Ren whipped her head toward the source of the voice so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash.
Her heart leaped into her throat. Her face, already flushed from the lingering heat of her dream, turned a shade of red that would make a tomato jealous.
There, lounging in the center of the steaming, sacred pond, was Syris.
The bioluminescent moss on the cavern ceiling cast a soft, ethereal glow over the water, highlighting the ripples as he moved. The water reached his waist, obscuring the "Twin Swords" she had just been vividly dreaming about.
His pale skin glistened with moisture. Water droplets clung to his defined pectoral muscles, sliding slowly down the ridges of his abdomen like diamonds on marble. His long black hair was slicked back, wet and heavy, framing a face that was currently looking at her with dangerous curiosity.
Ren was lying on a bed of large, soft leaves at the water's edge, feeling very much like a deer caught in headlights.
