Below the Peak (Sola)(92)

“Oh! my goodness!” Nara shouted. “Oh! my goodness!” It was freaking cold. Her body shuddered as the coldness slipped under her clothes into her bones. The chill robed her ability to think or process anything for a moment. As her body adjusted to the temperature, she became aware of the steely arm around her waist, keeping her steady. She tilted her head and looked at him. “Why did you do that?” Calemir asked. Nara huffed, pushed back, wanting to get back to the boat. The arm around her only tightened more and tugged her closer to its owner. If he pulled her any closer, she would be pressed against his chest.

“Let me go” Nara demanded.

He didn’t.

She glowered at him.

“Why did you push me?” the chill riding the words sent a shiver down her spine. Calemir’s features hardened. If she didn’t speak up, things might turn ugly. She felt it in the tensed arm shackling her.

“You scared me” Nara admitted. “You just disappeared without a word. I thought you had drowned or something terrible happened.”

Calemir’s face softened. “Forgive me.”

“Just let me go” Nara said. She wanted to leave the place and go back home. She was tired, and they had overstayed here already. Calemir pulled her even closer that his face was just inches apart from hers. Her chest brushed against his. She let out a light gasp. Calemir’s eyes smoldered, their intensity sending a bolt of warmth to her chest and stomach.

“Forgive me for not telling you,” Calemir said again, his voice a murmur. Nara read the determination in his eyes. He wasn’t going to let her go until she had forgiven him and said it loudly. It bugged her that he saw the need to hear her forgiveness for something she was starting to brush off.

“Okay,” Nara blurted.

Calemir’s hand eased then dropped completely, but he didn’t move back. His eyes burned in hers, flitting to her mouth and back to her eyes. The air between them hummed. Hot and charged. Palpable that you could touch it.

Kiss me the thought popped into her mind from nowhere, shocking Nara. As if he had heard it too, Calemir’s eyes narrowed. Bringing one hand up, Calemir rested it on the curve of her neck. Her heart thrummed violently. Her mouth grew dry, as he tilted her head a little down. Brushing the tip of his nose against the side of hers. Calemir heard the hitch of her breath, feeling her nerves skitter along his wet skin. Her neck had grown stiff whilst her brown eyes fixated on him, tracking each of his movement. She wasn’t the only one affected. His own pulse was going wild, his breath shaw finding it hard to breathe as his mouth got closer to her pink luscious trembling lips. Only the last second, with the control he had to dig deeper for, he didn’t crush his lips to hers. Instead, Calemir brushed his mouth near her ear then pulled back. “We should get back,” he said and already swimming back to the boat. Nara shuddered, feeling her whole face flame particularly where his lips had touched her skin. Turning she kicked to the boat and got in. Once she sat, and he wore his tunic again, they started paddling back to the land.

“Carry this, and I will take the fish,” he said, handing her his satchel.

“Okay,” she mumbled, hurriedly taking it from him. It had gotten awkward between them. His features had turned unreadable. They mounted their steeds and began to ride down the road they had come from. Nara couldn’t stop her body missing the heat of his body when the breeze hit her wet clothes and caused her to slightly tremble. She had enjoyed his closeness and his touch. Nara wanted to feel it again. She was a little greedy for his touch again if she was honest. It made her feel good without making her feel she needed to tolerate as most other touches did.

She blinked. What am I thinking?





Chapter Forty-four


Days harmoniously passed by. Nara took notice of Calemir being home more than before. He would leave at dawn, sometimes she witnessed him leave when she went to unlock the door for Izza and sometimes she didn’t. His returns were irregular though, some nights Calemir came home early, and other nights he came back midnight. When he was early, they ate dinner together. They would ask how each other’s day went. Their answers were consistent, she would say nothing out of the ordinary, and he would say in similar lines, reading reports, giving commands and patrolling. One night she had asked him if the issue that had sent him to Ontophen had been resolved and he had replied, “For now it is.” Nara had nodded, it wasn’t an absolute answer, but it gave her some peace and especially when the number of patrolling guards reduced at night and when he had told her it was safe for to ride anytime of the day. Well except at night for obvious reasons.

One night they had just finished eating dinner, and they were just catching a break with a sip of wine (she was drinking grape wine and none of the strong stuff) in the sitting room when he asked. “Have you started writing in elvish?”

“No, I haven’t yet.” She replied, placing a book she had retrieved from the small shelf at the corner on the table in front of her.

“Haven’t asked Izza?”

“No” she shook her head.

“I could teach you but?” he began, putting his goblet down.

“But what?” Nara looked at him.

“But you will have to write the words in Nyr by yourselves. Like you I can mostly speak your language and not efficiently write it.”

“Oh.” She said.