Touch of Flame

Corinna smiled and still decided not to share much. “I am sure we have a lot to talk about, so many more things we could learn about each other, and we will in time. I am just so happy to have you here. To know I have someone like you by my side.”

It seemed as if everyone wanted to say the right things today and give her a headache from all the crying.

“I am happy too,” she replied.

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Ravina nodded.

They left the gates and walked down the hill, the breeze getting stronger as they neared the sea. They went and sat on the beach, the breeze whipping their hair back and the sound of the waves soothing to their ears.

“How was your talk with Malachi?” Ravina asked.

Corinna kept staring ahead as she replied, “I might have been harsh, but not just for the sake of it.”

“I understand you don’t like him.”

“And you do. I am sure you have seen things that I haven’t, and I trust your judgment. But I can’t help but be cautious. You matter to me, and human life matters to me, so I have my reservations.”

Ravina smiled, amused, remembering that her sister was equally good with words. What a way to acknowledge her reasons but also keep her stance on the matter. She reminded her of their mother, and Ravina allowed herself to indulge in the beautiful memories of her.

“Ephraim spoke of marriage.” Ravina began, gauging her sister’s reaction.

Corinna’s cheeks flushed. “Ah… what did he say?”

“That is his plan and wish for the future.”

She nodded and then played with her fingers. “And what did you say?”

“I told him if that is your wish, then I will give you both my blessings.”

Corinna turned to her and Ravina could see the gratitude and relief in her sister’s eyes. “Really?”

Ravina smiled warmly. “Of course. Your happiness is important to me, and if Ephraim makes you happy and you both want to be together, then I support you.”

Corinna hugged her sister tightly, her voice choked with emotion. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Ravina hugged her back, feeling an imesearuble happiness. When they drew back, Ravina decided to address the scent while they were at it. She noticed how Corinna seemed to tense in discomfort, and something in her eyes changed while speaking of scents. She clearly didn’t like it. This would be a problem, then?

“Corinna, I can see how much Ephraim likes you, and I love you above all. I don’t know what you think, but…”

“No…” Corinna cut off. “No! No!” She chuckled. “I don’t think that way. I trust you and Ephraim. Besides, while liking someone’s scent is nice, it is not the reason I like Ephraim. I was curious about him long before I knew what he smelled or even looked like.”

Ravina believed her, but then… what was that discomfort? She could feel it in the air.

“But it is… twisted.” She admitted. “Do you know if we used to have the same taste in men? I am just curious.” She smiled.

“I had no taste, and you just wanted a Darcy.”

Corinna laughed. “That can’t be it! There has to be more.”

Ravina chuckled. “Well, you were more emotionally invested and wanted to find love. I… just wanted to find a man who didn’t annoy me.”

Corinna continued to laugh. “You make yourself sound very rigorous.”

“I was. Well, maybe I still am. I never liked the idea of being pursued, engaging in small talk, nonsensical promises, or romantic phrases. You wanted the romance.”

“We seem to be the opposite in this case.”

Ravina nodded. “Yes.”

“Then do you think you’ve found the one that doesn’t annoy you?”

“Oh, he does annoy me,” Ravina admitted with a playful smile, “but it’s a different kind of annoyance. With him, it feels more like a stimulating challenge, and I have a feeling I can be just as annoying to him in return.”

Corinna nodded with a soft smile.

“I am a difficult person, and with him, I feel like I don’t have to pretend or be someone else,” she explained.

“That makes me happy to know,” Corinna smiled.

As they sat there, Corinna gazed out at the sea, watching the waves crash against the shore. She sighed, a content smile on her face. “I want to go into the waves, feel the water on my skin.”

Ravina could understand her desire to do so. She felt the same at the moment. “These dresses aren’t exactly ideal for swimming, and we can’t just take them off here. What if someone sees us?”

Corinna’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Well, we have the island to ourselves, don’t we? And we can keep an eye out for anyone approaching. It’s not every day we get this kind of freedom.”

Ravina hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, her heart pounding with excitement. “Alright, let’s do it.”

The sisters moved to a more secluded part of the beach, ensuring they had a clear view of anyone who might approach. Then they helped each other remove their heavy dresses, leaving them in their undergarments.

As they approached the water, the cool waves lapped at their feet, sending shivers up their spines. They exchanged exhilarated glances, the thrill of their little adventure coursing through them.

“Ready?” Ravina asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

“More than ever,” Corinna replied, grinning widely.

With that, they charged into the waves.

***

Meanwhile, Ares and Ephraim were on the hunt for a cure. Ares had already visited the sea last night but found nothing new. Everyone just told him what Aletta already did. If one was on land for too long, it was a death mission, and everyone gave him the same advice, to stay in the ocean. Going back to land was like aggravating the problem.

Ares wasn’t sure whether he could ever find a cure. Richard had been on the hunt for cures to help heart and kidney failure, and those simply did not exist. If they wanted such a thing, they would have to put in a lot of resources and many years of research to know if they could develop a cure, and then additional years to develop it. Ares didn’t have that much time, and the medicine would probably not work optimally on him anyway. He wasn’t fully human.

After a discussion with his two most experienced physicians and rummaging  through books, they decided to relax with a cup of wine.

Ephraim seemed lost in thought, and Ares also sat quietly, thinking about a lot of things. Last night he had been too tired to tell Nazneen, but he had that discussion left, and he was curious why Ephraim was so invested in finding his cure.

“Do you think we will find a cure?” Ares asked.

“Of course,” Ephraim replied, but he didn’t look up at him.

“Be honest,” Ares said. “What are the chances?”

Ephraim looked up from his cup. “Right now, very low.”

“Low when you hope for miracles, otherwise, none.” Ares corrected. “We don’t even know what to look for anymore.”

Why would he be an exception to the rules?

Ephraim said nothing and took a sip of his wine. He had no answer to that.

“Why are you investing your time in this? You don’t even know me.” Ares wondered.

Ephraim seemed to think deeply about his question. “I feel like I know you very well. We are similar in many ways, and we value the same things because of the way we live. Loyalty and trust are very important to us.”

Ares grinned. “You could have simply admitted you’ve taken a liking to me.”

Ephraim raised a brow, “Perhaps, but I wouldn’t want to inflate your ego too much.”

Ares chuckled. “You are a sly one.”

After some drinking and light conversation, they began to discuss Richard. “I thought we would let the sisters have some time alone, but we need to address the issue tonight.” Ares said.

Ephraim nodded. Ares would let Nazneen know just in case, but it was up to the sisters whose blood they would want to give their father.

As dinnertime approached, Malachi was the first to return from his kingdom and duties and join them. His female servants were already enamored with Ephraim, but Malachi was a superior addition, especially given that he wore little clothing. Fear was gone in the face of beauty.

Then there was Nazneen who did not return with the dress she left with. She was probably too impatient for that. Even the dragon’s clothing was too much for her. She often wore her skirts with splits on either one side or both sides so she could walk more freely, and his servants, whether men or women, would have heart palpitations.

Once everyone was seated at the dinner table, the atmosphere was tense. Ares looked at Nazneen, and she looked back at him, feeling the same way. Then she gave him a look that said she would take care of it.

“We haven’t really celebrated your reunion, all of us together.” She began. “We should celebrate, now that we’re all here,” Nazneen suggested, looking around the table. “We could have some music, maybe even learn some human dances.”

There was a pause, and then Ravina smiled. “That would be nice.”

“Of course.” Nazneen beamed. “Let’s eat and then dance the night away.”