Page 22 of Black Sea

I sensed his eyes studying me. “Or it is?”

I drew a deep breath. “Elves are different from humans. Or witches. We always wear a robe when we soak in the hot waters of the thermal baths at Aegel’s Palace or swim in the beautiful river near our home.”

He made a disapproving noise. “I didn’t think you were so prude.”

“We are not,” I hissed. I exhaled through my nose. I needed to tell him, or he would never understand my discomfort. “We only show our nakedness to our mate, to whom we give our entire body.”

I felt Amlach’s gaze sweep over me from head to toe, so intense that I had the impression the fabric of my tunic was disintegrating like a sheet of parchment in the flames.

“Well, I’m not an elf,” he responded sarcastically. “I’m a human. And it’s way too hot to wear this stinky robe any longer than necessary. You should get rid of those leather pants,” he added, and I could tell he was grinning. “In a few minutes, it’ll feel like being in a sauna, trust me.”

Too bad my tunic had side slits to avoid hindering me in battle, and I had cut the front to make a bag. I absolutely couldn’t walk around with my legs on full display.

“Amlach, please,” I ground out. “Our eyes cannot tolerate nudity from anyone other than our mate.”

He approached me, stopping behind. He was much taller and so close. He towered over me with his mere presence. Strong, masculine, sensual.

Forbidden.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lean down to speak in my ear, and I tried not to shiver when his breath brushed my cheek.

“Then don’t look at me,” he whispered.

Livid both because of his audacity and my body’s reaction to his voice, so deep and infused with erotic promises, I suddenly spun around and growled, “How am I supposed not to look at you if we are going to work together?”

I shot him a deadly look, only to notice he had put his robe back on. I let out a relieved sigh, and his smirk grew wider. I should thank him, but instead I glared at him.

“Work on what?” he asked, amused.

I shouldered around him and sat on the tree trunk. Amlach settled onto his bed, propping himself on his elbow, as I placed our breakfast bag on the sand between us and opened it.

“We’ll build a raft,” I announced, tearing the coconut in half with my hands. “And with it, we’ll leave the island and head home.”

I sensed Amlach’s glower on my face as I put the coconut shell aside and started chopping the pulp.

“Or we could stay here.”

My eyes snapped to his, and my heart skipped a beat from the intensity of his stare.

Then Amlach reached out to pick a tiny wild strawberry and gazed at it as he twisted it between his fingers. “Away from the feud between our peoples. Away from the wars to come. Away from death.” He watched the sea. “It’s so peaceful here.” He turned his face toward the sky, closed his eyes, and sighed. “And so bright.”

I felt him. My kingdom was filled with a magical aura that made everything more vivid. Still, there were times when it seemed to me that Mornon’s ancient darkness returned to overshadow me and reach Calien’s Crystal.

But this island seemed immune to all the evil still looming north of the Lands of the East. And the more I let its beauty surround me, the more reassured I felt, something I hadn’t experienced in so long.

“Don’t you have a family waiting for you? Or a woman?” I asked.

“No.” He popped the strawberry into his mouth, then leaned back with one arm bent behind his head, wearing a distant expression. “Never had anyone.”

I felt sorry for him, and for the first time, I wondered what his story was. Perhaps, in the next few days, he might tell me.

“I can’t stay, Amlach,” I said quietly.

I missed my parents. And Araton, even though I was angry with him. I missed the wild scent of Aegel’s woods and the smiles of its citizens. Moreover, I was the heir to the throne. I couldn’t abandon my people so easily. I couldn’t abandon the Crystal, despite the inviolability of the temple where it was held.

I had to come back. Soon.

And soon, Amlach and I would return to each other’s lives.