My words stalled, caught in my throat as his warm breath fanned against my face. The scent of sweet mint swirled around me, both cold and hauntingly familiar. He was far too close, close enough to erase the narrow space between us with just one movement.
Part of me was ready to abandon the bitterness I’d clung to, though the memories of a year’s worth of pain couldn’t be forgotten so easily. He’d made a terrible mistake, and while I’d forgiven him, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to open myself to him completely again. There was a longing there, intense and dangerous-a pull toward Leonardo that I knew would consume me if I let it. With him, I would burn with passion and surrender, worshiping him just as he would me. Yet my heart wasn’t prepared for such a surrender, not before I’d come to terms with all that had happened. I needed to lift the weight of that year-long sorrow off my shoulders.
A part of me wanted to lash out, to say something sharp enough to slice through the delicate truce between us. I wanted him to feel my pain, to suffer as I had, but I knew too well that his suffering would only deepen my own. That was the cruel paradox of our connection-hurting him would be like driving the blade deeper into my own heart.
I drew in a deep breath, wrapping the remnants of my pain into a tight bundle and locking it away. “You know this won’t be easy, right?” I whispered, turning my face from his penetrating gaze.
I had changed so much, not just outwardly, but within. Where I’d once been timid, I had since become a warrior. And now? Now I was something else entirely. Not wholly Fae, not merely werewolf, but something… in between. Leonardo wanted to truly know me, but what if even I didn’t understand who or what I was anymore?
“Look at me, kitten,” he murmured, and, unable to resist, I met his gaze. “I deserve every bit of your anger, but you haven’t exactly made things easy on me so far. I’d be a fool to expect it now.”
My mouth dropped open, and my eyes narrowed as he flashed me a smile-not quite, but the closest thing I’d seen. It took my breath away, enhancing his beauty to a heart-stopping level. The idea of seeing a genuine smile from him one day was almost too much to imagine; I knew that moment would shatter me.
“That’s not what I meant,” I shot back, though any sharpness had drained from my voice. “Were you trying to be funny?” I looked at him, incredulous.
“And here I thought you didn’t appreciate humor,” he replied, placing a hand over his heart in mock innocence, though his mouth betrayed a suppressed smile. “You surprise me every day, kitten.”
“Oh, really? Here’s a surprise for you,” I quipped, using every ounce of strength to send a splash of water straight into his smirking face.
I only had a moment to laugh before diving underwater. The splash hit him square in the face, right where that maddeningly handsome smirk had been.
It wasn’t the revenge I’d imagined all these months, but it was oddly satisfying.
“Oh, Isabella,” he called out as I surfaced, his voice darkly amused. His smirk remained, his gray eyes glinting with a playful light I hadn’t seen before. “Do you realize the mistake you’ve just made?”
My laugh turned into a yelp as he lunged, the water rippling as he dove toward me. I barely had time to react before his arms circled my waist. His touch sparked no pain, only an overwhelming sense of joy-a pure, overwhelming happiness that washed away every negative thought and feeling that had weighed on me this past year. In this moment, nothing mattered. Not my parents’ loss, not the rejection I’d endured, not even the mystery of what I was becoming.
“Let go of me, Leonardo,” I demanded, but the hint of laughter in my voice and my half-hearted struggles gave me away.
“If you keep squirming, this could change fast,” he murmured, and I froze against him, feeling every contour of his muscular chest pressed against my back. A deep flush crept over me as I became acutely aware of the light twitch against my lower back.
“Are you-naked?” I stammered, pushing against him with flustered hands. My movements were erratic and uncertain.
I’d never even been this close to Carlo, though we’d talked about it once or twice. But no matter how I tried to stay cautious, my body had its own response to Leonardo’s. Heat pulsed through me, pooling deep inside. I’d had little experience with guys; back in school, I’d been the quiet, bookish girl most guys overlooked. Carlo was the only boy-friend I’d ever known. But Leonardo was not some passing crush. He was a force, a flame that would burn away any other chance at love. He would be my first-and my last.
I trembled slightly at the thought, heat flooding my cheeks.
“Did you think I’d swim in my clothes, kitten?” He snickered, shifting his weight so that I no longer felt the heat of his body pressed against mine. “Now, hold still.”
“Hold still?” I scoffed, hoping he’d ignore the nervous tremor in my voice. “Hold still while you-”
Before I could finish, he hoisted me up and tossed me through the air. My words turned to a startled gasp as I splashed down, water spraying out in every direction. When I surfaced, breathless, I saw him grinning at me.
“Were you saying something, kitten?” he asked, his voice light with amusement.
I couldn’t tell how much time we spent swimming, laughing, feeling a freedom I hadn’t known in years. The sun dipped lower, painting the horizon in soft pinks and blues as the moon rose. Even as the night settled in, the water’s warmth held steady, and I didn’t want to leave.
“Looks like it’s getting dark,” I murmured, brushing wet strands of hair from my face.
Leonardo studied me with that strange intensity that made my heart race. Since I’d returned, he looked at me like he could see straight through the layers of hurt and anger to something I barely understood. He was determined to know me, no matter how many walls I’d put up.
“We don’t have to leave yet,” he replied, moving closer through the water. For hours we’d left our titles, responsibilities, even our very natures behind. There was no magic, no Fae, no duty in this world we’d created together-just the two of us, slowly piecing together what it meant to be true-mates.
“I still hate it when you call me that,” I grumbled, though the words were softened by the reluctant smile on my lips. “But you’re right; it’s getting dark, and we don’t have any light.”
“You’re learning to control fire, aren’t you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, but I’m far from mastering it,” I muttered.
“Let’s try something new,” he said, inching even closer until I could feel the warmth of his body in the water between us. “Consider it part of your training. What’s the worst that could happen?”