Thalor stood at the edge of the water. He had already taken off his clothes, and his skin was shimmering with that iridescent, fine-scaled sheen that appeared whenever he was close to his true element.
"The others have taken the babies," I said softly, my voice echoing in the damp air. I held the blue pearl in my palm; it was vibrating with a frantic energy, sensing the water nearby.
Thalor turned to me. His pupils were wide, nearly swallowing the violet of his irises.
"I can feel the pearl, Arinya. And I can feel the pull of your heart."
"Thalor, I was worried about the three days," I admitted, stepping closer into the mist. "Damar's rut was... a lot. But you need the water. Can you really handle being locked in here without losing your strength?"
A faint, beautiful shimmer of purple scales appeared along his jawline, a sign that his beast side was rising to the surface.
