11. Kaiya
Ijumped back, but Jaiel didn”t seem to notice, already on the move.
”Come on, Princess,” he said, cheerily gesturing toward the port coming into view. ”We have a ship to catch. You can gawk at my people another time.”
I jogged to catch up, but couldn”t take my mind off that last Fae with a stick up his ass.
What did Roain mean? And why did Jaiel seem completely oblivious to it?
”You know …” he said, after a few minutes. ”I do have one question.”
I dodged a man precariously balancing a round cask over his head as he boarded a nearby ship. He saw us and scowled, muttering something under his breath.
But Jaiel continued as though nothing had happened.
I stared after him, confused.
Maybe it was normal treatment here, though. If so, combined with Fae charisma, it made sense why the guards had been so wary.
Though they really didn”t need to be such condescending asses about it.
Jaiel looked back over his shoulder and gestured for me to catch up.
I rolled my eyes.
”As I was saying — were you against me coming because you were afraid I”d try to seduce you?” he asked, cocking his brow.
I bit back a laugh. ”Not even a little. You”re lazy, untrustworthy, and only think with that pierced cock of yours. Do you really think that”s a suitable partner for such a dangerous mission?”
He grinned. ”You seem rather preoccupied with my cock for someone who claims to dislike me, Princess.” His eyes narrowed. ”Are you sure you aren”t secretly jealous? My charisma could do with a top off … I mean, so long as you don”t talk, I can just imagine —”
I stomped hard on his toes, then strode away, trying to ignore the intense burning across my cheeks and chest. I was not intrigued by the thought of his cock … not much, at least.
A short woman with two winged babies perched on her hips froze as Jaiel passed in front of her, then sighed in relief and darted away.
I stared after her, confused.
I”d thought it might be me causing the Fae to act strange, but it was definitely something about Jaiel.
”Well, now … isn”t this a surprise?”
Lynn”s teasing voice made me jump, and I turned to see a human guard from the palace escorting my assistant toward us.
She wiggled her brows at the sight of Jaiel, and a wide smile split her freckled cheeks as she skipped a few steps ahead of her escort and hooked arms with me.
Fuck. I would never hear the end of this …
”I can”t believe you didn”t tell me he would be accompanying you! Didn”t want me to know how much fun this mission was going to be?” She winked. ”How did you arrange it, though? I swear, the girls have been trying since he started shaving, but they”ve never actually won! Was it the Arbiter”s Medal? If so, everyone is going to want one even more now —”
I held my hand out to shush her and cast a worried gaze over my shoulder. Jaiel was strolling along undisturbed, whistling to himself and staring out over the ocean.
As I stared, a young man with pincers protruding from his jaw gestured rudely at him, but Jaiel just looked in the other direction.
Huh. If I didn”t know better, I”d think he was intentionally avoiding the glares from all those he passed.
No. That would be ridiculous.
Shaking it off, I turned back to Lynn. ”Look — nothing is happening between the asshole prince and me. I have zero interest in him. In fact, if Lady Frexin wasn”t pushing so hard, I would have declined the mission because of him!”
Lynn nodded, but her lips were curled in a smug smile as she stared at him over my shoulder. ”I”m sure you would have. Just like I would turn down plum pie.”
”Gods! I don”t need another distracting lover, Lynn,” I said, groaning. ”Remember Tye? And even if I wanted some fun right now, I couldn”t. We”re on this mission together. You know the rules!”
”Rules schmules.” She winked. ”Sometimes you need to live in the moment, Kaiya. Otherwise, when you”re old and alone, you”ll look back over your life and regret putting everything into your work.” She paused. ”Other things are important, too, you know.”
We”d reached the ship, and I sighed as I looked down at my concerned friend.
”I”m different from you, though, Lynn,” I said, softening my tone. ”When I lay there dying in Karemi, my biggest worry wasn”t about ”not living.” It was about not fulfilling my purpose.” I shifted my pack on my shoulders. ”I need to go out and find those relics before they can hurt more people — people like my aunt and Eli. Finding and turning those evil things over to be put away in the vault — that”s what I live for.” I looked up at the ship looming ahead. ”Besides, you know how hard it”s been for me since Frexin sidelined me! I need the work.”
”Okay.” She sighed. ”I”ll drop it … for now. But don”t forget to take care of yourself out there. Okay?”
