Cyrene spent the rest of the day learning to remove exactly one drop of water from the bucket and transferring it to another bucket. If she had thought she was wet from trying to row the boat, she was wrong. She had no control over what she was doing. She was more likely to drown herself with the water then she was to pick up a single, solitary droplet.

By lunchtime, she’d had no success. She could dump the entire bucket onto her lap over and over and over again, but moving a single drop was not possible. She was starving and could eat an entire feast table, but Matilde and Vera had only packed a light meal. Not to mention, she was exhausted as she hadn’t had any sleep the night before.

After eating, Cyrene concentrated again and felt a familiar burst of energy rush through her. She knew she should push it back and only use a small amount, but rationing the power was more difficult than drawing so much to her body that she couldn’t breathe.

“This is hopeless,” she grumbled under her breath.

It didn’t help that Matilde and Vera were endlessly patient. Two thousand years seemed to have given them more patience than the average person.

“Hopeless is only for those who give up,” Vera said.

“You will keep trying until you have it,” Matilde said. “There is no other option.”

Cyrene ground her teeth and focused on the task at hand. One droplet. Just one tiny droplet. She could tear down a building but not move one droplet of water. Just as she was cursing herself, a tiny drop of water rose out of the bucket. Cyrene shrieked and jumped into the air. The water fumbled and then fell down onto the beach, disappearing into the sand, but she couldn’t even care. She had done it.

Vera smiled. “See?”

“Again,” Matilde said. She was smiling, too.

By the end of the day, Cyrene could successfully move one droplet of water from one bucket to the next. She couldn’t do it very confidently and definitely not when there were distractions. She also couldn’t move much more than that without soaking herself all over again. But it was a start.

When Captain De la Mora’s vessel appeared on the horizon, Cyrene could barely stand on her own two feet she was so tired.

Matilde quickly grabbed the buckets and sloshed the water out onto the ground. “Pretty good,” she said.

“Pretty good?” Cyrene asked. “This morning, I couldn’t even feel the water element inside me, let alone move one droplet on its own!”

“But try to move a whole ocean,” Matilde said.

“Or find water in the desert,” Vera countered.

“Or stop a hurricane.”

“Or do anything with a distraction at hand,” Vera said with a smile.

“Okay,” Cyrene said sullenly, “I get it. Baby steps. But it’s an improvement.”

“It is,” they agreed.

The ride back to the capital left Cyrene feeling ragged and beyond hungry. Her stomach growled, and she had to force down the desire to beg the Captain for any food. He didn’t like her as it was.

The Captain insisted on sending a gondolier with their party, which Cyrene was thankful for even though she was sure he hadn’t done it for her. But she didn’t exactly want to be the one to try to make the boat move on its own all over again. She wasn’t entirely sure that Matilde and Vera wouldn’t make her do it either.

When they arrived back within the palace gates, Cyrene could see a figure pacing the deck, as if waiting for them. Once they got closer, Cyrene could tell that it was Avoca. She frowned and hoped that her friend was all right. The last time something had happened to her, Cyrene had known by her burst of magic.

Oh. Cyrene had been using magic all day. Avoca must have been worried even though she had known what Cyrene was doing.

Cyrene quickly got out of the boat once it had docked and rushed to Avoca.

“You’re all right?” Avoca asked. “You were using small portions but constantly. I could feel how drained you were.”

“Starving actually,” Cyrene said with a smile. “And tired.”

Matilde and Vera appeared behind them.

“Hello, Avoca,” Matilde said.

Avoca gave the formal sign of deference for her people.

Vera produced a smile. “If I heard correctly, you said that you felt Cyrene’s powers while she was using them?”

Avoca and Cyrene glanced at each other, and then Cyrene shrugged. They had to know one way or another.

“We’re Bound,” Cyrene told them.

“Well, that explains it,” Matilde said, looking to Vera.

“Yes, it certainly does.” Vera reached for Cyrene’s wrist at the same time as Matilde reached for Avoca’s. They each ran a finger over the spot where the gold tattoo lay, and it sparkled iridescently in the sun.

“The first in two thousand years,” Vera whispered.

“And it still takes the shape of a dragon,” Matilde said.

“As it should.”

“Who performed the ceremony?”

“My mother,” Avoca said.

Both women’s lips curved up into wicked smiles as they released their wrists.

“I see. In Eldora?” Matilde asked.

“Yes,” Cyrene confirmed. “Avoca saved my life and offered me a blood debt, but her mother suggested we be Bound until her blood debt has been paid.”

