Chapter 33
“Where are we going?” Kressa whispers as we climb the stairs.
I don’t look at her. “To get the selkie tails, remember?”
We come to the landing, and she pulls me to a stop. “Tell me where we’re going. Now.”
“Why? Do you already regret coming?”
“I will if you lead me straight into a trap.”
I yank my hand from her grasp. “First of all—if this was a trap, it’d be too late for you. And second, if you get us caught, I’ll kill you.”
Something passes behind her eyes. “I’m not so sure you could, love.”
I grit my teeth and lean closer. “I wouldn’t hesitate.”
A smile crosses her face. “Good, now tell me where we’re going.”
Blowing out a breath, I peek around the corner of the hallway. “Caelus’s quarters. He has a collection of sorts in his room, and I think that’s where the tails will be.”
“You think? We can’t just go into his room and politely ask for the selkie tails back.”
“Of course not, but I have a plan. And you’re wasting my time.” I push past her into the empty hallway. “Just do me a favor, and keep your mouth shut.”
We keep to the edges of the hallways and come to the corner before Caelus’s quarters. I throw my arm in front of Kressa and peer around the wall, where two armed guards stand watch.
I hold my breath and count the seconds. The timing has to be perfect. I shed my cloak and pull the laundry bag from my shoulder, shoving them into her chest. She grunts, and I pull the elastic from my braid and shake out my hair.
Her knuckles blanch against my cloak.
I paint a smile onto my face and wet my lips, curling them into a pout. “Wait for my signal.”
Emerging into the hallway, I saunter toward the guards. Their arms remain crossed over their chests, swords sheathed at their backs, but their gazes follow the sway of my hips.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” I purr, stopping in front of them. “Is the king in?”
The one on the right shakes his head. “He’s out with Isolde, celebrating the success of the second trial.”
I bite down on the inside of my cheek. Isolde. “Perhaps I could slip in and wait for his return?”
“No one is permitted entry,” the one on the left says, his voice hard despite the languid way his eyes roam my body.
My foot taps. Any second now.
Slippered feet pound from around the corner.
“Guards!”
Thea appears from a nearby hall, running with her nightgown bunched in her fist. She skids to a stop, chest heaving. “There’s a thief in the kitchen. I need you to come. Now!”
They stiffen and run their hands over the hilt of their swords. The one on the left shakes his head. “We can’t leave our post.”
Thea gives me a pained look. “Please, I need you to come now. What if he’s dangerous?”
“I’m sorry, we cannot—”
“I’ve got it covered.” Julian strides up in blue pants and a white buttoned shirt, a dagger tucked in the sheath at his waist. “I’m meant to take over in fifteen minutes anyway.”
He glances at me, and I avert my gaze.
The guards hesitate, but the elder of the two leaves his spot at the wall and steps toward Thea. “What did this person look like?”
“I’ll show you,” she says, motioning for them to follow.
The other guard rakes his gaze over me, but not out of concern or suspicion. No, I know that look. Covetous. He joins Thea and she leads them down the hallway, disappearing from view.
I blow out a breath. “Fifteen minutes?”
Julian nods. “Marianne has eyes on Caelus and will send word if he returns sooner.” His nose shrinks, chin softens, and his hair lengthens from a crop to his shoulders, turning a shimmering black.
Gemma pulls the sheath from her waist and hands it to me. “That’s all the time you have.”
“That’s all I need.” I thread the holster around my thigh and tighten it. My shaky fingers brush over the hilt. “Thank you, by the way.”
She nods. “You’re welcome.”
I turn and whistle.
Kressa steps around the corner, and Gemma stiffens, pinning her arms to her sides. “Be safe,” she whispers, hurrying past Kressa.
Kressa comes to my side, her eyes narrowed. “I’m not a dog.”
I grin and take the cloak from her, throwing it over my shoulders. “You sure did come like one.”
Buttoning it, I take the laundry bag and scan both ends of the hallway. I wrap my fingers over the brass handle and crack the door. “It’s clear.”
