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Whatever this version of her was, I never wanted it to go away. I wanted her taste, her scent, her electrifying touch—I wanted it all to linger so I could call on the memory whenever I wanted.
Adora moaned, dropping the dagger and twining her arm around my neck as she stood on her tiptoes. My hands grazed up the curve of her hips, over the exposed skin of her waist, trailing her ribcage as we kissed like it was both our first and last kiss ever. Like we’d never see each other again. Never have the opportunity to feel this again.
A wave crashing against the rocks ahead startled us, and we broke apart. I looked into her heated gaze, following her tongue as it traced over her swollen lips. The sun started to crest over the horizon, painting a soft orange hue across the sky.
“I needed to do that,” I managed, clearing my throat.
She nodded, breathless, closing her eyes while she grounded herself. “I’m not complaining.”
“We’re here.” I took her hand, leading her to the water’s edge. “Are you ready?”
I guided her over the stone steps that rose from the crystal clear water until they came to an end. She looked around, confused.
“What now?”
“Now, we swim. Follow me.”
As we dove in, my heart tore itself into pieces.
My cynical self wanted to say I was back where I said I would never be again. My emotions raged against the very notion and said I’d never been with her before. Not like this.
The logical part of me knew what I had to do.
The logical part of me knew I had no choice.
The logical part of me still hated what was about to happen.
Chapter10
Adora
I could seelight shimmering through the ripples beneath the water. Fire. Torches.
Little bubbles escaped my nose, and my lungs began to burn. Kicking my legs harder, slicing my hands through the water to pull me closer to the exit ahead of us.
Peacocks. Family. They werehere. Supposedly searching for me my entire life. So desperate to find me that they were willing to extort their god-king, charging him with the task. If that wasn’t ruthless, I didn’t know what was.
Honestly, it sounded like something I would do.
I would have blackmailed, begged, borrowed, stolen, or killed to find Danni if she’d been taken from me. I understood the sentiment, though I could see how others might find it cruel. The consequences for Arcadia certainly had been.
My heart squeezed at the idea of learning more about who I was. Where I had come from. Our culture. Traditions. Our history.
Would they be able to tell me about my peacock family on Earth? Did they know them? When had they crossed from Arcadia into Portland? Did I have brothers or sisters still here? Cousins? I had so many questions. Anxiety and excitement warred within me.
But there was another emotion. One I didn’t like.
A hesitation. A worry.
I heard it, and I knew better than to ignore it, but I still chose to. I couldn’t live my life questioning where I came from.
And what had happened with Pan ... I could try all I wanted, but the inexplicable pull and desire I felt toward him wasn’t to be ignored. At least not on my part.
As I broke the surface, I sucked in a lungful of air, feeling my chest expand. I coughed slightly, sputtering water. Moments later, Pan appeared beside me, inhaling as soon as he was able. I glanced around the sunken room. The cavernous ruins were crumbling just as badly as the first temple had been. But where those ruins were an abandoned graveyard, this one looked inhabited. Lit torches lined the walls, and a set of steps led out of the water to a large rug. Another set of steps from there led to an unknown location.
“I win,” I said between heavy breaths. I treaded water, staying afloat in the pool not three feet from him.
“What?” he asked, rubbing his eyes and trying to focus on me.