“I see,” Vera said.

They glanced at each other again with huge smiles on their faces.

Then, Vera nodded. “Avoca, you will appear for training with Cyrene at dawn every day henceforth.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Avoca said confidently.

“Now, off with you, Cyrene. Eat a hearty dinner. We have much work to accomplish tomorrow,” Vera said.

“And get a lot of sleep,” Matilde warned.

Cyrene nodded. She already realized how exhausting it was, working with her powers. She would need a lot of food and rest to get through all of this.

Cyrene and Avoca walked away from the docks. Cyrene was excited for food, sleep, and a change out of her wet clothes. Her hair had mostly dried, but she was sure she looked less than presentable for society.

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of them,” Avoca said when they had reached the kitchen.

“Say what?” She loaded her plate up, not caring who saw how much she was about to consume.

“I know you didn’t mention Ceis’f to them last night, but he’s missing,” Avoca told her.

“What?” Cyrene gasped, nearly dropping the plate she was juggling. “What do you mean, missing?”

“Last night, we got into a fight about Ahlvie. I finally made my choice, and now, Ceis’f is gone.”

“Ceis’f wouldn’t just abandon you,” Cyrene said logically. “He loves you. Whether or not you chose him, it’s his duty to stay with you. Do you think he’s just hiding out?”

“No, I don’t. I told him to leave, to go home.”

“You’ve been saying that since we left Eldora.”

“This time was different. I was…cruel. Beyond cruel. I used my magic to push him away from me in a vortex of water.”

Avoca looked so afraid that Cyrene was afraid for her. Avoca was normally so stoic. The thought of what could frighten her didn’t sit well with Cyrene.

“I don’t think he’s gone. He couldn’t just be gone. He’s probably just fuming, and he needs to walk it off. Do you truly think he would leave?”

“I don’t know,” Avoca said. “I’m going to go out and search for him. Rest up for tomorrow, and I’ll meet you at the docks.”

Cyrene nodded and watched her friend leave. She dug into her food, all the while thinking about everything that had changed in the last day. It felt surreal that she was finally being trained. She had so many questions left unanswered, but the fact that she had made even a tiny bit of progress made her so happy that it almost didn’t matter. She would learn everything she needed to know in time. She finally felt justified in leaving her country behind for this. She had been right all along.

By the time she finished eating, she had no energy left. She knew that all she needed now was to find the nearest bed and never leave again.

Staggering down the hallway, she didn’t even look up when she heard her name.

“Hmm?” she asked.

“Cyrene, there you are!”

Someone grabbed her shoulders, and she tipped her head to look up into the most beautiful brown eyes. At the look on Dean’s face, she smiled and felt a renewed burst of energy flow through her.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Where have you been?” he asked desperately. “I have been waiting for you all day. Ahlvie told me that you had left with Matilde and Vera, but he didn’t exactly give specifics. I was worried about you.”

“I’m so sorry. I thought that Ahlvie would alleviate your worries. They agreed to train me,” she said, dipping her voice lower.

“Cyrene, that’s amazing!”

“This is what I’ve wanted to do since I left Byern, and now, everything is falling into place.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

Dean threaded his fingers through hers, and a shiver ran up her back. He glanced around the empty hallway and then tugged her away from the main corridors. She turned a corner, and Dean pressed her back into a darkened alcove. His mouth was only inches from hers.

Her exhaustion was wearing off from the excitement of being with him.

“I was really worried about you,” he breathed.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” she said, trapped in his gaze. She teetered on her tiptoes and nearly brushed their lips together. Her heart was racing ahead of her. This felt almost better than reaching for her magic. Definitely better than moving one drop of water at a time all day.

“You’re wrong.” Then, he softly dropped his mouth down on hers. His lips were tender and slow as they caressed hers. “I will always worry for your safety.”

Cyrene’s cheeks heated, and she sighed, leaning back against the hard stone of the alcove. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

His hands pushed up through her hair and tilted her head back up to look at him. She closed her eyes and sighed. She was so tired, and just the feel of his fingers was lulling her to sleep.

“That feels good.”

His mouth found hers, and despite her exhaustion, she pushed back against his lips with more force. She refused to let the fact that she was tired get in the way of her time with Dean.

“Whoa,” Dean said, pulling back from her. He rested his forehead against hers, and she could tell he was breathing heavily. “As much as I want this, and I do, I want to make sure you’re okay. This didn’t scare you away?”

She shook her head. “This, most certainly, does not scare me.” Then, she kissed him again for good measure.

