CHAPTER THIRTEEN #2
I realized, belatedly, that the boat, perfectly sized for two women, might not fit Corvin and I quite so comfortably.
He was a full foot taller than Kaylin. About half a foot taller than me.
And much…bigger. His broad, muscular body was bound to take up a lot more space.
He must have reached the same conclusion.
“Looks like a tight fit,” he remarked, gazing down at the boat.
“I could shift into my raven form, but I would feel bad making you row all by yourself. I’ll sit in the back—if you don’t mind my legs around you? ”
“That works!” I responded, settling into the front of the boat, my casual tone belying the butterflies that took off in my stomach, thinking about him pressed so closely against me.
The boat rocked gently as Corvin stepped inside, carefully positioning himself behind me.
“Is that alright?” he asked, his breath a soft caress against my ear. “Are you comfortable?”
“Ye…Yes…” I said, tucking my knees to my chest as he extended his strong legs around either side of me.
Corvin reached for the oars, softly brushing the side of my ribs. “I can start,” he proposed.
“Sounds good. Thank you.”
Once we were situated, he started to row.
Each stroke causing his body to lean slightly forward into mine.
I liked the feel of his firm chest, the pressure of his body against my back—found myself aware of its absence each time he pulled the oars from the water, causing our bodies to momentarily separate.
His powerful arms never wavered, dragging us smoothly across the lake.
A gentle, rocking rhythm.
We were about halfway to the river inlet when I offered to take a turn.
Corvin acquiesced, handing me the oars. As soon as I gripped them, realization crashed over me.
I can command the boat’s movement! How did I forget?
A warm flush spread up the back of my neck, and I stalled, making no move to resume rowing.
Should I tell him? What would he think? That I wanted us both to squeeze into the boat for nothing?
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Corvin,” I said, mortified at not speaking up sooner.
“We…we don’t actually need to row the boat.
I can’t believe I forgot. I can command its movement now.
Something I discovered recently. I guess I was just so focused on our journey ahead that it completely slipped my mind.
” And the feel of his arms and legs around me, if I was being honest.
“Really? That sounds like it could be very useful.” If he felt duped, he didn’t vocalize it. “Do you want me to shift?”
I touched the side of the boat, sending it into a gentle forward glide.
“You don’t have to since we’re almost to the river.
” We sat against one another, nobody rowing, hands unoccupied.
Why was I thinking about where he was placing his hands?
Despite our position, I held my body rigid, not allowing myself to fully relax into him.
It was distracting enough, feeling the warmth of him, smelling his attractive scent, without touching him too.
“Are you okay?” Corvin asked, sounding concerned. “You seem tense.”
“Yep!” I hurriedly replied, not wanting him to leave the boat but still debating whether or not to lean back into his chest. Eventually, my muscles made the decision for me, angrily protesting the exertion it took to hold myself completely straight.
I relaxed slightly. Slowly, at first, then a degree further, until my back was completely at ease solidly against Corvin’s firm chest, my legs touching his inner thighs.
He didn’t complain, his body melded seamlessly into mine.
It was still early enough for there to be a chill in the air, but Corvin’s body kept me warm.
As we reached the river, heading north, he whispered softly in my ear, “Welcome to Kothia.”
The river let out near the City of Tardide.
It was a large city, large enough that we should be able to find a carriage traveling into Kincardine.
At least, that was the plan.
We disembarked a short distance down the river, reticent to follow it much farther upstream, lest we run into an overly curious fisherman or overly suspicious city guard inclined to question our right to be out on the water.
Luckily for us, there was a pedestrian walkway we could use winding alongside the riverbank, presumably leading all the way up to the city gates.
The walkway was nearly deserted, save for the rare passerby, perhaps due to the early morning hour.
Strolling toward Tardide, I was grateful I didn’t need to focus too closely on the path, content to let my eyes wander to the scenery instead.
“Look at that!” I cried, pointing to a large white-headed bird diving feet first into the river. “It’s going to hit the water!”
The bird extended its talons at the last moment, spearing its prey. “It spotted a fish!” I exclaimed.
I considered myself well read, but it was a poor substitute for experiencing the world firsthand.
Corvin grinned. “An osprey. And that ability to see underwater comes in handy.” He touched a white feather with dark brown stripes, sewn into the upper collar of his cloak.
It was a compulsive gesture, one that suggested he knew right where to find each feather decorating its fabric.
“So does its speed. And its keen vision.”
We continued our walk, stopping occasionally whenever an interesting bird crossed our path.
I demanded Corvin identify each and every one.
“Would they attack you?” I wondered aloud. “The birds, I mean. If you were in your raven form?”
Corvin flinched, his head snapping back. “Attack me?! No. They would sense my connection to them. To all creatures who take to the sky.”
“Because of who you are?” I asked tentatively.
“Yes,” he merely replied.
A while later, Corvin stopped abruptly on the walkway, bending down to pick up an errant feather resting on the cobblestones.
“Hey! Look what our friend must have dropped!” He straightened, holding the feather in one hand.
Reaching into his cloak, he withdrew a small spool of thread and a sewing needle.
I watched, captivated, while he held the feather to one of the few blank spaces left on his cloak, attaching it to the fabric with several deft turns of the needle.
I was surprised how dexterously he sewed given how large his hands were. The golden thread shimmered with magic.
“Can anyone pull a feather off your cloak?”
Corvin grinned. “Anyone I allow. The thread is special. It keeps them from falling off without my permission as well.”
“Fascinating,” I said, looking at the cloak’s plumage and trying to count the number of unique feathers.
The next time we stopped for a break along the river walkway, it was in the shade of a tall oak tree.
My relaxation was short-lived.
The moonstone in my necklace pulsed angrily, filling me with the sense that I needed to get down.
I didn’t think—I dove.
Reaching out for Corvin, I pulled him down with me.
We landed in a confused tangle of limbs, our bodies suddenly flush, me on top of him.
He shifted beneath me as he started to hoist himself back up, no doubt wondering why in the five kingdoms I’d just tackled him to the ground.
I rested my knees on either side of his body, straddling him, so that I could lean in close—my hands pressing him back down.
He blinked up at me. “Umm…Elvira?”
I looked around wildly. “My intuition…”
“Your intuition told you to get on top of me?”
I looked down at him again. “What? No, my necklace alerted me to danger.”
Thwack.
An arrow whizzed overhead, thudding into the oak tree.
Right where our heads had been moments before.