Fathoms of Forgiveness (Sacred Breath, Book 2) by Nadia Scrieva Page B

said. “I know you’re upset about arguing with my grandmother, but…”
    “Never mind it,” Aazuria said suddenly. “It is not important. If I am going to defeat Vachlan I will have to think like him. I know I need to get inside his mind, but it is such a dark place that I cannot handle being there. What can be his reasoning for requesting Visola? I fear his ultimate intentions. I will have to be ruthless. I will have to be stronger than I ever have been. ”
    “I’ll be right there at your side. I’ll do anything I can to help,” Trevain said.
    Aazuria nodded gratefully. “I will need you. Our numbers are not great. Adlivun has been weakened by my father. Year after year, we have been weakened. We have hardly any men, and only a trifling handful of elite forces comprised mostly of women. There is a very high probability that I will lose. I will need to think of a contingency plan—I may have to move my people all to Shiretoko.”
    “You could bring them to Alaska, temporarily,” Trevain suggested. “I could surely afford to purchase enough property to house them all, or at least rent out some hotels…”
    Aazuria shook her head. “They belong in the water. It will be damaging to many of them if they must experience life on land.” She closed her eyes. “Good Sedna. How can I even think when Corallyn is in peril? My mind is so scattered, Trevain. I just cannot focus. I do not know what to do. All I can think about clearly is what I would like to do to Vachlan for harming my sister.”
    “I want a piece of this guy too,” Trevain admitted. “I know that he’s not directly responsible for killing my crew members, but he was closely associated with Atargatis. I have already transferred all the rage I felt towards her for hurting you and murdering my men onto Vachlan. Is that bad?”
    “No. One must fight fire with water, correct? There is rage in water, but it is a constant, consuming, and unpredictable rage. Not a short lived spurt.” Her eyes locked with his. “Emotion can be a powerful motivator, but in most people it is too diffused and weak. If you channel all your energy and feeling to a single point, anything is possible.” Aazuria reached out and brushed a few strands of his grey hair behind his ear. She managed an adoring smile. “Focusing your righteous rage is never a negative thing. I wish I could do it right now.”
    Trevain was reminded by her smile that she loved him. He still found it difficult to believe. Although his life had gone through great upheaval and his new world was falling apart around him, having Aazuria made everything bearable. He reached out and cupped her face with his hands before leaning forward to press his lips against hers. When they kissed, he felt tremors of warmth run through him, and he felt such contentment that he would not have cared if the volcano really had erupted at that moment.
    He gently removed his lips from hers, and smiled at her darkened eyes. He could not say which of her colorings he preferred; her surface complexion was comforting and earthly, while her submerged countenance was challenging and ethereal. Her azure eyes dared him to be more than he was, and to learn more than he had ever dreamed of knowing. Both were Aazuria, and both were strangely natural and familiar to him. Many women wore their different personas like hats throughout the day; they were businesswomen, mothers, and lovers from hour to hour. A changing skin tone was hardly as significant as those essential changes in character, yet its newness still startled him.
    Her fluctuating phenotype seemed to parallel the see-saw dynamic of their relationship. Trevain was the dominant partner above the surface, providing Aazuria and her sisters with access to his mansion, vehicle, and financial resources. In the ocean, their roles reversed and she became the wealthy provider of luxurious lodging, food, healthcare, and protection. Both of them were used to being the responsible,