The thick steam of the enclosed garden swirled around them like a suffocating blanket.
Lexianna knelt in the chest-deep water of the pond, her legs wrapped tightly around Arkin's hips to keep his massive, unresponsive frame from slipping beneath the surface. Her pale hands were pressed flat against his broad sternum.
Beneath her palms, his skin was terrifyingly cold, an unnatural, rigid ice that violently contrasted with the sweltering heat of the volcanic water.
"I am ready," Lexianna whispered. Her voice was strained, stripped entirely of its usual commanding edge.
Koa stood perfectly still at the edge of the dark stone pool. The Serpent King's emerald robes were completely untouched by the dampness in the air, his golden, slit-pupil eyes fixed on the exact spot where Lexianna's hands rested over Arkin's heart.
