Kumi arched her body and flung her head back. She gasped and groaned, unable to contain herself any longer, and tightened around me.
“My Swordslinger!” she exclaimed. “Oh Ethan!”
The water glistened around us, as though every drop was a shining diamond. I sat up, our bodies still entwined, my pleasure mounting. I kissed her on the breasts, on the lips, wrapped my hands around her and took hold of her firm curves. The waves around us grew higher and faster in time to her movements, played out to the tempo of her deep breaths.
At last, my own wave reached its peak. Every nerve blazed with delight as I gave in to it. I clutched her tight, the two of us panting and dripping in the shallows of the pool.
She slid off me, and we lay back in the water, our arms wrapped around each other. “If I ever had doubts about leaving Qihin behind, that has dispelled them.”
“Do you regret it?” I asked. “It’s a big step, leaving behind your family and the whole life you once knew.”
“I miss it,” she admitted. “The city, its people, especially my father. But I always wanted to travel further, to move freely through the world like the water does in the oceans, to flow past the banks of the pool I once called home. Joining the Swordslinger on his path wasn’t something I ever expected, but I can’t think of a better way to do it.”
“Even though you’ve been brought to a land that’s almost all dry?”
“Even with that. It’s hard to use my powers in Gonki, but it’s worth it to do the right thing for the world. And moments like this make up for it.”
She leaned over and kissed me on the lips while the waters surged around us.
“How about you?” she asked. “You are a very long way from your home. Don’t you miss it?”
“Not really. Back home, I was good at what I did, and I was proud of that. But here, I’m so much more. I’m growing in power and ability with each passing day, learning skills that don’t even exist where I come from. And there’s this whole world to see, with its wild beasts, its magnificent cities, and, of course, its wonderful women.”
I pulled her close, and we kissed again. Her hands ran across me, and I stirred at her touch.
“You’re ready again?” she said with a laugh. “So soon?”
“Perhaps.” I grinned. “There’s only one way to find out.”
She rolled onto her back, and I pressed myself against her. We kissed, fierce and wonderful, as I entered her again. This time, we took our pleasure hard and fast, driving against each other with the desperate urgency that came from knowing that we wouldn’t have much longer to ourselves. She squeezed me tight as we writhed against each other. The waters broke around us like a storm. As quickly as we had begun, climax seized us both.
The waters calmed and we lay, laughing and gasping, thoroughly soaked.
“Time for another swim, I think,” Kumi said as she eased out from under me.
By the faint light that had made it from the main cave, I watched her swim out across the pool. My eyes had adjusted by now, and I could see more of her. I took a moment to enjoy the shape of her ass as she turned on her side and beckoned me to follow.
A voice sounded in my head, low, murmuring, and sensual.
“It’s good that you’re taking care of Kumi,” Yono said. “She is important to me.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “Though maybe next time, don’t let me know you’ve been watching.”
It was weird to have one of the women in my life congratulate me on sleeping with another, but no weirder than having a trident talking in my head. The idea that Yono might have been in my head throughout was a bit more than I was ready to think about, though. Still, it seemed she had far more power than Nydarth. After all, she’d managed to visit me in physical form, whereas Nydarth had only ever been able to meet with me in my dreams.
I put the thoughts aside and followed Kumi across the pool. We swam past where we’d abandoned our clothes and weapons. My limbs worked against the gentle current flowing through the caves. Aches withdrew from my muscles as the exercise eased them out within the soothing water. I hadn’t felt so good in days.
“The water stirs,” Kumi said. “I think there are beasts moving in the caves.”
“We should get back to the Pathless,” I said.
Chapter Eighteen
We swam swiftly back to where we had undressed and climbed out of the water. Hurriedly, we pulled on our clothes and grabbed our weapons. With the Sundered Heart and the Depthless Dream in my hands, I felt ready to face any monsters the Vigorous Zone could throw at me.
“Wait.” Kumi grabbed my arm as I made to run toward the camp. “If we go through the water, we might catch the monsters by surprise.”
I sheathed my weapons and followed her back into the pool. We swam out of our hidden spot and around to the stream that ran up to our encampment.
“I can get us there quicker,” I said. “Grab your weapons tight and get ready.”
Kumi clutched her butterfly knives in her hands while I focused on calling on the water within me. Vigor rushed through my body and out into the surrounding pool. I felt connected with the water in a way I hadn’t before, as if we were two bodies joining as one.
The power of the Crashing Wave ran out through me, but this time, I didn’t try to turn it into a series of steady, rising waves. Instead, it became a single great surge that sank back, then rose up behind us. The wave rushed along the channel up the cave, carrying me and Kumi with it. The force of
