Fated

my tank top well past my thighs and wade in. Unaware I’d been holding my breath until I reach the far side where Dace waits—taking my place beside him like I did in the dream.
    He lowers his hands, revealing a face so kind and disarming, I’m tempted to believe this couldn’t end badly. But knowing better than to believe what I see, I take a moment to grab a large, sharp rock from behind me. Folding my fingers tightly around it as I settle it onto my lap. If his brother shows, he won’t stand a chance. I’m more than ready to bash in his ugly demon head at first glance.
    “The first time my mom brought me here, she said a lack of money was no excuse not to travel to enchanted places.” His gaze wanders to a long-ago past. “But she didn’t take me very often, she liked to save it for special occasions. Didn’t want me to grow bored of it—though I can’t imagine such a thing.”
    “Do you come here a lot now?” I ask, observing the exact moment he returns to the present.
    “Whenever I can.” His voice going soft and wistful when he adds, “But between work and school, it’s hard to find time.”
    “And yet you found time today.” I glance all around as I pat the rock in my lap, reassured by its sharp edges and heft.
    He settles against the stone ledge at his back and spreads his arms wide. Fingers drumming just shy of my shoulder, he says, “I had an irresistible pull to come here, so I followed my instincts, and now I know why.”
    He grins in a way so hopeful, I can’t help but meet his smile with one of my own. Though the look is deceptive, just underneath my heart beats in a frenzy, worried that pull he felt was less about running into me and more about reliving the dream.
    He holds the look for a moment, then takes a deep breath and disappears under a blanket of bubbles, only to emerge a few seconds later so glistening and gorgeous, it takes my breath away. The two of us sitting in silence—he with his eyes closed, his face soft and dreamy—as I sit right beside him, tense and alert, fingers clenching a rock I have every intention of using if his brother shows up.
    The quiet broken when he pops one eye open and says, “So tell me, how’d you find it?” Then opening the other, he adds, “How’d you get to the Enchanted Spring?”
    I rub my lips together, unsure how to answer.
    “You’re the first person I’ve ever run into.” His face is thoughtful, gaze appraising.
    “So that means you’ve never come here with Cade? Never even told him about it?” The words rush from my lips before I can stop them.
    Dace frowns, face dropping as though my words have left a bad taste. “Why would I do that?” he says. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly close.”
    I turn the rock in my hands, sidestepping his original question when I say, “Is that your horse?” I gesture toward the beautiful black stallion grazing nearby.
    Dace nods. “Is that your raven?”
    I clamp my lips shut. Try to focus on the bubbles, the warmth of the water, the flowering vines that drift down from the trees and sprawl among the rocks, but it’s impossible. I’m too wound up. Prepared for an epic battle or an epic embarrassment—it could go either way.
    “So, you’re not going to claim that raven, and you’re not going to tell me how you found the Enchanted Spring?” He tilts his head, studies me closely, but I just look away, refusing his gaze. His eyes are a vortex leading to a place of no escape. And yet I don’t have to look at him to be irresistibly drawn to him. His presence alone is enough.
    He pushes forward, moving away from the rock until he’s looming before me. His hair shiny and slick, revealing a collection of features so lovely and sharp, they appear to be sculpted by a talented hand. Eyes gleaming darker than normal, less like aquamarine and more like the deep shade of turquoise found in his mother’s jewelry, he says, “However you managed, I’m glad you found it. From the first day you ran into me at the club, I knew you weren’t like the other girls around here. I knew in that instant you were different.”
    “How can you be so sure?” I ask, my voice hoarse, thick, affected by his nearness—the way he hovers so close he’s just a razor’s width away. Remembering what I saw when I spied on him via the raven, the way he used telekinesis to deposit the trash bags into the Dumpster—knowing I’m not the only one who’s different around here.
    He throws his