Page 102 of A Whisper of Cinders

“I’m pretty sure it will be Conláed and his friends.”

As if on cue, he appears with Aramis by his side, because who else would he choose as partner? On the opposite side of the field, two other males I don’t know take their places. But my attention keeps being drawn back to the undoubtedly formidable, handsome duo.

“Are they good?” I ask, turning my head away from their divine looking bodies.

“Aramis and Conláed? They are unbeatable, they’ve never lost a game for as far as I can remember.”

Why doesn’t that surprise me, they’re probably good at everything they do. I observe them as they take their positions.

A spinning ball appears above the net that turns faster and faster until it falls on the other team’s side.

The game begins and although I’ve never seen something like this before, I do notice how good of a team they form. The other team doesn’t stand a chance and the way their bodies move? They jump high and squat down, their muscles flexing as they move. It’s nearly as fascinating as when they train together. The fact that they’re doing all of this shirtless doesn’t help the situation, although I am not complaining at all.

Aramis dives for the sand, catching the ball right before it hits the sand and my friends and me roar. Conláed of course has to beat that, making a nearly impossible jump and earning them another point. This is so much better than watching tv. My eyes linger on the muscled abdomen of Aramis, then to Conláed’s following up until his burning gaze meets mine and I quickly look away.

Heat creeps up my neck tinting my cheeks red. It’s okay, Mai, you are watching a sports game, of course your eyes are on the players. I’m certain I’m not the only one who is…observing his technique among other things.

When a bell signals the end of the first game, Aramis and Conláed are taking the lead.

Since my cheeks still feel too warm for my liking and I can’t look at them without little sparks appearing around me, I stand up and enter the water in a smooth movement. Aramis told me there’s a waterfall here and a cold shower is exactly what I need.

I swim into the direction he told me to go, feeling a little lost when I can’t find it immediately. I mean, how hard can it be to find a waterfall? I haven’t seen one in real life before, but I mean, it is water that plunges down, it’s hard not to miss, yet —

The thundering sound of water catches my attention right when I’m about to turn back. The cascading waterfall comes into view as I move around the corner. I understand now where the phenomenon gets its name from. From a hole in the stone ceiling, water pours down with a force so great, steam rises up from the surface. Rocks surround the waterfall in a half circle and vibrant flowers have grown between them, their petals full of life.

As I get closer, my feet touch the sandy floor and my curiosity gets the upper hand. I swim closer until I stand under the strong stream, enjoying the feel of it on my scalp. Surprisingly, I don’t get washed away by the strong current. Instead, the water seems to part for me, its flow less strong than I anticipated.

I tip my head back and let the stream massage my head.

“Enjoying yourself, feather?”

I look up, nearly drowning in the water that now runs on my face instead of my hair. I step back, trying to get away from the stream and needing to know if my ears actually recognised that voice correctly. But only one fae calls me that.

When I still haven’t reached a wall even though I’ve been backing up for a long while, I carefully blink away the water in my eyes and see that I’ve entered a hidden alcove. And the figure that just passes through the water, is definitely Conláed.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, backing up until I finally reach the stone edge and lift myself up until I’m seated on the warm stone.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

I suppress a sigh. Fine. “Aramis told me there was a waterfall here and I’ve never seen one before, so I thought now might be a good time to search for it.”

There, not entirely a lie, but the other reason is not of that much importance right now. Especially since my temperature is rising again.

“What do you think?” Conláed asks as he moves closer to me, more of his muscled chest coming into view the smaller the distance between us gets. Damn it.

I swallow audibly, the sound hopefully disappearing into the pouring water. “I’ve never seen a force of water this strong, yet the sound of it cascading down is very soothing.” I look around at the rock formation. “But I wasn’t expecting a hidden alcove behind it.”

“It happens sometimes. I like it here, the force of water is the complete opposite of my powers.” He gestures for the waterfall behind us, did he move closer again? “Though there are few who would plunge through one just out of curiosity. Yet, here we are.”

Here we are indeed. And as my temperature increases, and faint sparks float around me, I quickly push away from my seat and immerse myself in the clear blue water.

Keep it together, Mai, he is just a male, we are just hanging out. Nothing wrong with that.

After a couple of seconds I emerge again, only to see Conláed standing mere inches away from me. I try to move back, but the stone wall digs into my spine, the air suddenly stuck in my throat.

I hold perfectly still.

My breasts meets his chest with every rapid breath I take, plus the scent that is currently filling my nose — his scent — makes my heartbeat race.