Sweat dripped down my face as the sun beat down on me.

“Come on, Arwyn. Focus.” Fletcher’s voice seemed too far away even though he stood right in front of me.

I called my energy on the water from the lake, letting it rise up into an arc. With small movements I pushed out balls of water in front of me, twisting and twirling and ducking from Fletcher’s counter moves, all the while thinking about the conversation with Bennett.

I shrieked, narrowly avoiding a ball of fire he went in my direction. “Watch it!” I hissed, covering the skin just above my elbow.

“You need to be paying attention, Arwyn,” Fletcher said, smacking his palms together. He dipped a cloth into the water before pressing it against my arm. “Keep that there for a minute. It’ll help the sting.”

“Still hurts,” I grumbled.

“You’re distracted, Arwyn. That’ll get you killed.”

“It’s this Alignment. I can’t…” I sighed. “I’m sorry, Fletcher. Maybe we just need to take a break until it’s over.”

Fletcher nodded. “Let’s get some lunch.” He walked over to the shade of a tree. “Ham or turkey?”

“You brought sandwiches?”

“Thought we’d be hungry. So, ham or turkey?”

“You know I have a boyfriend, right?”

Fletcher laughed. “Don’t worry, Arwyn. This is just two friends having lunch while out training. Plus you’re not really my type.”

I smirked. “Neither are you. I’ll take the ham.”

He handed me a sandwich. “How has the transition been? You know, working with me for your power and combat training?”

“It’s been good. I’m sorry for the sudden change, I just—”

“You don’t need to explain, Arwyn,” Fletcher said, biting into his turkey sandwich. “I know this is a difficult time for you. This Alignment will be difficult for everyone.”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” I replied.

“But we have to work through that distraction because we will always have distractions.”

I looked off into the distance as I ate my ham sandwich. “Yeah, but it’s not every day those distractions involve making a life-changing decision.”

“That’s how it has to be sometimes.” Fletcher wiped his hands off on his pants. “Shall we continue the lesson?”

“Actually, I need to call it a day.” I stood up, gathering my things. “I have a lot to do to prepare for this Alignment.” Without another word, I hurried away.

The lake water sparkled a crystal clear blue in the afternoon light. I sat down on a rock and pulled off my boots, dumping them on the grass before diving into the water. A refreshing surge of energy flowed through me the minute my skin touched the water.

Nothing could ruin this peace.

As I swam, the minnows in the lake surrounded me, nipping lightly at my toes and tickling my skin. The seagrasses waved back and forth with the current almost as if they were bowing to me. A shadow loomed over the surface of the lake, impending on the peace. I resurfaced, taking in my surroundings. To my surprise, Darius sat on another rock with his head in his hands.

I coughed, and he glanced in my direction.

“Arwyn. Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was out here,” he said.

I nodded to my boots. “Those didn’t give it away?” I leaned my chin on my hands on the edge of the lake. “What’s up?”

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll just leave, it’s fine.”

“No, Dar—I didn’t mean you should go.” This time, I pulled myself up onto the grass. “Don’t leave on my account, seriously.”

“You told me to leave you alone,” he pointed out, folding his arms over his chest.

“Why are you fighting with me right now? I said I needed time. But that doesn’t mean we can’t talk.”

“And I’m respecting your wishes. So I’m going to leave you to it.” He got up, and I ran over blocking his path.

“Darius.” I glared into his stormy blue eyes.

“Arwyn.”

“Just…”

“I can’t do this with you right now, Arwyn. I can’t do this at all.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t make you choose me.”

My heart broke into a million pieces. “You’re not making me do anything.” I sighed. So much for relaxation.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Another rainy night. I curled up on the couch again with a book and a cup of tea, glad to finally have the peace and quiet. After Darius had left the lake, I swam for a while attempting to clear my muddled head, but I couldn’t get his words out of my head.

“You told me to leave you alone,” he’d said. Didn’t he know how badly I wanted to let him in?

The sound of a knock at the door broke me away from my thoughts. I hurriedly jumped up from the couch to answer it. My eyes widened.

