Under the Winter Sun (Elemental Enchanters Series Book 3) by Carrigan Richards

she looked away. He walked slowly into the water and then dove in.
    Taking deep breaths, while clearing her mind, she moved to the edge of the water. Ava blocked her thoughts of Colden dying. Missing Melissa and Jeremy. The war. Peter. Everything. She held her breath as the water wrapped around her feet while smoothing over the white sand. She exhaled once she realized it was warm. The water begged her to join. 
    “It’s… warm ,” she told him once he surfaced. “Are you doing that?”
    “I can’t control the temperature of the water. Only myself.”
    Were her powers coming back? Her pulse quickened, leaping forward as if it were urging her into the water. Ava stepped in further and then dove underwater. The water surrounded her and like Gabriel said, consoled her. When she surfaced, she felt more alive than she had in the past few weeks. She still couldn’t breathe underwater, but it was a start.
    “That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in a while,” he said.
    “It’s exactly what I needed. How did you know this would work?”
    He shrugged. “I just did. Come on, I’ll race you.” He gave a playful smile.
    “I don’t know if—.” She started to say but he had already began swimming away from her. The waves were calm and for a second she took in the beautiful reflection of the moon and the serenity. Then, she pushed off the floor and swam as fast as she could to catch up to Gabriel.
    Racing with him she felt stronger and, for a few moments, forgot everything that ebbed at her mind. The water freed her. After a few races, in which Ava beat him, though she wasn’t sure if he let her win, they sat on the beach. Letting their clothes dry, she peered at the brilliant stars against the inky backdrop. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then.
    It was a perfect night. And the company suited that perfection .
    Ava realized how much she missed being around Gabriel. He had a way of calming her and challenging her. “Thank you,” she said.
    “You’re welcome. But don’t think I did it just for you. I needed it myself.”
    “Of course. We should do this more often.”
    “The water is always here for you.”
    Ava bit her lip. “I meant us. Hanging out. I’ve missed you.” She immediately wished she could take her words back. They sounded too needy. She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look up.
    “I missed you, too.” He took her hand and her body warmed.
    “Thanks. I’m sorry I never called or anything. I guess I just got lost in my own mind.”
    “I’m not one to tell people ‘I told you so.’ But you knew it was a bad idea to keep it all inside. You deserve to feel those things, too, Ava.”
    “I know. I was afraid of making it worse for Peter.”
    “That’s something he’s gotta figure out. He shouldn’t punish you because he can’t ignore everyone. I know it isn’t something that can be done overnight, but still.”
    She dug her hand into the sand, feeling its gritty texture between her fingers. “I don’t like sitting around thinking about all this. It’s the waiting. It kills me to know they’re out there and we’re still here. I can’t feel them anymore.” 
    “We will find them.”
    “How do you know?” She looked up. The moon’s light seemed to make his eyes glow like blue diamonds.
    “We have to.” He turned toward the ocean.
    “I feel like some whiny person who sits and cries over something instead of doing something about it.”
    “Well, you are grieving. But if you want to learn how to fight without powers, it does help. I mean, taking out your frustrations on someone? How can that not be good?” He smirked and she rolled her eyes.
    He stood and wiped the sand from his hands. “Come on.” He reached for her hand, and she took it. He pulled her up, and Ava held her breath as they were inches apart. “If you don’t want to sit around, we can learn to fight right now.”
    “What’s the point of fighting someone who