Chapter 17 #3
The rain was beginning to slow now, softening from a shower to a fine mist. They were both thoroughly drenched, her nightgown and wrapper clinging to her form, his shirt having become nearly transparent.
He looked out across the lake, and something in his expression shifted. “Has it occurred to you, Lady Aurelise, that you could complete two dares tonight?”
She tracked his gaze across the water, understanding dawning. Dare number eight. Take a midnight swim.
“Absolutely not.”
A spark of mischief curved his lips. “Why not? You’re already soaked through.”
“Because … because …” She fumbled for an excuse, but her words died in her throat as he reached for the hem of his shirt. “Stars above! What are you doing?”
He began to peel the sodden garment over his head, and she spun around, pressing her hands over her eyes even though her back was now to him.
“Going for a swim,” he said, as though this were perfectly reasonable behavior.
“You cannot simply disrobe in my presence!” The absolute horror. She was fairly certain she might expire from it.
“I’m keeping my trousers on, Lady Aurelise. Have no fear for your virtue.”
Oh, but what a VIEW, Thimble sighed appreciatively from her perch atop a nearby branch. Purely for artistic study, of course.
“Thimble!” Aurelise hissed, scandalized.
The sound of water splashing told her he was walking into the lake. She peeked over her shoulder and found him wading deeper, the water now at his waist. The moonlight, breaking through the clouds, painted his skin silver, highlighting the lean muscles of his back as he moved through the water.
He dove forward, disappearing beneath the surface for a moment before emerging further out, treading water with easy grace. “The water’s perfect. Pleasantly cool.”
“I am absolutely not getting in there,” she said firmly, though somehow she found her feet carrying her closer to the edge. The rain had stopped completely now, leaving only the gentle sound of droplets falling from the leaves
“Just a few steps and you’ll be in the water.”
“No.”
“Can you not swim, my lady?”
“Of course not! What lady can?”
That unmistakably wicked glimmer returned to his eyes. “Then I daresay I shall simply have to hold you when the water grows too deep.”
For a moment, words deserted her entirely. Surely he had not just said that. She shook her head in disbelief. “How do you manage to be so … so …”
“Charming? Persuasive? Devilishly handsome despite being thoroughly waterlogged?”
“Incorrigible!” she finally managed.
“That too,” he agreed. “I do try to be comprehensive in my attributes.” He studied her for a moment, then sighed dramatically. “Very well. I had hoped to avoid this, but you leave me no choice.”
He moved his hands through the water in a graceful pattern, and she watched as silver light trailed from his fingers, spreading through the water in rippling circles. A section of the lake began to shimmer faintly, as though the water itself had been transformed into liquid moonlight.
“What did you do?” she asked, suspicion coloring her voice.
“A simple enchantment. One typically used when teaching young boys to swim. The water will support you even when your feet cannot touch bottom. Did your brothers never mention it?”
She chose to ignore the question; it was entirely beside the point. “I’m still not entering the water.”
Prince Ryden shook his head with exaggerated disappointment. “How remarkably un-daring of you, Lady Aurelise. And here I thought you were becoming quite the adventuress.”
The challenge in his voice pricked at her pride.
She looked at the shimmering water, at the prince floating so easily within it, at Thimble hovering excitedly nearby.
The rational part of her mind was shrieking about propriety, about scandal, about the absolute madness of swimming with a half-dressed prince in the middle of the night.
But she was already soaked. Already scandalously alone with him. Already so far beyond the bounds of proper behavior that one more transgression could hardly matter.
Before she could lose her nerve, she walked into the water.
The lake was indeed pleasantly cool, and the enchanted section glowed softly around her feet. She waded deeper, her waterlogged clothing floating around her legs. When the water reached her waist, she hesitated.
“Come now, you can certainly go farther than that,” Prince Ryden urged, his tone gently teasing now. “You can see where the enchantment ends—the water glows for a reason. You’re perfectly safe within it. And if, for some reason, you happen to go below the water’s surface, I promise to rescue you.”
Well, that was hardly comforting. Still, she drew a steadying breath and waded forward another step. Then another. The water lapped against her ribs, then her shoulders. Her heart thudded wildly.
“That’s it,” he said quietly. “The magic will hold you up, I promise.”
A nervous, breathy laugh escaped her. “I don’t think I—Oh.”
She blinked. The pressure beneath her feet had vanished, yet she wasn’t sinking.
The silver light beneath the surface seemed to cradle her.
She floated there, simply suspended, weightless, the lake itself holding her aloft.
