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We realize the whale doesn’t intend to break the water, so we will have to be the ones to let go. Elva is the one actually holding onto the whale, so she preps herself. We will need to be careful not to be hit by the tail.
She lets go, and immediately, we fail at avoiding the tail. When it collides with my back, my shouldercrunches. White-hot pain flashes through me. I scream. This hurts far worse than the mace to my side.
Elva holds onto me, moving, but the pain is so acute that black spots pop up in my vision. When I look at Elva, all I see is the white of her tattoos.
She is now dragging me to the surface, and I am fighting against the pain in my arm.
I am suddenly very concerned about what will happen when we reach the surface. It is impossible that we would be in the same city on the shore that connects to Aqualis. There will be no one to help us.
There is so much pain and shock coursing through my veins, the worry makes me feel like I might explode. My fears are for naught as we burst through the water tension of the surface. I see the ice floating all around us but realize that the searing pain in my neck returns while our gills disappear and we are gasping for air through our lungs.
I am fading out of awareness. I know Elva is dragging me with all her might towards a slab of ice.
“Nathaniel,” she shouts as my eyelids flutter. “You’re going to freeze!” She is out of the ice before me. Our breath is misting in the frigid air, and I can feel the cold in my bones. I want to warm her, dry us both with my magic. But when I reach inside of me, sharp pain is the only thing I find. Trying to roll over, something stabs my shoulder, and I yell.
“Shh, shh,” Elva hisses in my ear, her hot breath tingling against my skin. I try to focus on that instead of the pain. “You can’t scream,dammit. We are still on the run.”
Fae heal relatively quickly, but not quickly enough to heal shattered bones in a matter of minutes. Certainly not when they are soaking wet in this freezing place. I will die of hypothermia, shock, or whatever the word is.
Something goes into my mouth. It is firm but pliable. The taste tells me of some sort of leather.
“Don’t scream.” I am not fully conscious, but I could have sworn her voice is softer, enticing. Or maybe I am just going insane.
I am prepared, sort of, when she adjusts my shoulder. A scream forms in my mouth, but I bite down, instead. I clench my teeth so hard that they feel like they might pop out of place.
“Shit,” I hear Elva whisper. “It’s going to be okay, Nathan. It’s okay. I am here.” She repeats the words repeatedly, a mantra to hold on to against the fiery pain.
Suddenly, my shoulder and arm feel like they are burning up. I want to cry out as worry consumes me that my power has somehow decided I am useless and will consume me completely.
My eyes fly wide, despite the desire to keep them shut. Elva clasps onto something with one hand while her other is pressed against me. She is using the shards of Black Opal. My arm is knitting itself together. A red glow encompasses me.
That is the most valuable thing between us, and she uses it on me. It’s good shit too. With each second, the pain fades and is replaced with something else.
I can see we are on solid ground now, shaded by wintery bushes and pines. My body is hyper aware of just how close her body is, the way she lays on top of me with her curves molded to my own body.
“You saved me,” I say, threading my hand through her wet curls and warming them just enough to let them dry. I trace the hand down her back. It is warm, comforting, and she lets out a sound of relief as her body warms up.
That sound.
I light fire around us. Nothing else matters except her. We are safe. We will be fine for the next five minutes, at least.
She leans forward,“You saved me, too.” She brushes a quick kiss across my lips before pulling away. I beg her with my hands to stay, to kiss me again.
“Nathan, we shouldn’t be doing this here,” she growls as my finger strokes her neck. I grin. I know exactly what I am doing. The moment of levity is sweet. The wild look in her eyes as her hand meets my face is pure torture.
I grab her neck and pull her into another kiss. This ice is solid enough and is connected to the mainland. But I can’t seem to continue thinking about this now. Our bodies are close, the kisses growing more and more feverish. I am careful this time; I will not melt anything.
Elva straddles me as I sit up. Her neck arches when I lay a trail of kisses down her throat. It is impossible to stop when the plum flush of her skin deepens. She grabs the collar of my now-dry clothing and pulls me over her as she lays down on the snowy ground.
She tugs me down and crashes her lips against mine, but I resist, pulling back slightly.
Her brows furrow, and she looks confused when I grin. I return to her neck and then pull down the drying seal skin on her upper body, kissing her collarbone before dipping to her chest. For the first time, I see the naked swell of her breast, full, with peaked tips. I take one in my mouth, and she gasps, hungry for me. That only adds to my confusion when she shoves me away.
I growl, and she shakes her head. “We need to keep running, my savage, fearless Elva. There will be time for a million moments of this later.”
She feels the tingle of magic because of the promise, just as I do. It’s a dangerous promise because she is a princess and I am nothing. But one thing is for sure, she does not fear what I did. She does not fear a murderer. I sure as hell know that there is nothing about her I am afraid of.
Chapter32
