The road leading to the lake felt longer than it should have been—not because of distance, but because of Valen.
He was deliberately slowing them down.
At first, Tessa hadn't said anything. She simply followed, adjusting her pace, letting him pause here and there. But after the tenth stop… then the fifteenth… and now what had to be the twentieth, her patience was wearing dangerously thin.
Valen would stop, turn, and just look at her—like she was something rare, something worth memorizing. His gaze lingered too long, too soft, too distracting.
Tessa exhaled slowly, placing her hands on her hips.
"We've stopped again," she pointed out, her voice carrying a hint of warning now.
Valen didn't even look guilty.
"I want us to enjoy this," he said dreamily, glancing around as though the world itself existed just for this moment. "And… I could take you deeper into the waters. To my tribe. They would love you."
Tessa stared at him.
Did he not understand?
