Or I could jump.
I stood up on the ledge, sheathing my dagger, then backed up a few feet to give myself a running start. Then I flew.
Air whooshed by me, the second stretching into an age as my feet pushed off the dirt. I felt the very moment my body went to the air with nothing connecting it to the earth. I tucked my legs in, intending to fall into a roll.
But I never hit the ground.
Instead, strong arms snatched me from the air, and I landed against Raphael’s chest.
“Got you.” His voice brushed by my ear.
I looked up, half-annoyed, half-relieved. “You just told me I could do it and to have faith or whatever.”
“You could have,” he insisted. “But I wanted to catch you.”
That was Raphael, defined in an instant. He wanted to show me I was capable, that I could take care of myself. To teach me to wield a dagger, to ride a horse. But he also wanted to protect me. To be the one who fought my enemies so my hands didn’t turn bloody. To be the one I drank from so I didn’t have to take from another.
“You said you’d never been to the beach.” He set me down. “I figured tonight would be a good opportunity.”
“You planned that whole stunt?” I chided, even as I couldn’t stop myself from marveling at the sight. It was so different up close. Up on the cliff, it had seemed vast, distant darkness. Now I could feel the slight slap of the waves against the shore, feel the breeze rustling the hem of my pants.
“It wasn’t a stunt. It was an opportunity to get down here in a more expedient way.”
“It was absolutely a stunt.” But I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. On a whim, I slipped my shoes off, exploring the sand beneath my feet. It was surprisingly warm, even hours after the sun had set. Soft. I wriggled my toes in it, feeling the grains rise and fall between them.
I eventually remembered Raphael was there. A small smile was etched across his face.
“This is pretty amazing,” I admitted. The sand at my feet, the water in front, with the light still exploding into an unending series of lights. The coast was curved, so the rest of the celebration was out of view. It made the setting even more private than when we’d been sitting on the cliff.
Like the world was me and Raphael.
“Let’s go for a swim,” Raphael said.
I gave him a look. “I don’t know how.” Greymere had offered surprisingly few opportunities to take a jaunt into large bodies of water.
“I’ll show you,” he replied easily. “Don’t you want to?”
I wavered. I did want to. When would I get another opportunity like this?
“You did agree to indulge all your wants while we were here. You want to do this—to feel the sea salt surrounding you, the water relaxing your muscles. To swim with me.”
“Is this about the vow, then?” I asked, brow arched in mock accusation.
“This is about you experiencing a part of the world that’s been denied to you.” He curled his index finger under my chin, tilting my face just slightly toward him, and in turn, the water. “Come on, little viper. You didn’t come all this way to stand at the shore.”
Hadn’t I?
Two more nights. That’s what I had before it had to end.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Raphael’s grin widened. “There’s my brave viper.”
He stepped back and kicked off his boots. Then, without taking his gaze off me, he pulled his shirt over his head. I was treated to a sight: tightly corded muscle, evidence the king was a warrior. The barest hint of hair on his chest teased me. I’d seen it—slept beside it before—but fuck, it was a different sight with the moonlight playing in his hair, the sharp gleam of his red eyes as he watched my reaction.
I was so distracted I missed that his disrobing wasn’t ending there. His thumbs looped around the sides of his breeches.
“Raphael!” I screeched, slapping a palm over my eyes.
