Page 24 of Black Sea

I fought the urge to go to him and find out what had upset him so suddenly, and I concentrated on the oar I was carving.

After a few seconds, Amlach stood up and went to the freshwater mouth to drink and cool off. Then he came to sit beside me and get some rest in the shade.

I tried to hide how his sweat’s smell overwhelmed my senses. I fought with all my strength not to move closer, to ignore my tingling fingers, eager to touch him.

I fought with all my might not to look at him.

“Nauriel.”

I went still, heart in my throat. In three thousand years, I had heard my name spoken by countless voices with many different accents. But never had it sounded so . . . seductive.

On Amlach’s lips, my name felt like an erotic caress, making me shiver deeply and crave to hear it again.

I wanted him to say it against my mouth.

Against my neck.

Against my breast.

Between my legs.

However, I couldn’t help but notice a hint of apprehension in his voice.

He wrung his hands for a few more moments, then exhaled sharply through his nostrils and said, “Your brother is not looking for you.”

Amlach wasn’t stupid. He understood that any elven ship in the Thalion Sea would have already approached the archipelago by now.

“No,” I confirmed gloomily.

I felt his probing gaze fixed on me. “Why?”

I observed the dagger I was holding, admiring its elegant design and outstanding craftsmanship that demonstrated the unmatched skill of my people’s smiths.

“Because instead of running to him, instead of jumping off that tree and swimming back to my land, I stayed to help a human soldier who aimed to invade our home, kill our people, and force us to surrender our Crystal to his king.” My eyes shifted to the turquoise sea. “Because I chose you.”

There was a time when my father would never have held a grudge against me for such a decision. He would have supported me, saying how much I reminded him of his beloved mother, always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need, whether they were elves, humans, or witches.

But he had changed so much since Mornon defeated him, stripping him of his legendary magic spear.

Amlach stayed silent, absorbing the meaning of my angry words. “You can go if you want,” he said finally. “I’ll manage.”

Yes, I didn’t doubt it. However, this past week, the idea of jumping into the water and swimming away never crossed my mind.

Amlach leaned toward me and softly bumped my shoulder with his. “Go kick their ass,” he whispered jokingly.

I didn’t bother to hide a hint of a smile. “I will.” I turned to him and stared at him intensely. “When we get home together.”

Surprise flashed in his eyes.

He was shirtless, very close, and I was looking at him.

I was looking at him and didn’t want to stop.

Still, I forced myself to do it and handed him the oar I was working on. “Stay here in the shade and finish this. I’ll go check if the raft needs any final adjustments.”

Amlach didn’t reply as I got up and headed to the shore. But I felt his burning eyes all over me for the rest of the day.

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