Page 38 of Fionn
"Ready?" she asked, her hand already on the door handle.
"I'm very intrigued."
She'd not told me where she was taking me, just that this was a place that held great importance to her. I would have followed her to the end of the world.
We stepped out of the car and I instantly sought Elise's side. Not because she needed protection, but because I couldn't bear to be away from her. She took my hand and together we walked up a flight of stone steps. Elise had the keys to the large glass doors. As soon as she opened them, a strange smell made me sneeze.
"Chlorine," she laughed. "During the day when these doors are open, you can smell it from all around here."
I followed her through the dark building, along a corridor and through rows of tiny rooms that seemed too small to spend time in until we came to another set of glass doors. The hall beyond was dark, but I could still make out the pool of water in its centre.
I scented the air, searching for the smell of the sea beneath the sting of the chlorine, but there was no salt, no kelp.
"Freshwater," I muttered.
"Yes. Welcome to my pool. This is where I spent most of my adult life - and childhood, to be honest. It's an Olympic size pool, which is why a lot of athletes come here to train. I was lucky that my parents' home wasn't far so I could come here any time I liked."
I wasn't too sure about swimming in this pool. On the Tidebound, we had a pool to train in and keep our muscles from wasting in the weightlessness of space, but it had been recreated in the spirit of the ocean. Saltwater that was constantly filtered, artificial waves, kelp and seaweed growing at the bottom, even a small school of fish to filter the water. This was as far removed from that pool as possible. Yet this place was where Elise had found her passion. I loved it just because of that. If she hadn't been a swimmer, would we ever have met?
"Would you like to swim a few lengths?" Elise asked.
No, I didn't want to enter this water - but for her, of course I would.
"I would love to."
Still holding my hand, she led me into the dark hall. Only the emergency lights were on, glimmering high above us.
Elise peeled off her clothes until she was down to a sleek swimsuit that hugged her curves. She looked over her shoulder at me, a mischievous spark in her grey eyes.
“Coming in?”
I wanted to say no. This wasn’t my element, not truly. The chlorine stung my nose, the stillness felt unnatural without the pull of tide or current. But this was her place, her sacred ground. For Elise, I would swim in fire if she asked.
She dove gracefully into the pool, her body cutting through the surface with barely a splash. Even without the sea, she moved like she was born for water. My chest ached with pride as I watched her glide away, her form as fluid as any finfolk’s.
I stripped down and followed her in. The water clung differently to my skin, too thin, too clean, but the moment Elise surfaced, laughing, I forgot everything else. She swam back to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“Not so bad, is it?” she teased.
I caught her waist, tugging her close until our bodies pressed together beneath the surface. “If you’re here, it’s perfect.”
She kissed me, or maybe I kissed her. Suddenly, I didn't care about the chlorine or the missing waves. I was with Elise which meant I was home.
We swam a few lengths together, playful, splashing, racing until she was breathless with laughter and I let her win. When she clambered out, I followed, dripping, and we collapsed side by side on the tiles. She leaned against me, wrapped in the towel she’d pulled from a hook, her head resting on my shoulder.
“This place used to mean everything to me,” she said softly. “It was where I belonged. But after I failed to qualify for the Olympics, I couldn’t bear to come back. I thought I’d lost myself here.”
I turned her chin gently, so she met my eyes. “You didn’t lose yourself. You found the path that led you to me. To us.”
Her lips curved in a small, tremulous smile. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I am,” I murmured, brushing a kiss across her damp hair. “One day, I’ll take you to Finfolkaheem. Just like you show me your home now, I will show you mine. My favourite caves, the Archives I used to guard, the clutch-school I went to. But no matter where we go, Elise... You’re my home.”
She pressed closer, her arm curling around my waist. “And you’re mine.”
The lights hummed above us, casting the pool in deep shadows. For once, I didn’t feel like an outcast or a reject. I was no longer the male deemed unworthy of a mate. I was hers. And that was all I would ever need.
Read on for a little taster of what is to come in Cerban, the second book in the series!