She lifted her arms and trailed them slowly across the surface of the glowing water, each movement leaving a faint ribbon of brighter light in its wake.
“There now,” Prince Ryden said softly. “Hardly terrifying, is it?”
“It’s …” A laugh broke from her, light and disbelieving. “It’s marvelous,” she admitted.
“Another dare completed,” he murmured, a smile in his voice. “Well done, my lady.”
They drifted lazily, circling one another in the softly glowing water. Thimble darted over the surface, scattering droplets like diamonds, while Spark—who had caught up to them now that it was no longer raining—remained dry on the bank, muttering dire warnings about impropriety and scandal.
Something brushed against Aurelise’s ankle—a quick, cool flick that made her gasp. “What was that?”
The prince chuckled. “Harmless. The lake’s guardians. Little blue-green creatures. They like to investigate visitors.”
“Investigate? They feel rather more like tickling.”
“They’re fond of mischief. The smaller ones in particular.”
“That explains why they’re swarming you, then, Your Highness.”
He laughed, and she couldn’t help laughing too.
And then, as their laughter faded, she found herself still watching him.
The silvery glow of the water illuminated his face, catching along the angles of his cheekbones and jaw, making his dark blue eyes appear brighter, with light dancing in their depths.
His gaze lingered on her in return, and the air between them seemed to still. Heat bloomed beneath her skin. She looked down, unable to hold those eyes for long. Sliding further downward, her gaze caught on something just above his collarbone—a faintly puckered mark, irregular, almost star shaped.
“What is that?” she asked before she could stop herself. “That mark—just there.”
He followed her gaze down, and she watched as his expression changed. The humor faded, replaced by something quieter. “Ah. That.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I should not have asked. It’s none of my—”
“No,” he interrupted. “Think nothing of it. A simple scar, nothing more. The result of an accident, years ago.”
Aurelise opened her mouth, then closed it again. She let the silence stand, the only sound the hush of the enchanted water and the soft flutter and splash of Thimble’s wings as she skimmed the water’s surface nearby.
She knew that for something to leave a mark like that, magic must have been involved. It made her wonder what sort of enchantment could cause such harm—but she also knew better than to ask. She drifted a little farther back, her arms gliding through the water in slow, aimless circles, and then—
His eyes widened suddenly—a flash of alarm—before the world vanished beneath her and she plunged without warning below the surface. Water filled her ears, her nose, and panic seized her chest. She was sinking, she was drowning, she was—
Strong hands caught her beneath her arms, pulling her up.
Her head broke the surface and she gasped, sucking in air as she was hauled against something solid and warm, arms swiftly encircling her waist, holding her secure.
For a breathless moment, she looked straight in a pair of dark blue eyes mere inches from her own that reflected every bit of the shock thrumming through her.
Then—“You let me sink!” she sputtered, raising a hand to wipe water from her face.
His expression relaxed. He managed a laugh, though it came out unsteady. “I did not. You were the one who moved farther than I advised. I rescued you, just as I promised.”
In the next breath, awareness struck. Her body was pressed against him, against his very bare, very wet chest, and she could feel every rise and fall of her own.
His dark eyes were fixed on her with disarming intensity, droplets of water clinging to his lashes.
And his lips—stars above—were parted, devoid of their usual teasing curve—
Then he was moving through the water, and a moment later, her feet touched sand. He released her gently, making sure she was steady before moving back.
His lips lifted, the beginnings of a teasing smile returning, though his voice was rough when it emerged. “Enjoyable?”
She blinked in disbelief. “Terrifying!”
“But you survived.”
“Barely!”
“You were perfectly safe,” he said, and there was something sincere in his gaze now, all teasing gone. “I would never allow you to come to harm.”
The words hung between them, weighted with—
My lady! Thimble’s frantic voice broke the moment. Are you well? That was absolutely TERRIFYING! And dreadfully romantic! Did he save you? He saved you! Just like in Lady Olivienne’s novels!
The spell broken, Prince Ryden’s familiar grin returned. “Two dares in one evening. I’m thoroughly impressed by your boldness, my lady.”
They began wading toward shore where Thimble waited, wings fluttering anxiously.
“I rather think those will be the last two,” Aurelise admitted. “I’m quite convinced I’ve used up my entire supply of boldness for the foreseeable future.”
He laughed again, the sound rich and easy. “Somehow, Lady Aurelise, I doubt that. I have a feeling boldness suits you far too well to be so easily spent.”