Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
BIANCA
T he Island looked like a beautiful tropical paradise from the safety of the shoreline. I walked the perimeter in the morning with Alejandra while reviewing the plan. The trip toward the actual place started off fine until the nasty, small creatures crawled all over the boat. A shiver runs over my skin, recalling the slimy things. They looked bad enough in the book photos, but the real things were much worse. How convenient that Brandon didn’t mention the imps were actually the immortal dead counterparts to the alive water mythical creatures. The worst part was the smell; they reeked of dead fish. One managed to touch my boot, leaving a sticky residue behind.
“See something you like?”
The question snaps me from my internal monologue. I try to avert my eyes when I find Brandon across the room shirtless. Of course, the cocky asshole knows how he looks. I hate guys like Brandon Oscuro. I’ve not met many so far, and I thank the Fates for small favors.
His back is a canvas of dark-shaded tattoos taking the entire space. The sight of them surprises me for some reason. Roman has them too, but I didn’t imagine Brandon would. He turns to face me too fast for me to make the shapes of the tattoos.
I understand the reasoning behind waiting until tomorrow to leave the island, but I don’t like it. I also dislike the fact that the grumpy Orc only has one spare room. Now, I’m stuck with the prince in small quarters.
“I’m not sleeping in that bed with you.” My statement comes out with far more determination than I feel.
The offending object looks soft and far too tempting. I’m exhausted, but I feel so dirty. All I want to do is take a long, hot shower and scrub my boots. Of course, the only water available for baths is the beach, and no one is sure the imps won’t take a swing at us there.
“Feel free to take the floor for all I care, but you’re not leaving this room.” He grunts as he climbs on the bed, getting comfortable.
“I won’t be able to sleep.” I sit on the edge of the mattress.
Brandon crosses his arms behind his head. “Because I’m here,” he states in a tired voice.
I shake my head. “I feel so dirty. I wish I could shower.” I scratch my skin, feeling icky. I can feel sand everywhere.
Brandon watches my actions and then stands up. “Come on.” He gestures to the door leading outside.
“You said we can’t return to the beach because of the imps.”
“That’s not where we are going.”
I rush after him. His walk is quick-paced, and the last thing I want to do is keep walking. My legs and arms are already sore enough.
He offers no more explanations. My mood worsens with every step I take. We walk through the trees under the moonlight for twenty minutes before approaching an elevation change. My calves burn with every step. I almost wish I hadn’t said anything—until I hear it.
I hear it long before I see it. The noise is loud and strong. Carried by the wind like a light of hope in the darkness. The water hits the rocks beneath with brutal force. The mist is picked up in the air, covering my hair and dampening my skin. Soon after that, the vegetation opens up.
“A waterfall.” I stare at the stunning gift of nature. “Why did it take you so long to bring us here?”
Brandon shrugs. “Joe doesn’t like when people come here.” He kicks off his shoes and lowers his pants.
I look back to the path we came from nervously. “Should we have asked?”
“Ask for forgiveness, not permission,” he says just before he jumps off a rock into the water.
The splash is loud, but nothing compares to the noise already in the air from the waterfall. He emerges from the water with wet hair plastered all over his face. He shakes from side to side as he gestures for me to join him.
I begin to unbutton my pants when I realize he’s watching me. Pink blossoms on my cheeks. “Turn around!”
The devilish smile that touches his lips makes me shiver. He says nothing else as he turns, giving me his back. I shed my clothes and jump after him in only my underwear. The freezing cold water covers my skin like a shock of electricity. It sharpens my senses and awakens my mind. When I pop out of the water, I find Brandon watching me.
“Better?” His eyes search mine.
“Better,” I confirm.
His laughter and easy smile warm my chest and settle something inside me. Would the masses believe this is their future king? Would their hearts skip a beat at the sight of his smile too?
We swim around back and forth as the night grows chilly. I’m not the best swimmer, but when my arms get tired, I let my body float while looking up at the stars. This is by far the most peace I have felt in a while. My body floats next to Brandon’s. Our heads side by side. We don’t turn to look at each other. Like mine, his eyes are on the sky.
“I could do this all night.” Somehow, my voice feels so loud as it breaks the silence between us.
Brandon looks around before his eyes finally land on something on the water’s edge. “Come.” He extends his hand toward me. “This is my favorite part.”
I look at it hesitantly but decide to take it. We climb some big rocks and reach the top of the waterfall. I stop and look at the new view. The moonlight touches the tops of trees all around us. I can also see the back of the island from here and am in awe of the abyss of darkness.
Brandon loosely wraps his arms around me from behind. His lips nearly touch the shell of my ear as he whispers, “When I say go, we jump.”
It’s hard to concentrate when his body heat is so close to me. I’m hyper-aware of his closeness. It takes a second for me to register what he said. I look at the direction he gestured to, then instantly shake my head, absolutely not.
“I’m not the best swimmer,” I say
That section also is where the water is hitting. From this angle, I can’t see the bottom, and that’s enough for me to decline. He steps in front of me and holds my head with both hands.
“Stop thinking so much,” he says an inch from my face. “I got you.”