“Before you say anything, Caesaria told me where to find you.” Darius stood in the doorway, water dripping off of his face from the rain.

“I’m not going to say anything except that you’ll catch a cold if you stay out here in the rain much longer.” I cupped his face in my hands, my heart sighing with relief.

“Does this mean you forgive me?”

I pursued my lips, pretending to be in deep thought. “You might have to do some more to convince me.”

Darius smirked, leaning down to kiss me. “How’s this?”

“Mm. Getting there.”

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close. His lips met mine, tongue delicately asking for entrance to my mouth. I deepened the kiss, resisting the urge to melt in his arms. But that resistance didn’t stay put for long.

“Now?”

I smiled. “Why don’t you just come in out of the rain?”

He grinned in return, lifting me to wrap my legs around his waist, careful to avoid any excess pressure on my ribs.

“Don’t,” I breathed against his mouth. “My ribs are fine.”

We stumbled into the cabin, and Darius kicked the door closed.

“Shh,” I giggled against his mouth. “Caesaria is in the other room.”

“Then we’ll just have to find something to do that doesn’t involve talking.” His hands roamed against my back, head dipping back down to kiss me.

I melted into his arms as he laid me down on the couch. His fingers made quick work of my nightgown, untying it then slowly beginning to slip it down my shoulders.

Then he stopped and I groaned.

“Arwyn, I don’t want to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

“I’m never uncomfortable with you.” I brushed a thumb over the rough stubble on his cheek. “I want this.”

His smile reached his eyes, making them shine ever bluer. “Me too.” He kissed my bare shoulders, slipping my nightgown further down my body. My fingers tugged at the hem of his shirt, and he broke our kiss to help me lift it over his head. I sucked in a breath, running my hands down his chest. His muscles rippled under my touch, and my fingers traveled lower.

His hands roamed freely over my body, his lips leaving tender kisses along my jawline then down to the sweet spot on my neck as his fingers massaged over my breasts. I tugged at his hair, breathing heavily and letting out a small moan. As I worked to get his pants off, I felt him shift beneath me and I bit back a grin. With our clothes in a pile, we drank in each other’s nakedness, desire radiating between our bodies.

“Just coming through for a dri—eek!” We heard Caesaria say. Talk about bad timing.

Darius cursed and tucked the blanket from the top of the couch over us. “Sorry, Cae. We thought you were asleep.”

“I just wanted some water,” she said. “I forgot to get it before I turned in for the night. There’s even a glass already on the counter.”

“Really, really sorry, Cae. Let me try something.” I thrust my hand out and focused on the water from the sink. A stream emerged from the faucet easing itself into a glass on the counter. “There.”

“Great. Only problem is I have to get past you two lovebirds to get the glass.”

Should’ve thought of that.

Darius raised his eyebrows. You can. Focus on the water.

“Um, Cae? We’re gonna try something here. Give me a sec.” You really think I can do this?

He ran his fingers through my mussed hair. Absolutely. Call it an advance on tomorrow’s lesson.

I smiled. “Here goes nothing.” I concentrated as hard as I could, focusing on the water to move the glass. “Is it working?”

“Um, yeah. Keep it going, you’re almost there.” A pause, then, “Perfect! Sleep well, you two.”

We waited until the door to the bedroom closed before turning back to each other. Darius cupped my face in his hands. “Do you still want to do this tonight?”

I nodded, leaning forward so my mouth could tease him. So close yet so far. “I think we’ve waited long enough.”

“Good answer.” He closed the gap between us, pulling my body flesh against his. He kissed me then dipped down to my neck.

I knew what came next. “Wait.” I sat up, pulling the blanket up.

“What’s wrong?” His brow furrowed. “Too fast?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s just right. I’m just…I don’t exactly know what happens if we do this.”

“You mean the sex?”

I smirked. “No, I mean the marking. Because I have to make my decision so soon….”

“We don’t have to do this tonight.”

“I want to.” I curled my fingers through his hair. “I want you. Right now. Tonight.”

