Page 55 of Fractured Souls
The pool in the center of the room seemed to shimmer with glitter, and the water looked extremely appealing, the scent of it a mix of lavender and sea salt. I could feel myself itching to swim in it already…
“Right, I will leave you to it,” Bayton said with a chuckle, clearly sensing my distraction. “Make sure to come hungry! I don’t have guests very often, so I may overdo it.”
That did not surprise me.It also didn’t surprise me when he all but disappeared.
“I can’t sleep right now,” Adriel admitted.
“Especially in a place like this—way too much magic,” Zander agreed.
“He didn’t say anything about us not being able to explore,” Rhett pointed out.
“Let’s do it.” Cash shrugged. “Worst case he gets pissed and sends us back here.”
“Lorcan?” Dean asked.
I nodded towards the pool. “You guys should go—I need to swim in that.”
He flashed a smile at my excitement, and I distantly heard Draven offer to stay behind with me.
“We’ll see if we can scout out the library!” Desmond called as I began to walk towards the pool. I waved without looking back and then all but ran, shedding my clothes and jumping in.
And damn was it worth it.
My body sank into the depths, finding the water far deeper than I had assumed. My skin felt like it was bathed in velvet, the water rejuvenating me like a shot of energy and power straight into my bloodstream. I inhaled sharply without even meaning to, my eyes snapping open as light surrounded me, my shift happening without conscious thought.
It was a natural thing to want to be shifted in this type of water…whatever type of water it was..
When other magic surrounded me, I knew Draven had joined me in the water. I swam to the surface, breaking through and finding him lounged against the side, staring at me with heat. I let out a pleased noise, realizing his wings were fully extended, soaking in the steamed water.
“You came in,” I said happily, wrapping my arms around him. His hands slid down my waist and held me against him firmly, and I tried to not give into the flash of heat that rolled through. Although it was almost impossible once I realized how hard he was..
Everything about Draven right now was irresistible and dangerous, from his dark hair that was damp from the steam, laying messily near his lavender eyes that were turning into a burning amethyst, to his insane muscles that were right there for me to touch. I swear to the Maker, the man just did it for me. And that didn’t even include the black glitter in the water from his wings. I loved that so much.
“I wanted to be able to touch you while you’re shifted,” he admitted, his fingers running over the place on my lower back where my skin turned to scales, the sensation causing my skin to prickle with desire. “I hadn’t realized what type of water it was until I got in though.”
“I noticed it was different.”
“The Ethereal Sea used to trade around the realms, and one of the products it specialized in was water from the Ethereal Cove. That’s what this is.”
“I love it. Seriously, it makes me feel amazing,” I said, cupping the water in my hand and letting it slip through my fingers. The silky texture was like nothing I had experienced before.
“It has magical healing properties,” he explained, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Which means that if you feel better, you probably weren’t feeling great to begin with.”
I scowled at that. “I was feeling fine! I mean, yeah, I was a little tired…”
“And drained.”
“Sure, but that’s almost impossible to avoid,” I pointed out, running my fingers down his chest in an effort to relax him. “I mean, we are saving the world.”
Draven inhaled, taking one of his hands and cupping my jaw so I had to hold his gaze. “Saving the world isn’t worth it if you get yourself hurt.”
“Draven,” I murmured, feeling a weird surge in my chest, probably at the intense emotions he brought out in me.
“I love you, Lorcan.” He pressed his head to mine and spoke the words softer. “I love you, and I am going to do whatever I can to protect you, world be damned. Hell, universe be damned.”
I felt my cheeks flush with color, the emotion making me feel nearly overwhelmed, as I tried to find a way to alleviate his stress about everything we were going through.
“But—” I pulled back, flashing him what I hoped was a light smile. “—if we let them destroy the universe, that includes our house in Arizona, and I love that house.”
