Selene crossed her arms and looked down. “But what if we’ve already lived in the darkness . . . and maybe even brought darkness to others?” Her voice hitched as she thought of Renata. How could the Light accept someone like her, someone who had misused her gift so terribly?

“Does the sun disappear when clouds come?” Damien brought his hand up, palm facing the sea, and pushed out. The water followed. “Or is the sun still there?”

“It’s there, hidden.”

“Just as the clouds cannot quench the sun, the darkness cannot quench the Light. We are not bound to what we’ve done. There is always a choice: to stay in the shadows or to step into the Light.”

“So I can change?”

“Yes. Any time. But the moment you step into the Light, you’ll never be the same. It will permeate your entire life.”

Selene watched the wall of water move toward the front of the cave with the same motion as Damien’s palm. “Is that why your soul is full of light?”

Damien grew silent. He moved his hands up, bringing the water almost to the ceiling of the cavern. “Perhaps. Perhaps it is a reflection of the one I follow.” He shook his head. “I doubt my soul is full of light because of who I am alone.”

She glanced at him sharply. “But you seem so good and always make the right decisions.”

Damien laughed and dropped his hands. The water-wall came crashing down in a mix of waves and foam. He turned toward her. “I don’t always make the right decisions. There are times I doubt and let anger get the best of me.” He lifted one of his hands and looked at his palm. “And I have a hard time letting go of things. Any good you see in me is the Light. The rest is just . . . well . . . it’s just me.”

Selene stared at him. “Well, I like the man I see.”

His eyebrows flew up into his hairline.

She could feel heat spreading across her cheeks, but she gritted her teeth and kept his gaze. She was not embarrassed of what she had said. It was the truth.

His eyes moved back and forth across her face as if confirming her words. Then he stepped toward her and reached out his fingers and lightly touched her cheek. “And I like the woman I see before me.” Then he kissed her.

His lips were cold and wet from the mist and tasted like salt. His hand trailed to her braid, and he pulled her hair over her shoulder, following the braid to the end while his other hand went around her back and pulled her closer.

The kiss was short and quick and took her breath away. When Damien drew back, she wanted to grasp the front of his cloak and pull him toward her again. But he spoke before she had a chance to act on the impulse.