He brushed his fingers over my cheek. “There’s no turning back from this, the marking.”

“I know. I’m choosing you.”

He grinned, pressing his lips against my bare neck. His teeth tugged at the skin and sucked at it. Euphoria took over my body, and I was sure this was going to leave a mark. Darius tangled his hands through my hair, lowering his body on mine as our bodies started to move in a rhythm.

A moan escaped my lips, loud enough to get a low grumble of satisfaction from Darius. I hoped Caesaria still couldn’t hear us. Thunder rumbled loudly outside, but I didn’t care. I made my decision, and there was no turning back.

He lowered himself on top of me, my heart beating in time with this and threatening to bound out of my chest. When his lips found the sweet spot on my neck, I let my body go. With Darius, I could finally let my body be free.

I was back in the same spot by the lake where Bella had appeared to me last time, drinking in the beauty of the lake at night. I brushed my fingers over the surface of the water.

“I made my decision,” I said out loud. The tree branches bent in the wind as a reply.

“Are you happy?” Bella appeared before me, as beautiful as ever.

“Yes.”

She raised her eyes to the sky. “Then you’ve followed your heart.”

“But how do I know if I’ve made the right choice?” I asked. “You knew with Bennett. I thought I knew with Raydir. But Darius made me question everything.”

Bella laughed, a sweet sound that echoed delicately through the valley. “Only time will tell.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

All throughout breakfast, followed by a brief archery practice with Caesaria, the only thing I could think about was Darius. His eyes. His kiss. His hands…roaming over my entire body. The way he made me feel things I realized I had never felt with Raydir. A whole week and I was high on the euphoria of his love.

“Arwyn. Arwyn!” Caesaria waved her hands in front of my face.

“Hmm? Sorry. What’s up?”

“You’ve been standing in front of the target for five minutes in position to shoot that arrow.” She gently rested a hand on my arm and lowered it. “I take it that things with Darius have been…successful?”

I blushed. “You could say that.”

She eyed the spot on my neck. “I can tell. Have you talked about the ‘marking’ and what it means?”

“Yeah.” I drew the bow back to release my arrow. “I know what it means. My link with Ray will relinquish itself on the Alignment tonight.”

“And that’s what you want?”

“I made the right decision breaking up with Raydir and choosing Darius. But he’ll still be my best friend. Nothing can ever change that.”

“Does Raydir know that you and Darius are together?” she asked, sending another arrow toward the target.

“Not yet.” I averted my gaze from her eyes. “He…I’ll tell him tonight.”

Caesaria raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you have another appointment with him today?”

I whirled around to face her, being sure to drop my bow on the ground first. “That’s today?”

“Yeah. Did you forget?”

“Sort of. I didn’t intend to forget, it’s just…”

“You’ve spent every waking moment thinking about Darius?” Her lips twitched up into a smile. “It’s understandable, Ar. You are head over heels for him and for good reason.”

“I know, but I should’ve told Raydir already,” I said, mentally kicking myself. “He deserves to know I’ve made my choice.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re hiding your relationship from him, right? I mean, your breakup was mutual, after all.”

“That’s true.” I set my bow against a tree, running my fingers over the mark on my neck. “Do you have anything to cover this?”

“Yeah…so, it’s not a regular love bite. This is more like…a birthmark. It can’t really go away.”

Just my luck. “Then I better brace myself for whatever he has to say.”

Cae laughed. “C’mon, I’ll walk you over.”

We left the archery spot, taking a shortcut through the brush back to the medical cabin. My bruises from the rogue attack had faded completely, so today was just to make sure I had no additional pain that needed to be addressed.

Caesaria stopped with me outside of the cabin. “I’ll see you tonight for the Alignment, right?”

I nodded. “Tonight.”

“Good luck.” She squeezed my arm before hurrying away.

“Punctual again,” Raydir greeted me in a reverse of my tease the last time we’d met up.

“Always.”

He smiled at that. “How’s the pain?”

