Page 78 of Swift Wings Shadowed Heart
“What were you…? How could you…?”
He’s clearly confused and can’t formulate a question, which answers one of mine. He’s been here long enough to wonder how I was able to hold my breath all that time.
Dammit! I’m doomed.
—Do not panic,Zephyros says.He does not know about the tunnel. At least, I do not think so. Tell him you were practicing building an air bubble to help you stay underwater.
—Um, he knows about that?
—I do not think so, but what else can you say… that you are secretly a tadpole?
—Ha ha. Very funny. And where, pray tell, do I say I got the idea to practice such a thing?
—You can come up with something, I’m sure. I cannot doeverythingfor you.
He blocks our connection.
—Hey! Hey! Come back!
Nothing.
—Asshole! You’re an asshole dragon.
Still nothing. He really cut me off.
“How long have you been down there?” Vaylen demands. “And how long can you hold your breath? I’ve been here for at least five minutes?”
“I… I was practicing. Um, you know… the bubble thing.”
He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “The bubble thing?”
His blue eyes scrutinize me with unfettered suspicion.
Goddess, I’m going to ruin everything. Calm down, Rhea.I take a deep breath and move toward the edge of the pool. Nonchalantly, I put an elbow on the edge and attempt to look unbothered.
“Yes, don’t you know how?” I ask.
His perfect dark eyebrows draw down as he frowns. Water droplets run down his high cheekbones, over his sharp, stubbled jaw, and onto his massive chest. For the first time, I allow myself a good look and have to bite the inside of my cheek so as not to let out a sigh. The man’s chest is everything I imagined it would be. Broad, chiseled to perfection, and perfectly smooth.
What’s more… a masterful tattoo spreads from his sternum unfurling toward his rounded shoulders in both directions. Dragon wings, ribbed and spiked at the top edges, sprouting from his heart. The shading is utter artistry. I have the sudden urge to trace the lines with my finger.
I look down at my fingernails before I start to salivate. Surreptitiously, I glance back. It seems he didn’t notice my lapse. He’s too worried aboutthe bubble thingand my appearance act to notice anything else.
“Explain yourself, Skysinger!” he demands.
“You don’t know.” I feign surprise. “Well, I just make an air bubble around my face, and then I can breathe underwater.”
He shakes his head, appearing more confused than before. So he really doesn’t know about this particular skill.
Something occurs to me and my panic rises.
—Zephyros! Zephyros! Get back here.
No response.
Dammit!What if Vaylen asks me to show him the stupid bubble? I don’t know how to do it. So much for trust. Zephyros just abandoned me. I thought he’d saved me from being court martialed and imprisoned, but that was too good to be true.
“That…” he begins hesitantly, “isn’t a Skysinger skill I’ve ever heard of.”
