#Chapter 24: Protector

Rowena & Eric Rowena I dried myself by the poolside. In the stone fire pit on the patio, a crackling fire flickered beneath the night sky. It warmed my skin—soothing after nearly half an hour spent in the water. Eric, who was sitting in one of the chairs by the fire with his feet up and his hands clasped behind his head, smirked at me. “You did a good job tonight, Rowena,” he said. I raised my eyebrows as I looked at him. “You think so?” He nodded. “Mhm. I’m proud of you.” His words elicited an involuntary blush from me, but his next words just made me roll my eyes. “In fact, maybe with some more lessons, you’ll even be able to doggy paddle in the kiddie pool.” A huff escaped my lips at his teasing. “Don’t make fun of me,” I chided. “You know it’s hard enough just for me to get in the water.” Eric sighed. “Yeah. I know.” … Eric I still remembered that day clearly. We were just kids. In fact, it was only a couple of years after I had found Rowena; she had