skin. “The only race I care to win is the one that ends with you in my arms.”
