The Beast of Ashwood Manor: The Ashwood Curse Duology Book 1 (Ashwood Curse Book 1) by Jordan Lee

Author:Jordan Lee [Lee, Jordan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

The sea was much more than I expected. It stretched out for thousands of miles, a vast, never-ending road to nowhere, and I wondered if monsters lingered out there, too. Along the beach, shells littered the dark beach, and I picked up several of them. The pile grew so much that Gil eventually had to hold a few.

It was cold, but thankfully, the breeze was slight. Regardless, the feel of the sand on my feet was new, different, and I welcomed it. It was like walking along a packed dirt path after the rain—not too soft but not too hard. Despite Gil’s warnings that I shouldn’t get in the water for how cold it was, I couldn’t help myself, and I tugged up the legs of my trousers and splashed into the water.

I gasped at the iciness, welcoming it. It was very clear, and I delighted at wiggling my toes underneath until they became numb, letting my feet sink into the sand as wave after wave came. I stood there for a long while, letting the sun beat on my back after days of rain and feeling the salty breeze against my face. Out here, I was no longer barred from the world outside or locked inside the manor grounds.

“Out here, I am free,” I told the sky. “The wind is but a whisper, and the sea, though cold, is a . . .” I searched for the words.

“Reminder that I am alive,” Gil finished.

I turned around and looked at him, my lips turning up. “Maybe we should start writing poetry together.”

Gil nodded, keeping his eyes on me.

When I found myself sunk in the sand to my ankles, I wavered, trying to catch my balance as I pulled them out. Then a big wave tumbled towards me, and I fell back.

Strong arms caught me and helped me out of the sand. I was surprised to see Gil behind me, and when I turned around, I noticed his cloak was gone and he wore only his dark shirt and trousers, which were soaked up to his calf now.

I smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“Any—” He broke off as a wave crashed into us, and we both staggered.

Unable to keep myself up, I grabbed him, and we both fell into the water, my bum hitting the sand and the water splashing into my eyes and mouth.

Frantic, I looked over at him as I got to my knees, only to laugh as I saw how drenched he’d become.

“Shit,” he huffed, brows low. He scrambled to his feet. “That’s freezing.”

I tried to stifle my laugh with my hand, but to no avail. The water was icy indeed, but it had been a humorous fall.

“What’s so funny?”

“Your face when you got wet.” I laughed as I tried to get up.

He relaxed. “Well, I didn’t plan on a swim today.”

Before I could say anything else, another wave pounded into us, knocking us both back down. This time, Gil rose up from the water with a crooked smile on his face.

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