“Non-existent at this point.” I hesitated with my fingers over the clasps of my top. “Um, do you need…I mean, should I…”

Raydir rested his hand on my arm. “No. Just raise your arms over your head for me. Any pain doing that?”

I raised my arms.

He lifted my hands above my head as his breath tickled my cheek. “How does this feel?”

“Oh, so good.” I closed my eyes as his lips nipped at my jaw then down my neck.

“Ar?”

I shook my head, snapping back to reality. “No pain.”

“I’m going to palpate the area now,” Raydir explained. “Tell me if anything hurts.” He pressed his fingers against my abdomen.

“All good,” I said. “So, what happens now?”

His eyes flickered to the mark on my neck and my fingers fluttered subconsciously to cover it. “Well, you are cleared to continue with normal activities.”

“Thank you.” I hesitated, not really sure what else to say.

“How are…things?” he asked, his green eyes filled with an all-too-knowing gleam. “The Alignment is tonight. I assume you’ve made your choice?”

I cleared my throat. Of course this was going to hurt. “Ray, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you sooner.”

He shook his head and gave me a small smile. “I understand. You…we…”

“I know.” Hesitating again—I wasn’t sure how to act around him now—I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “So, see you around?”

“Yeah.” Raydir gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, putting my mind at ease that we didn’t have to be strangers just because I was with Darius now.

Once I left the medical cabin, I ran over to meet Darius at the lake for a rendezvous. I kicked off my boots while Darius stripped out of his shirt. Man, I would never get tired looking at those abs.

“Like what you see?” He smirked.

I ran a hand down his chest. “Absolutely. But we should probably focus on the lesson.” My gaze lingered on his bare torso. “For now.”

He pulled me close, weaving his fingers through my hair. “Or maybe we could just skip the lesson altogether.”

I let out a mock gasp. “Skipping our lesson? You really are a bad boy.”

Darius shrugged. “What can I say, there are plenty of ways we can practice controlling your water power. Starting with…” he trailed off and began to kiss my neck. “The water isn’t the only thing that’ll be getting you wet today.”

I moaned as his hands explored upward from my waist. His fingers teased the buckles of my top.

“Control your desire,” he whispered, his breath hot on my neck as he pulled away in a tease.

The last thing I expected was him pushing me into the water because the next thing I knew, I was in the lake sputtering for air.

“You totally did that on purpose!”

He grinned. “Maybe. That’s part of the lesson, so what are you going to do about it?”

I waved my hands over the water, creating a tidal of water that loomed over his head, taunting him. “Apologize or I release the water.”

“Arwyn.” He planted his hands on his hips.

“Apologize, or I release the water, Darius.” A smile played on my lips.

“This is good. Focus on what you want,” he said.

“Well, you asked for it then.” I dropped my hands and the flow of water hit Darius over his head, soaking him.

“Oh, so that’s how you’re going to play?” He ran his hands through his hair before wiping the water out of his eyes. He dove into the water, coming up for air beside me. “Good control.”

I shrugged, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You just happen to be a great teacher. What other surprises do you have up your sleeve?”

“Considering I’m not wearing a shirt…”

I laughed, pushing off of him. “You’re such a goof. So, about everything that has happened over the last week, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Uh oh.”

“Uh oh? What?”

“You want to talk about something that happened while we’ve been, you know—”

“No, not that. God, that has been great. No, I wanted to talk about the first night with the water glass. Was that all me or were you lending me your strength again?”

Darius smiled and pecked my lips. “That was all you, baby.”

“Can you show me how exactly to do it again?”

“Of course.” He moved to stand behind me, resting one hand on my hip and sliding the other one over my arm. “Just focus your energy and think about something that makes you happy.”

I closed my eyes and smiled, only one face coming to mind. “Mm, this works.”

Darius leaned down to kiss my neck. “Are you focusing?”

“Yes, but not what you had in mind for me for this lesson.” I turned to face him. “Do you think we could take this back to your cabin?”

He smirked. “I have a better idea.” He climbed out of the water and held out his hand to me. “Do you trust me?”

I grinned. “A little more every minute.”