”I will.”
Satisfied, she passed me the pack she”d been carrying. ”Lady Frexin said she packed this herself.”
I took it and peeked inside, grinning at the additional gear, weapons, and heavy purse. She must be truly worried to have sent me a care package!
I shook my head. That woman acted tough, but she was a softy deep down.
”Tell me you brought contraceptives just in case you meet someone who does catch your fancy,” Lynn said.
Gods. She wouldn”t let up!
Sighing, I nodded. ”I”m on the monthly dose, and I took it last week.”
”Excellent.” She winked. ”I expect a full report when you return.”
I shook my head and pulled a letter from my coat pocket. ”Could you mail this? I need to let Aunt Grace know I”ll be gone for a while and won”t make it to Gleyma to visit her next week.”
Lynn nodded and slid it into her pocket. ”You”d better not be gone too long. I refuse to tell your aunt you”re going to miss her wedding!” She shuddered. ”You remember it”s in four weeks, right?”
Nodding, I gave her a quick hug. ”I do. You”re the best, Lynn. And I expect an update on your lover when I return.”
”Deal.” She pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. ”You know what? If you admit there”s at least a smidge of chemistry between you and Jaiel, maybe I”ll introduce you when you get back.”
”Never!” I hissed as Jaiel and the escort finally caught up.
Shooting her one more glare, I turned my attention to the ship.
It was bigger than anything I”d been on before, the gangplank alone rising at least as high as a small house. Dozens of cannon-holes winked from the hull, and the strange green wood glimmered in a way I”d never seen wood do before.
”Get out”a here Roain,” muttered a slim man with vines twisting around his body, carrying a large crate. As he passed Jaiel, he bumped him with his shoulder, then turned and spat at his feet before storming off.
Jaiel turned to Lynn and me, though, and just smiled. ”And here I”d almost forgotten how warm and welcoming my people could be.”
Nearly every Fae I”d passed had smiled or nodded at me, but I”d seen nothing but hostility pointed at Jaiel, and looking around, there were at least six other Fae sailors currently glaring in his direction.
”What”s their problem with him?” Lynn whispered, looking around.
”So, I”m not the only one noticing it,” I whispered back. ”I thought I might be going crazy. The guards out front certainly had no problem with him — though they were human.” I paused as one of the sailors muttered something under his breath then stormed off.
”Perhaps his work for the Empire makes him an outcast among the Fae?” Lynn asked, voice quiet.
I nodded, a brief flash of sympathy flitting through me.
”Are you two done yet?” Jaiel interrupted, completely unperturbed by the glaring onlookers. ”I”ve never stared at a woman for so long without her doing something to entertain me. And you two haven”t kissed or done anything fun the entire walk here!”
Holy hells. I was going to murder him.
And to think, I”d actually felt sorry for him for a second! He was the most chauvinistic, narcissistic man I”d ever met, and that was saying a LOT.
”Well, if that”s not going to happen, I guess I might as well get to my room,” he said, walking past us toward the ship. ”I”ll see you in a few hours, Kaiya. Bye, Lynn.” He winked and blew her a kiss as he walked by.
”You know,” Lynn said softly as Jaiel neared the ship, still ignoring the half-dozen angry-looking sailors staring at him and muttering under their breath. ”I was going to suggest pushing him overboard while at sea … but I think one of those sailors may beat you to it.”
”Only in my dreams,” I said, shaking my head. ”Take care, Lynn. I”ll see you in a few weeks.” Giving her one last hug, I stepped back, pushing away a twinge of sadness.
”Take care of yourself, Miss Maderoth,” she said, smiling. ”And don”t forget to have at least a little fun!”
Then she was gone, disappearing into the crowds with the guard at her side.
And I was alone. Or alone-ish. That Fae asshole was still around.
Turning around, I searched for who to check in with and froze at the sight of Jaiel still waiting at the base of the gangplank.
”I don”t care who ordered it. We ain”t sailing with you, Roain!” The shouted words came from a shorter, wide-shouldered man holding a clipboard and blocking Jaiel”s entrance.
The stranger shook the clipboard in Jaiel”s face as a menacing group of deckhands gathered, completely blocking the prince”s way onto the ship.
Holy hells. What was going on?