Page 80 of The Never List
His features shift from concern to awe in the span of a breath. And then he laughs, that infectious booming sound that is comforting and exhilarating at the same time.
“You did,” he says, nodding. “Let’s get you dried off first, and then we can talk about your prize.”
24
Rylee
While Axl takes care of the net he left behind to check on me, I dry off and change into a spare set of clothes in the carriage, Mirren dutifully standing guard outside of it. Loose white cotton pants hang low on my hips now, a crimson sleeveless top covering my upper half, my feet tucked into comfy slippers perfect for walking.
Axl, Kal, and I spend the next few hours exploring his coastal town, eating fried fish prepared fresh by the vendors lining the little cobblestone streets that cut through the colorful buildings.
I have two helpings as we walk, practically ravenous from the swim.
After tossing my empty food wrappers into a nearby bin, I sigh contentedly, running my fingers along a stone wall embedded with thousands upon thousands of seashells. They vary in size and color, ranging from smaller than a grain of sand to larger than my hand, shades of beige, coral, pink, and even blue scattered throughout.
There’s an overwhelming sense of rightness as I walk with Axl on my left and Kal on my right, as if we’ve been doing it for years, not a mere few hours. We’ve chatted about the foundations of Axl’s town and the importance ofthe trade route between his city and the southern realm of Cardrayton. They exchange wine and spirits and coveted steel for the delicacies found in his ocean.
Conversing with him is easy, but I’m a sucker for how Kal talks up the Sapphire Cove as if it’s as much his city as it is Axl’s. The admiration and respect and genuine friendship between the two has me swooning just a bit. And I can’t help but settle into the more relaxed feel of Axl’s coastal town. It feels different than the innovative Ruby Aire—less pressure, more fun. Kind of like Axl.
“Let’s head home, kitten,” Axl says after we’ve fallen into one of the comfortable lulls between conversations. He motions toward another set of cracked and weathered stone steps, these leading up the highest ridge of the cliffs. I walk where he indicates, climbing steadily with Kal following me. Thank goddess the demands of the Ashlands have kept me fit all these years, or I wouldn’t be able to keep up.
“I can’t wait to see it.” I do my best to disregard the presence I feel trailing behind us.
The Occuli. They waited for Axl’s permission before they pursued our little trio, but it’s still hard to ignore them.
I blush at the thought of the Occuli reporting to all of Lumathyst about the three of us on the beach, me sandwiched between the two powerful men, even if we were only talking.
What would they report if they’d caught all three of us on that beach doing somethingotherthan talking?
Heat streaks through me, images racing through my mind.Kal behind me, Axl in front, their mouths on my body.Think of the illustrations; the royal post would be scandalized. And with Kal’s taste for public escapades, I’mworried my little fantasy may be inevitable.
That should probably bother me more than it does, but it’s hard when I’m so wrapped up in them. In the way they make me feel—untouchable, claimed, desired, worshipped.
Stop.
I scold myself for getting lost in the idea that this can actually be my life.
It can’t.
Even if I wanted it to…there are too many secrets between us already, all of which they’d send me packing for, or worse, if they uncovered them.
I blow out a breath, taking Axl’s outstretched hand as we climb.
“I still can’t believe you won,” Axl says, the confession rolling off his tongue. He scrunches his face in the most adorably innocent way, the look so uncanny on an intimidating giant like him.
“What?” I laugh. “I bet that doesn’t happen often.”
Axl’s long black hair hangs in loose waves dried by the sun. “It doesn’t.” He nods to Kal behind me. “The Legends, maybe. But never…” His voice trails off, and I swallow hard. I hate that I compare myself to the previous potentials, but it’s hard not to.
Is he making me feel special because he’s desperate for a mate?
The same doubts I had about Kal spring up with Axl, and I cringe against the onslaught. It’s not fair of me to compare them, either. Not one of the Legends is like the other, and I’m discovering that I like it…I like it a lot. These weeks with them certainly won’t be boring.
“It feels kind of nice to lose for once,” Axl says, andKal rolls his eyes as we clear the last step, walking onto a curving pathway that leads to a stunning sandstone villa with a shimmering sapphire roof perched atop the highest peak of the cliff, overlooking the crashing ocean below.
“This is mine,” Axl says as we reach a bright-blue door. He unlocks it, holding the door open for me to enter.
The floors are a rich wood, the walls covered in pictures of the town, the people, and the ocean he loves so much. The entryway opens up to a wide space, a kitchen on the left and a sitting room with a fireplace on the right. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the exterior wall, connecting to a balcony with the most gorgeous view of the now-setting sun. Bare wooden stairs lead up to what I can only guess is Axl’s bedroom.
