𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝟭𝟯. 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀

The currents were uncharacteristically forgiving as you and Jake approached the cove of the ancestors. Cool waves lapped at your thighs and you brought a palm to your face to block out the burnt orange glow of the setting sun just before it dipped below the jagged bone-like formation of arched stones. It was like they too were holding their breath in anticipation of what this evening might bring.

Jake's firm arms encapsulated you on either side, fists bound loosely in the leather reins of the tsurak you were mounted on. You foolishly agreed to sit in front, believing every word he said about how it would ease his mind and make the journey to your place of prayer all the safer.

"C'mon," he'd said in that gruff, persuasive voice of his as he offered you his hand—the very same one that clutched yours oh so closely the night of your first dance. But dwelling on that moment was the worst possible thing you could do. It was hard enough to look him in the eye after last night—after hearing Tuk refer to you as mama.

Noting your hesitation, Jake's eyes narrowed challengingly. "I've got twice as many hours on the back of one of these things than you do. Trust me."

Trust was never the issue. You trusted Jake like you trusted the air that caught in your throat at the mere mention of his name. Your only concern was rooted in the violent distrust you held in yourself. How long could you keep this up? Pretending nothing in your life had changed when in fact everything had? One false move tonight and everything would come spilling out of you like a song into the sea.

Despite Jake's strong claim, he still offered you the reins as you settled down against his chest. The thought of making tsaheylu with such a mighty creature frightened you. He chuckled softly in your ear when you met his offer with a frantic shake of your head. A drop of seawater dribbled from his chin and kissed your shoulder, coaxing a pleasant shiver to roll through you. The waves crashing against the nearby seawall forced your body to rock against his in a tantalizing rhythm.

Jake must have known that simply hopping onto a tsurak was no casual feat for you, especially since your father had been keeping him well-fed with countless embarrassing stories of your irrational childhood fear of them. Every second of that journey was spent hyperfocused on the feel of his hard chest cradling you from behind, firm legs squeezing around you like a vice whenever he urged his beast to dive nose-first back into the waves.

Jake never once let go of you. He couldn't bring himself to.

You'd done everything in your power to forfeit any memory of the storm that stole your breath and filled your lungs with blackened, briny water. But every defensive twitch of his fingers against your outer thigh forced you to recall that fated ikran ride when you first discovered his unique ability to make you feel perfectly safe even with those biting winds whipping you in the face.

"This is our most sacred place," you whispered, turning to steal a glimpse of the starlight reflecting in Jake's wide eyes. Eclipse had fallen in the span of mere moments, plunging you into a whole new world alight with fragile green and purple hues. The moss clinging to the edges of floating stones pulsed with light. Before Jake could reach out and slap the patch of glowing moss and disturb the nest of creatures huddled atop it, you gently guided his face by the palm of your hand until he was too distracted by the sight of the submerged violet branches of your spirit tree below you.

There was a majesty to this place that struck you even now after having visited it several times since your first breath. Jake's arms fell to his sides, mouth agape as he struggled to commit each inch of the cove to memory. You flushed with pride—proud of the fact that you were still able to show him something of this world that could inspire the awe that you caught on his face just then. Even after spending decades in your world, there was so much of it that he was a stranger to.