My feet slipped on the slippery rocks of the beach and I tumbled sideways, landing hard on my side and scraping my leg. I pushed myself back up and continued, only to slip again. This time a pair of arms caught me mid-fall, securing me and softening the landing as we both tumbled onto the rocks. I felt the pain of several more bruises as my legs slammed into a couple sharp ones.
“Nice night for a swim,” Finn’s sarcastic voice tickled my ear, momentarily hypnotizing me.
“Let me go, I have to find them!” I yelled back at him, attempting to stand back up.
Unfortunately, he easily overpowered my efforts.
“You’re not finding anybody in this weather.”
“I have to try!” I struggled against his strong arms to no avail.
“Stasia, calm down.”
“I’ll calm down when I figure out why the hell I keep having visions that don’t make sense!”
I yelled at him, tears burning behind my eyes. “I have to watch a bunch of people have their souls ripped out of their bodies with no clue as to who they are, where they are, or most importantly when they are!”
“Just because you have a vision about something doesn’t mean you are supposed to hunt to the ends of the earth to find it and prevent it,” he said calmly. “Some things are meant to happen. Fate and destiny are stronger than any vision, any essence, or any ability.”
“Then why do I have them? Why can’t I have a vision about something good? Why do I have to watch people die!?”
“It just takes time-“
“I don’t have time!” I yelled back at him. “All of this! You’ve had time to figure all of this out! I’ve had months, Finn! Months! And each day I’m closer to my eighteenth birthday. Each day I’m closer to confronting Keto. Each day I’m closer to-“
“…fulfilling your destiny.” Finn interrupted. “Why can’t you see how special you are? If your mother didn’t believe you could do this, she wouldn’t have Chosen you.”
“Well being Chosen isn’t as great as it’s cracked up to be, if you ask me.”
“Welcome to my life,” Finn muttered and chuckled in spite of himself. “Being Chosen isn’t supposed to be fun or easy. It’s hard - it’s very hard…which is why it’s not given out freely. Only those who can handle it are given the responsibilities and pressures that come along with it.”
“I feel like my abilities work against me half the time. They distract me or backfire on me!
How can I concentrate on what I’m supposed to do when I’m having visions constantly about people dying and horrible things happening? How can I concentrate on what I’m supposed to do, when I know Nadia is out there, waiting for me to stumble so she can kick me when I’m down?”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’ll figure it out. Once you begin to control and harness your abilities, it will all begin to fall into place,” Finn explained. “You have to trust me on that. When we return to Lorelei, Mom will make sure your only priority is to practice your abilities. I have a feeling the new Maven will not disagree.”
I gave up my fight and sagged against him, leaning my head back on his shoulder. I let his darkness wrap around me and soothe my heart. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I murmured.
“You’d probably have a broken leg,” he joked. “These rocks are no joke. Let’s get you someplace dry.”
He helped me up and we delicately made our way across the rocky beach, toward a rock that was shaped like a giant letter ‘n’ stepping into the ocean; one leg on the beach, while the other was underwater. Beneath its arch the waves were slowly crawling toward the other leg, so that the sand beneath was wet, but we were still shielded from the rain. I sat down on the wet sand and stretched my legs out, allowing the water to slosh over them again and again.
“We could be in one of those Giorgio for Men cologne commercials right now, and not even know it.”
“I was in a commercial like that once,” Finn contemplated.
“You were!?”
“No,” he smirked.
“I hate you,” I splashed water up at him.
“Aw, you don’t mean that,” he mewed, moving closer to me. I inched away from him and crossed my arms.
“Oh yes I do.”
“I bet I can change your mind.”
“I doubt it,” I retorted, instantly regretting it when I saw the knowing look in his eye.
“Challenge accepted.” He grinned at me like a panther about to go in for the kill, and I was fully aware I was the kill. What I wasn’t aware of was the fact that it had started to storm. Lightning struck nearby, sending a shockwave across the beach that lit up the night with its flash. I shrieked out and instinctively moved towards Finn, who pulled me close.
“I knew I could change your mind,” he chuckled. I didn’t miss the smug smile on his face.
“You didn’t know I could control lightning, did you?”
“I hope the next one hits you.” I rolled my eyes at his phony claim, inwardly relishing the feel of his arms and the comfort of his body beside mine. As if on cue, another bolt of lightning shot across the sky and sent the resulting thunder over the water and onto the beach; rattling my insides with its tenor.
“Careful Pasha, you never know what you might be capable of.” He grinned, leaning towards me and nuzzling my neck. “Burnt-to-a-crisp-Finn was not on the menu for tonight.”
“I’m pretty sure I can’t control anything that powerful,” I laughed his comment off and shivered at the feel of his breath on my neck.
“I beg to differ,” he whispered in my ear. As the warmth of his mouth met the rain-soaked skin of my neck, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to become lost in his touch. As his lips ran along my collarbone, I suddenly needed to feel them against my own. I leaned forward, pushing him off of me and against the rock. I let my knees slide on either side of him as he pulled me closer. I ran my fingers through his wet hair and clenched it tightly in my hands as I leaned down to kiss him. As the storm intensified, he ran his hands up and down my back as he pulled me against him and deepened our kiss, sending me into a world of sheer bliss. The energy of the storm had nothing on the energy and heat we were producing.
With his hands on either side of my waist, he put a slight distance between us; taking a moment for his eyes to linger on mine before they roamed down to my lips, along my shoulder and finally to the shirt that now clung to me, accentuating everything underneath. His hands migrated to the bottom of my shirt when his eyes met mine once more, before he pulled it up over my head and discarded it onto the rain-soaked sand. (Thank goodness I’d worn one of my more lacy bras.) His eyes drank me in as they widened slightly, and a sweet grin danced across his lips. Chills popped up on my skin as I tugged off his shirt, which ended up next to mine on the beach.
He slowly traced the skin around my bra with a light finger, sending even more chills down my skin. Once done, he leaned forward and his lips followed the same course; his tongue occasionally making an appearance, raking my insides with warmth. His teasing touch drove me insane as I felt myself swell for more beneath the lacy fabric. I reached back and unclasped my bra, slowly shrugged it off and slung it aside.
“Wow…” he muttered breathlessly. Nervous giggles escaped my lips, and I suppressed the urge to cover myself as I sensed my cheeks flush. “You’re so beautiful.”