Page 67 of Rising Out of the Darkness
It sent warmth to more places in my body than I’d care to admit.Damn this man! How could he make me so furious in one moment, and in another have me trembling with feelings quite the contrary?
“Do you suppose we could continue this conversation somewhere else?” I scoffed as the tide swept against the side of my face. “I don’t know, maybe somewhere with less sand…and water?”
A smile replaced the devious twitch of his lips. He was on his feet instantly, extending his hand for me to take.
“I’m not sure I trust you after everything that just happened,” I jested, pretending to withdraw my hand.
“Just take my hand, woman.” he said, shaking his head as he chuckled quietly.
“Fine.”
Before the word finished leaving my lips, he had pulled me back onto my feet. As I dusted off the wet sand from my leathers, he gathered my hair and twisted, wringing out the salty water. It felt far more intimate than it should have, and my body reacted uncontrollably. Heat flushed my cheeks, and my skin pebbledwith goosebumps. Thankfully, what I was wearing had my skin mostly covered, and he wouldn’t be able to see. Hopefully.
We walked across the shore and back up the stairs, no sound but the scrunch of wet leather as we continued towards the back door of the castle. Its stark white stone was breathtaking against the bright blue of the morning sky. I paused for a moment to take in the rest of the city.
We were high enough to see the city below. Each shop and home were vibrant with color—warm sunshine yellows, pale peaches, blues and magentas. It was curious to me how the City of Shadows could be alive with so many brilliant colors. I had always imagined it to be cold, dark, and distant, just like its ruler. Observing the city below, I realized how wrong I had been.
“Enchanting, isn’t she?”
As he whispered into my ear, shivers spread through me. I tilted my head, coming nose to nose with the prince. “Who?”
“The city.” He breathed, swallowing deeply as he took a few steps to the side.
“Mmhmm,” I whispered. “Yes, she is.”
In the back of my mind, I had a feeling he wasn’t talking about the city at all, because his gaze had never once left mine.
“Let’s get you inside and out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold.”
Nodding, I turned around, following him back inside.
“Change into another pair of leathers. We still have some more training to do this afternoon,” he said with a sly wink.
Of course we do.
“Oh, and Elena?” He paused, noticing my eyebrow quirk up. “Don’t forget your dagger.”
A grin grew on my lips as he strutted towards the kitchen.
Continuing towards my room, I was startled by a squeal of excitement from my right. Arms squeezed around me and waves of chestnut hair flooded my vision.
“Elena! I’m so happy I ran into you!” Clara beamed as she released me. It was so infectious that I couldn’t help but join her. “Oh, gods, you’re soaking wet.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she looked down, realizing she was now soaked as well.
I burst out laughing. The feeling of lightness spread through my body like the rays of the sun. There was something relieving about laughter. It was almost like a dynamis itself, with the power to erase every worry, stress, and fear. If I could, I would do it every hour of every day.
Once we both calmed down, she told me she wanted to check the state of my healing and followed me back to my room.
After entering, I excused myself and took a quick rinse in the shower Eloise had introduced me to last night. It was even more amazing than the bathtub. It was like being inside of a waterfall—truly magical. Wrapping a fluffy cloth around my hair when I was done, I threw on another set of leathers and tunic. Leaving the tunic untucked so Clara could look at my healing injuries, I waltzed back into the room.
She seemed pleased with the progress, but she placed another palm on top of the pink flesh. “I just want to make sure everything heals internally as well. This will speed it up even more.”
Her palm felt warm, and the heat seemed to spread within me across my entire scar. When she was done, she had a smile on her face, waiting for me to look. I gasped at what I saw. Wherethe pinkish flesh once resided, now all that was left was normal skin, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Clara, that is absolutely amazing,” I said, still frozen in awe. “You truly have one incredible gift. So much good you can do with your dynamis, so many you can help.”
A forced smile spread across her face before it wilted. “Unfortunately, I only get to help those within these walls. Even then, there are limitations. My dynamis can only be used when the king allows me to.” Her voice faded into a whisper.
My eyes widened at her confession. “I’m so sorry, Clara, I can only imagine how difficult that must be for you.”
