MATURE FANTASY** slow burn* 🔥 He is a predator who thought he captured an ordinary girl... but her mind is sharper than any of his claws.
Ariana lives in the shadow of her monstrous father in a world barely held together by a treaty. Until her l...
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The lake was stunning. It was massive with glistening water reflecting the sun's rays, stretching out nearly as far as I could see. The forest surrounding the lake seemed incredibly bright and warm despite the autumn air. I could not believe that Kole had not brought me there sooner. I nearly felt giddy, capable of jumping for joy at the beauty of it all.
Kole cursed softly. "We should go."
"What?" I looked at him in shock. "We just got here!"
"Yes, but I didn't know that Erik would-" His words cut off, and he looked out over the water at something. "You're certain?" He asked someone I could not see.
Squinting, I searched for whatever it was he saw, but there was nothing. Just the glistening lake and surrounding distant forest.
"Erik is fine with you remaining here." He turned to me.
"Erik? He's out there somewhere?" I looked even harder over the water, but nothing.
Kole nodded. "He likes to come here and swim sometimes."
"At this time of the year?" Sure, it was warm in the sun, but the water was undoubtedly frigid. Kneeling, I touched it with my fingertips to confirm.
Kole chuckled softly. "You already forget about his conjuring?"
Never would that be something I could forget. Erik was a conjuror of fire. Apparently, that also meant he never got cold.
I took a seat on a sizable flat stone that overlooked the water. Kole joined me after a moment. We did not speak as we viewed the scenery. It was so incredibly tranquil. I could have stayed in that spot for eternity and never gotten bored.
Eventually, I could make out something moving quickly through the water, and it took me a moment to realize that it was Erik. Powerful arms and legs propelled him across the lake at an unnatural speed. I thought fighting a Lysian on solid ground was challenging, but in water, it was possibly even more terrifying when they could move like that. A shiver ran down my spine.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here." Kole stated once Erik came within several yards of us.
"It's fine." He didn't sound the least bit out of breath, despite the distance he just covered. Kole's stomach growled in response, and Erik's lip twitched. "You may go. I'll take Ariana back when she is ready to go."
"Well, if you're certain," Kole commented, rising to his feet. His attention moved over the lake before landing on me. "See you later," he nodded in farewell.
Erik swam closer till he was at the stone I sat on and turned, looking out over the view with me. "It's beautiful here, isn't it?"
"I have seen nothing like it," I murmured in agreement.
Saphire eyes glanced at me. "You do not have lakes in your land?" Water dripped from his hair onto his face, though it did not seem to bother him as it moved down his cheek to his jaw, lingering there before falling.