The words hardly register as he takes my hand and jumps. Without warning, my body is pulled by his. One second, I’m standing on the top of the waterfall. Next, gravity is pulling me and I’m free-falling.
A rush of adrenaline flows through me, making me break into uncontrollable giggles. I might have gone mad. My hair is flying back, and my face is up to the sky. I’ve never felt so free. A mirror expression is on Brandon’s face as he joins me in laughter. The wind carries our happiness through the air mixed with the mist.
The first thing I notice is how much colder it feels when we hit the water. Second, my feet don’t touch the bottom. A bit of panic surges through me, and I swim up as fast as my body can manage. When my face breaks the water, I hear Brandon hoot in laughter.
I try to stay up, but my face goes under. Over and over again until arms wrap around my waist, pulling me out into the air. We are chest to chest and my legs close around his waist instinctively. The wind blows a chill down my neck, making goosebumps cover all my exposed skin.
“Are you okay?” His question is a whisper.
I gulp and nod. My cheeks blush, realizing how tight I am holding to him.
“I’m sorry.”
I try to unwrap my legs and push away, but his hands stop me. One of his palms stays on my leg while the other wraps around my hair on the back of my head. Our breaths intermingle so closely together, making me shiver.
“Brandon,” I say in a whisper before his lips land on mine.
His grip is firm, and I can’t help but melt into him. Heat blossoms between us, lighting me inside out.
When we finally break apart, we don’t exchange a single word. I feel out of breath. Despite the heat between us, my skin has chilled, and I shiver. Brandon kisses my forehead softly before leading us both out of the water. We gather our clothes and silently head back to the room, his hand never leaving mine.
Once inside, Brandon hands me a change of clothes and steps out. This time, I climb into bed without question. I cover my body with the blanket and close my eyes. I hear him return, turn off the light, and climb next to me.
I turn to face him, and our eyes lock. We stay like that for a minute. I can almost see the storm brewing in his eyes.
“You okay?” I ask gently.
“You know what I said about not fearing you the first day I met you?”
I recall the moment in detail.
“You take it back?” My smile is unstoppable.
My side of the bed is feeling more comfortable by the second. His nod is slow. Nothing or no one could erase the beaming grin on my face. The future king of the magic realm fears a thief.
His hand reaches over and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “Someone has to warn the masses. Their future king has met his match.”
The honesty in his words takes me off guard. My smile falls, and a feeling of loss comes over me. I recall our last conversation about his gift. The way his eyes see something in me, something I’m not sure is there. I know what fabric makes me. I would love to believe we’re the same, but I know in my bones that it is impossible.
“I will never be your match.”
To think otherwise is delusional. The world would never see me the same way they see Brandon. I’ve lived in the shadows for so long that I learned to blend into the darkness too easily. My gift seems more of a premonition.
Brandon’s eyes take me in like they can’t comprehend my train of thought. I don’t blame him. He has always had a place in this world. He looks so at home everywhere he goes. To walk in his shoes and belong to that world is a thought I can’t allow to bloom.
“What sets us apart, other than my title?” I furrow my brows as his words break the silence. “Something I did not even earn.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond. “You’re the picture your choices paint. The artist is you.”
The longer we look at each other, the colder I feel. I wrap the covers tighter around me. His eyes pour into mine, pleading with me to say something. But I don’t know what I could say.
He lets out a sigh of defeat. “My mother would tell Roman and Jesse that just because they weren’t chosen to do something specific, it didn’t mean they couldn’t do it. It just meant they had choices.”
I try to picture Brandon’s mother advising her two sons’ words of wisdom to make up for the fact they weren’t the chosen ones to lead.
“Roman is the first Oscuro to lead the Royal Force. He started from the bottom. His position is earned, not given.”
I think back to the Black Castle. How the soldiers looked at Roman with so much respect. The way people got out of his way like his purpose was much more important. I attribute respect to his name and title. It never crossed my mind what he had to do to get there.
“You have choices.”
I try to read between the lines. What little I have is mine because I chose it. I get to decide, just like Roman and Jesse did.
“Would you have chosen the life path you got?” I ask.
He thinks about it for a second. His eyes look so deep in this mellow light I get sucked in by them, like beacons that call for me. They want me to know so much that cannot be said out loud. “I don’t know,” he says finally. “But I do know that I wouldn’t wish for a second of my life to be different.”
His hand trails down my cheek and I lean further into it, chasing the warmth it provides my skin.
“If the world learns my name…” I trail off. I want the words to come out right. “I wouldn’t want fear being the first thing they feel when they hear it.” Following back to his previous comment.
He shrugs. “Then, they won’t.”
His words are so final. Written in stone. There’s something incredibly solid and strong behind everything Brandon says. Like nothing could hurt me if he says so. A blanket of comfort I’ve never known. A foreign feeling too sweet to think it’s not fleeting.
I move closer to his side, and his arms open without hesitation. I lay my head on his chest and breathe in deeply. This is a completely new feeling for me. Fighting the heaviness behind my eyes so I can stay here a bit longer becomes harder. I don’t want this moment to end, not yet. The world feels untouchable from here—or, at least, I do.