Page 135 of Tempting Fate

“Not at all?”

I swung my head. “Showers only. Or the one time Shohari pushed me into the pond as a child, but that was cold and shallow.” A small school of silvery pink fish darted past my hand. “But it did have fish.”

She shifted closer. “And do you like it?”

“I do.” Warmth seeped into my bones, a seductive caress all of its own. Please, fates, give us your blessing. What would it feel like when the mate bond set in? It struck each kri’ith differently, some experiencing pleasure, some receiving pain. For some it was gentle, for others overwhelming. I would welcome any of it. All of it.

Imani took a ragged breath. “I… I need to tell you something. You asked what happened to me and… I don’t like talking about it, but I want you to know.”

“You don’t have to—”

She held up a hand. “It’s okay. Three years ago, I walked away from my long-term partner. Elora. It was the most painful thing I’ve ever done.”

I pushed aside my jealousy and listened.

“I hadn’t realised how much of myself I’d lost in order to prove myself worthy of her love. I realised I didn’t like the person I’d become when I was with her, and I couldn’t do it any longer.” She stared into the middle distance, and her voice went flat. “Before her I’d been with Ben. He’d tried to change me in more overt ways, from how he wanted me to dress to how he liked me to style my hair. Who I could see. I’d thought Elora was better, but I ended up losing myself in different ways. I was either too much or not enough, and whatever I did, I was never good enough.” Despite the warm water, she shivered.

“Oh, my moonlight.” I drifted a hand towards her and linked my fingers with hers. My Imani was perfect just as she was, but she didn’t need to hear me say that. She needed to speak—and so I would listen, even if her words caused as much pain as had I lived it myself.

“Leaving her broke me. And when I’d put myself back together again, I made myself a vow.” Her voice rang out in the cave, full of conviction. “I would never, ever let myself get hurt, ever again.”

I stroked my thumb over the back of her hand, hoping she took it for the encouragement it was.

“Along the way, my vow became a promise never to have another relationship because it was the only way to stop it happening again. I’d gotten my own tiny apartment, and I had some wonderful friends. And it was enough, it honestly was.” Imani raised her face to mine. Tears swam in her eyes as she added, “Until you.”

I swallowed, but it couldn’t dislodge the lump in my throat. It made sense now, all of it. “I am so sorry you endured such pain. Thank you for trusting me with your truth.”

“It’s okay, it’s in the past. But I needed you to know.” She shifted closer, her gaze darting between my eyes and mouth. “I never break a promise. Even the thought of it is incomprehensible to me. It’s not easy, casting it aside, and I’m still scared. But I will try. For you.”

My beautiful, brave Imani. She had given me a gift, and I had to treasure it, protect it. Protect her. I’d been confident, but now I replayed scene after scene in my head, worried I had inadvertently added to her hurts. “I hope I have never made you feel that way.”

“You never have. Not once.”

And I never would. “Then let me be the guardian of your promise. Imani, I vow to never hurt you. If I ever do, you may tear my heart from my chest as I will have no more use for it. If I ever make you feel less than, you may cut off my headspines and curse my soul so it never joins the ancestors. You are so precious to me, so perfect, why would I ever seek to change that? It would make me the most ignorant fool.”

Tears beaded in her eyes. Her only reply was to squeeze my hand, her grip so tight it almost hurt.

My beautiful mate. Never had my heart been this full, never had any moment with Imani meant more to me than this. I shifted closer, snaking my free arm in the water around me, enjoying the resistance against my muscles and its comforting warmth.

Imani sucked in a breath, her pretty brown eyes darting to my arm before focusing on my mouth again. “Maybe when this is over, I can teach you to swim,” she murmured.

“I would like that.” I drank in her beauty, the way she looked at me. All this time, she had stolen these glances—and, finally, I dared to believe I understood the meaning. I brought her hand above the water and touched it to my mouth. “Will you teach me something now, my moonlight?”

This image painted itself in my memory. Imani’s parted lips, the desire in her eyes, a lowering of her lashes as she looked inside herself, hopefully putting the last of her demons to rest.

Her answer escaped on a breath. “What is it?”

“Please show me how to kiss you.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Entwined

Airida

DELIGHT SHONE IN Imani’s eyes. She leaned in, so slowly, letting me take in every detail. Her tongue darting out, the shine on her lips, the heady nearness of jasmine and moonlight. With a gentle moan, she pressed her full mouth against mine.

So soft. Hot.