A Sprinkle of Stardust

Chapter 27 - Cornflower

Nash turned away to pull off his tunic and let it fall to the ground.

When he looked back at Lyrani, she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit sewn from green oak leaves frozen in the prime of their freshness. It made a striking contrast with her brown skin. The white dress she had been wearing over it lay in a lopsided circle on the grass.

Nash had only ever seen Lyrani in ankle-length dresses. He couldn't resist letting his eyes wander over her body, up from her bare feet, over her toned calves and her slim waist, and finally up to her chest.

She cleared her throat.

Heat surged into Nash's cheeks. He looked away before he embarrassed himself any more, before his face gave away that Lyrani Esch made him breathless, fully clothed or not.

Nash needed Lyrani's help. That was the only reason he had asked to see her today.

That was one lie he couldn't make himself believe.

He had asked to see Lyrani because he wanted to. He would want to see her even if there was no voice in his head to banish, but his curse didn't leave room for her to be anything more than the woman who could break it.

Perhaps things could be different between them after this ordeal was over, but they had to get there first.

"Ready?" Nash asked.

Lyrani hesitated for so long that he feared that she wouldn't take his hand. Then she looked up at him with a little smile.

The boulder weighing on Nash's mind rolled off it and shattered to pieces when Lyrani rested her palm against his.

He led her to the pond, all too aware of how loud his footsteps were beside her silent ones. She followed him in with a splash.

The water was cool around Nash's ankles. As he moved forward, it inched up his legs like icy socks.

With another step, it rose to the waistband of his swimming trunks.

"We need to dive."

"Dive?" Lyrani's quick eyes gauged the depth of the pond.

It was shallow enough for them to see their feet resting on the pebbles at the bottom.

Lyrani's mouth fell open. "Are you mad? Do you want a concussion?"

Nash fought a smile at her vehemence. It was a perfectly rational response, but appearances could be deceiving.

"Yes, I am a little mad, but no, we aren't going to hit our heads," he said. "Trust me."

Lyrani looked between Nash and the water. Her hand tightened around his.

"I would never let you get hurt," said Nash.

Lyrani looked up at him. In the sunlight, he saw that her eyes were a deep brown with a reddish tint that turned them vivid and warm. How had he not noticed that before?

Nash touched Lyrani's cheek, and when he looked at her then, he knew that he had spoken true. He'd never let Rayn or anyone else touch her if he could help it, but that wasn't saying much.

"Now, hold your breath." Nash pulled Lyrani after him as he dove in and kicked away from the water's surface.

The water pressed against his eyes as he and Lyrani swam deeper, but he kept them open. Within moments, Nash's eyes had adjusted to the limited light. He could make out the pond's murky bottom and the pebbles' dark shadows. The aquatic plants waved in welcome.

An unseen force pulled Nash and Lyrani beyond the bottom of the pond. At its deepest point, the water reached Nash's ears, but the magic that flowed within it turned it deeper than could be measured.