Page 27 of Talon

So why was she out this morning, alone? Where was she coming from?

“Here,” she went on, tugging a blue board from the roof and handing it to me. I took it with a puzzled look, and she smiled. “That’s yours for today. Be nice to it. It’s been through a lot.”

I nodded and tucked the surfboard under my arm as I’d seen Ember do. It was surprisingly light and had more than a few dents and scratches on the surface. Calvin swung a pristine white board under his arm and headed down toward the water, moving with lazy confidence. The rest of us trailed behind, Ember and Lexi walking to either side of me, explaining the basics of surfing.

I tried to listen, but both were talking at the same time and one tended to finish the sentence the other girl began, so it was difficult to follow along. Nothing really stuck until we reached the edge of the beach, and Ember turned to me.

“Okay!” she announced, and dropped her board into the sand with a soft thump. “This is where we start.”

“Here?” I glanced at the ocean, where Calvin was striding into the surf, not looking back. “I was under the impression that surfing was done in the water.”

Lexi giggled, and Ember frowned at her. “It is, of course. But there’s a whole lot of things to learn before you can ride a wave. Paddling, balance, timing, things like that. It’s easier to start on solid ground first.”

“Or you can be like Ember and keep falling off the board into the water,” Lexi added. “Because you’re too impatient to start on the beach.”

The other girl huffed at her. “You shush. I only agreed to let you come because you promised you’d let me do this.” She glowered fiercely, and Lexi giggled again. I found myself wishing she was gone, that it was just me and Ember in this empty little cove. I’d be able to better concentrate and learn more if I had just one teacher and Lexi wasn’t peering over our shoulders.

That’s what I told myself, anyway.

Ember sighed. Turning back to me, she pointed to my board. “Here. Put your surfboard next to mine. I’ll show you how to paddle out, catch a wave and stand up when you do. After that, you’re on your own. The balance part comes with time and practice.”

I followed her lead. Under Ember’s tutelage, I learned to lie on my stomach and paddle my arms when trying to catch a wave, then quickly spring into a crouch to ride it down. I learned the best way to stand when surfing, keeping my knees bent and my weight balanced, and how to steer the board when I did catch a wave. Ember was a very patient teacher, gently correcting my stance when I needed it, answering any questions I had. Once, her hand came to rest on my arm as she demonstrated a technique, and the prickle from her fingers lingered on my skin a long time afterward. Lexi would comment occasionally, either to confirm what Ember was saying or tease her teaching methods, but by the end of the lesson, I’d nearly forgotten about her.

“All right,” Ember announced, giving me an appraising stare. I caught a flash of admiration in those green eyes as she smiled at me. “I think you’ve got it. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re either a natural, or you’ve been pulling my leg this whole time about not ever having done this before. I’m going to feel awfully stupid if you’re some surfing champion from Waimea or something.”

I met her gaze. “You don’t have to wonder. I’ve never done this before.” She gave me a dubious look, and I held up my hands. “I promise.”

“Then why do I have the feeling you’re going to catch a wave and dazzle us on your very first try?”

“Maybe I just have an exceptional teacher.”

She snorted. “Flattery will get you nowhere, sir. I have a brother that tries the same thing at home, so I am immune to such charms.” But she was blushing while she said it, and I resisted the urge to smile.

“Moment of truth, then,” Lexi stated, picking up her board and grinning at us. “Time to let him try the real thing.”

Ember

Garret picked up his board and turned to me, waiting. And for about the hundredth time this afternoon, my stomach gave a weird little jolt. His hair shone in the sun, and his sculpted arms and shoulders were highly noticeable without his shirt. As was the lean, tanned, washboard stomach and chest. The boy definitely worked out or did something strenuous in his free time. One did not get a body like that from sitting around.

And even though he denied it, I couldn’t help but think he had done this before. He was so graceful, knowing exactly where to put his feet, how to balance himself on the board. Even on land, with the board stationary, I could tell he would do fine in the water, maybe more than fine.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he would wipe out, as I had on my first day of surf lessons. Granted, I wasn’t going to let him try the monsters just yet, but one did not just pick up a board and surf merrily down a wave on the very first try.

“Come on,” I told him, grabbing my board. “I’ve shown you everything you need. Now you just have to do it.”

He followed us into the water without hesitation, paddling about a hundred yards from shore. As always, while floating on my board in the middle of the sparkling ocean, I felt a familiar rising excitement. Maybe I couldn’t fly anymore, but this—the rush, the prickle of danger, the adrenaline—certainly came close. At least I didn’t have to give this up just yet.

I remembered Cobalt, soaring with him over the crashing ocean, racing the waves, and felt a twinge of sadness and regret. I’d never do that again. Which meant I’d probably never see him again, either.

“Ember?” Garret’s voice broke through my melancholy. He sat very close, bobbing on the surface of the water, and his metallic gaze was fastened on me. “You all right?”

That same prickle again, but I ignored it. “Yeah,” I said, giving him a bright smile. “I’m fine. Just...looking for waves.”

“That’s a relief.” He actually smiled back. “Because I’m depending on you to show me how to do this. The lesson isn’t over yet, I hope.”

Those eyes. I felt like they pierced right through me; that if I didn’t break away now, they would peel me open to see what lay beneath. Deep within, the dragon stirred, growling. She didn’t like this human, I realized. Maybe he scared her, or the intensity of his gaze reminded her of a predator. Or maybe she felt that, if I stared at him much longer, I would lose myself in those stormy eyes and forget all about a certain golden-eyed rogue, waiting for me in the darkness.

“Here comes a good one!” Lexi announced.

---