11. Enna
Chapter eleven
Enna
I sliced the fucking Coral Prince.
The world tightens around me, and with it, my throat. If I thought the air on the beach was dry, it’s nothing compared to what I’m inhaling now. I can hardly breathe. Like a fish out of water, my mouth gapes and closes, gapes and closes, trying to pull oxygen from nowhere.
Since meeting him, I have flirted with him, insulted him, ignored him, scolded him, and then stabbed him. This male who is apparently the fucking Coral Prince .
My cheeks flush with heat. I haven’t been in this kingdom for a day, and I’ve already fucked up the mission.
The housekeeper fusses over his wound. He stands there with a crooked smile, watching me.
“A pleasure to meet you, my prince,” says Odissa, her voice thick and sweet. She straightens from her curtsy and flashes him a brilliant smile. Guilt teases my thoughts, sour and unwelcome. Would the owner of this corpse have said the same? Would she have been pleased to meet him, given the chance?
The prince catches Odissa’s hand and lifts her fingers to his mouth, kissing them lightly. “Pleasure,” he says, wincing as Clio inspects his wounds.
Odissa’s gaze flicks between the prince and me, her lips tightening into a thin line.
“Enna?” Odissa whispers, her voice tight with control. “What is the meaning of this?”
My stomach twists, and I feel sick. What are you, he asked me, not who . A subtle difference, but I read the meaning enough—I’m nothing but a monster.
I step away from the male, eager to retreat before I make a fool of myself. I scan the environment, searching for concrete details to calm my racing heart.
Odissa gives me a once-over and curls her upper lip. “You’re covered in sand.”
The entrance gate creaks on its hinges, closing with a metal clatter. I glance around. The prince and the captain are gone.
“Your Highness could have waited for me,” I snap, swatting at my legs to dispel some of it. It’s a harsh thing to say to a princess, and I regret my slip immediately, if only for our remaining audience.
The middle-aged housekeeper stands next to Odissa with her hands folded in front of her. Two fluttering ear fins frame her expressive blue face. She’s much prettier than the mermaids of the Abyss, and I blink, transfixed by the contrast. Her large, golden eyes study me in return, lingering on my loincloth.
I fidget with the fabric, wondering if it may be inappropriate. While Odissa wears the travel skirt and darksteel chest piece her borrowed body came with, my breasts hang bare, decorated only by sand where it clings to my sweat.
The housekeeper frowns. “Your Highness, would you like me to fetch some… more appropriate clothing for your attendant… before or after we get you settled in your room?”
Odissa takes one look at my loincloth and widens her eyes in feigned surprise. Neither of us thought this through clearly. “Now, certainly, Clio,” she says to the mermaid. “We seem to have left our manners in the deep.”
Clio sizes me up again, and this time, her gaze snags on my breasts. I square my jaw and lift my chin, daring her to continue her scrutiny. In the Drink, clothing is either a liability or a luxury, and I cannot afford either.
Clio snaps her fingers at the nearest guard. “Fetch our lady something to wear.”
The guard bows, then disappears through the gate, soon returning with a beaded contraption. Clio takes it, shakes it into the correct positioning, then holds it out for me. The strands hang in complicated loops, threaded with bits of shell and glittering stones. I narrow my eyes. Where do I even begin with this thing?
With a sigh, she gestures for my hand. “May I?” she asks, offering a flat palm. I place my hand in hers, and she lifts my arm, threading it through an opening in the knots. She ties the band around my neck, then maneuvers the piece until it drapes just so, two small white shells hiding the peaks of my nipples.
“That’s better, my lady,” she says.
“Thank you, Clio,” Odissa says, smiling. “You are too kind.”
“Now, it is my duty and my pleasure to welcome you to the Kingdom of Coral, and to our spectacular city of Aquisa. If you’ll follow me inside, I’ll get you situated with your accommodations.”
Odissa sidles closer to me. I can sense anger emanating from my master in waves. “Did you stab him?”
I pretend to be engrossed in readjusting my new garment.
“Enna,” Odissa whispers. “For goddess’s sake, pull your shit together.”
As Clio leads us through the gilded gate, I force my hands to hang limply at my sides and place one foot in front of the other. She turns back to us with a whirl and a clap of her hands. “Let’s get you settled in.”
Odissa follows Clio through the gate, but my feet stay glued to the path. The lump in my throat hardens as I stare up at the keep looming over us. What the fuck was I thinking, coming here?
I could refuse to enter that golden gate. I could turn around. I could swim back to the Abyss and crawl into my cramped hole in the comfort of the dark and frigid, compressing waters. Figure out what exactly Tephra means to do with a lost soul who’s broken a blood oath. The goddess may find me favorable. It could be easy.
I take a hesitant step toward the ocean, feeling its pull. Leaning into it. Wanting it.
“Miss?” Clio is still standing at the gate, gesturing for me to approach the palace.
I blink, surprised by the tears brimming in my eyes. One rolls down my cheek, cool against my scorched skin.
“Are you coming?”
I take a jagged breath and nod. Finish the job. The reward is everything I’ve dreamed of, and as much as I loathe Odissa, she needs my help. Without my Voice, she will certainly fail.
I’m not about to break my oath over a silly prince.