Page 327 of Elemental Becoming

I take my time, dragging my fingers through the bathwater as magics hum beneath my skin.

His smirk vanishes from his face. “Amara—”

I don’t let him finish. With a sharp flick of my wrists, I command half the bathtub’s worth of water to rise. The wave towers above us, shifting and curling as it bends effortlessly tomy will.

Thane’s eyes widen. “Wait—”

Too late. I send it crashing straight into him. Water slams into his chest, drenches him from head to toe, and spills over the sides of the bath in every direction. Thane lets out a sharp, thoroughly undignified noise before blinking through the water streaming down his face.

I bite my lip, trying—failing—not to laugh. His expression is priceless.

He drags a hand down his face, flicking excess water from his fingers before fixing me with a look of pure, unfiltered disbelief.

“You cheated.”

I grin, unrepentant. “I improvised.”

“You used magics!”

“It’s not my fault you’re at a disadvantage.”

His eyes narrow, as though he’s genuinely considering launching himself into the bath just to prove a point. The look in his eyes is my only warning. I squeal when he lunges, laughing as I throw up a water shield, blocking him before he can retaliate.

The shield lasts all of three seconds.

A sharp pulse of fire slices through it, sending the water splashing harmlessly back into the bath. Steam hisses into the air where water meets flame, curling upward in pale ribbons before quickly dissipating.

Before I can summon another shield, he catches me around the waist and lifts me clean out of the bath. His clothes are dripping with water, and my naked body is pressed against his, slick and warm. I can feel every hardened muscle beneath his soaked shirt, the beautiful beat of his heart beneath my cheek.

When he reaches the bed, he lowers me onto the blankets with surprising care, as though I might still break despite everything I put Ardyn through this afternoon.

His eyes find mine, smoke-gray and molten in the low light.

“You have a way of surprising me, again and again,” he murmurs, his voice full of awe.

His weight settles over mine, delicious and solid. His soaked clothes brush against my skin as he moves, the cool fabric a sharp contrast to the heat of his hands and the unhurried path of his mouth along my throat.

“Thane,” I whisper, arching into him.

I don’t care that we’re both dripping water onto the sheets. I don’t care about anything except the way he touches me, or the way he looks at me as though I am the only thing in the world worth seeing.

His hand slides down my side with aching slowness, and for a moment I lose myself in the feeling of him. Before I can reach for his pants, Thane hesitates.

He shifts back slightly, propping himself up on one arm as his gaze drifts over the bruises scattered across my skin. The marks Ardyn left behind are already fading, but they are still there. Concern softens his expression.

“Are you in pain?”

Instead of answering, I reach up and thread my fingers through his damp hair, drawing him back down to me. He tastes like heat and hunger.

“I want you,” I breathe. “Now.”

His breath shudders. For a moment, he simply looks at me, as though searching for something in my face. Then his hand cups my cheek.

“I’m yours,” he says quietly.

I can’t wait for him to take off his clothes. So I do it for him.

With a thought and a flicker of heat, his soaked clothes vanish in a flash of elemental fire before reappearing in a damp pile on the floor. Thane freezes, blinking down at himself, water still dripping from his hair. When his eyes meet mine, a wicked smile curves his lips.