He laughed. “Good. Because I know Eleysia is different than Byern, and I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I met you in the woods in Aurum.”

“You have not!” she insisted.

“Are you kidding? A gorgeous, feisty woman who wasn’t afraid to put me in my place the first time she met me? Someone who pushed back and didn’t care about my title?”

“I didn’t know about your title.”

“And it didn’t change a thing.”

Cyrene shrugged. “A title is just a title. The person underneath the title is the only thing that matters.”

His smile was electric. It was as if no one had ever bothered to see past the prince to the man underneath.

Her legs quivered as exhaustion hit her anew.

His smile turned to concern. “Are you all right?”

“Just tired. I’ve been training all day and can barely stand.”

Dean smirked down at her, and then, before she knew it, he scooped her up in his arms. He held her as if she weighed nothing, carrying her down the empty corridor without a backward glance.

“Dean, what are you doing?” she whisper-shouted at him.

“You’ve had a very draining day. You should be resting, but I’m not willing to give you up just yet.”

“Well, wherever we’re going, I can walk there!”

He laughed. “I think I like this.”

Dean toed open a door at the end of the hall. Cyrene was about to demand he release her, but the comment was lost on her lips. The room she entered was inherently masculine. All dark colors and hardwood furniture. It was impressively clean with books neatly arranged on a bookshelf that took up an entire wall and a desk full of more books.

But Dean kept moving and opened up another door. This brought her into a darkly furnished sitting area, which connected to a bathing chamber as well as a bedchamber.

Dean gently laid her down on the sofa, and even though she wanted to protest, the comfort of the sofa and the softness of the pillow under her head immediately soothed her.

“These are your rooms?” Cyrene asked shyly.

He nodded and took a seat next to her, resting his arms against the back of the sofa. “Yes.”

“They’re nice.”

Dean shrugged dismissively, as if he wished he could minimize the opulence of his rooms. But he seemed comfortable here, more laid-back. It was like seeing him back in the woods, away from his courtly duties.

Just a man. With a woman. In his rooms.

Cyrene bit her lip and averted her gaze. She needed to slow her thoughts down. Dean had brought her here because she was exhausted, and he wanted more time with her. Nothing else.

“So, tell me everything. What happened? How did they find you?” Dean asked.

Cyrene looked back over at him and smiled. “They were at the party. With a little thanks to your sister, they found me. Just like Basille Selby had said.”

“My sister?” Dean asked, confused.

“Alise.”

“Creator,” he said, running a hand back through his short hair. “What did she do now?”

“She and Robard…locked me in a room, and I…kind of blasted the room apart, trying to get out,” she confessed. “I was the explosion.”

Dean cursed violently and stood. He started pacing angrily. “What was she thinking? And then that explosion. How did you survive something like that? It rattled the palace.”

“I don’t know what Alise was thinking. I would really like to know what her real problem is with me because it’s going past bitterness over you.”

“I have no idea what’s bothering her. This is beyond ridiculous. She is endangering your life.” He ground his teeth. “I thought I made myself clear with Alise before, but I will talk to her again. She needs to stop this business right now.”

“I agree, but will you come sit down? You’re making me nervous,” she said. She could feel her eyelids growing heavy. All she wanted to do was sleep, but Dean was making her want to stay awake.

“Yes. My apologies.”

Dean moved forward, and she thought he was going to take his previous seat, but instead, he gently lifted her head from the cushion and sat where her head had last been. He placed the pillow back in his lap. She rested back against him, and he ran his fingers through her long hair. She sighed and snuggled against him. This is bliss.

“You’re so exhausted.”

“I know,” she murmured. “Matilde and Vera have been training me to control my powers. It’s exhausting.”

“Well, get some rest,” he encouraged. “I’ll be right here.”

“What happened to Basille and Brigette?” she murmured in the silence.

Dean sighed. “Basille left Eleysia again. My mother has forbidden them to wed, and Brigette hasn’t left her rooms.”

“That’s so sad for them.”

“My mother can be unbearably stubborn when she wants to be. Thankfully, she likes you.”

“She does?” Cyrene asked, surprised.

“You’re still here, aren’t you?”

“Mmm,” Cyrene said. She wasn’t sure that was the same thing.

Cyrene felt herself drifting off. Him playing with her hair was like a lullaby. She couldn’t keep her eyes open. Nothing else existed in the world, except being with Dean right here, right now. He bent down and kissed her forehead, and then she succumbed to her exhaustion.