In the sitting room, lanterns cast a dim glow over the table and chairs in front of the empty fireplace. I release a breath. Caelus isn’t coming back anytime soon if he hasn’t sent a servant to start a fire.
I stride to the narrow door tucked beside the covered mirror. “Over here,” I whisper, turning the knob and pushing the door open. “Don’t touch anything.”
She doesn’t respond. Over my shoulder, she stands frozen in the center of the room, gaze roaming the tapestries hung along the walls.
“What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
We step through the door, and moonlight spills into the room—not quite bright enough to light the vast space. I tiptoe past rows of glass cases housing various valuable items. Shelves line the walls, filled with trinkets of all shapes and sizes.
Kressa stiffens, her eyes shooting wide. “Briar.”
A breath catches in my throat. I swallow down a strangled cry as I take in the selkie tails nailed to the far wall like hunting trophies.
Pressing the back of my hand against my mouth, I stifle the sting behind my eyes as I inch closer to them. Their iridescent scales shimmer, but a handful are missing, like they were torn one by one. Tortured.
I draw my dagger and slide the blade under the first nail, careful to avoid the paper-thin skin where the scales were plucked. My fingers tremble, and I pull back. One falter and the blade will slice through the delicate tail. I grit my teeth and clench my jaw so hard it shakes.
“What gives him the right,” I snarl, my voice thick.
Tears threaten my eyes, and I suck in a shuddering breath. Slowly, I ease the tip under the nail head again, but a sob wracks my body, and the dagger slips from my grip.
It clatters to the floor, echoing through the room. I curse under my breath and wipe at the hot tears gathering on my cheeks.
A hand settles on my shoulder. “Let me.”
Kressa bends over and collects my dagger.
I reach for it. “No.”
She closes her hand over mine, her eyes full of somber understanding. “Please.”
I go to argue, but my throat constricts, cutting off any words. Nodding, I retreat a step and gather the laundry sack, holding it open.
Kressa makes quick work of the nails, expertly prying them from the walls. She guides the first tail over her arm and gently folds it into the bag.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Her gaze lifts to mine, her eyes dark and serious, but she doesn’t say anything as she turns back to the wall and starts on the next tail. Minutes pass by, and the bag grows heavier.
I glance at the open doorway, and my pulse quickens. “Julian’s watch will start any moment.”
Silent, Kressa stares at the final two. They each bear a brand—a large eagle, warping the scales at the edges. My chest tightens, and I brush a finger over the one missing the most scales.
Tertia’s tail.
Another sob climbs into my throat. “When I was young, the selkies taught me how to swim. They were my friends. How you saw them in the trial? That isn’t their true nature. They’re kind and peaceful, and they didn’t deserve this.”
Guilt flashes across her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
I nod and wipe a finger beneath my eyes. “We’re running out of time. We need to go.”
“I’m not leaving until we get all of them.”
My heart squeezes as she slides the dagger beneath the nails and pries them out one by one. She lays Tertia’s tail across my arms, and I allow a single tear to fall from my eyes, splashing on the scales in a silent apology.
Kressa removes the final tail, and we set them into the bag, pulling the drawstring tight. She heaves it over her shoulder and winces.
“Your side.” I reach for the bag. “It’s too heavy. Let me take it.”
“No.”
My hand falls, skimming her shirt as it returns to my side. I note the hard set of her lips and the determination in her eyes. She isn’t carrying it to lessen the burden on me, but as penance for the selkies.
I square my shoulders. “Let’s go.”
The clock in Caelus’s quarters reads a half hour to midnight. It’ll be close, but if we hurry, we’ll meet the selkies in time.
I inch open the door and peek into the hallway. Empty. Drawing my hood, I whisper, “Stay close.”
We file into the hallway, and I turn left. “The guards won’t be manning the side exit at this—”
Voices call out from around the corner, followed by multiple pairs of footsteps.
“When we checked the kitchen, the thief had already escaped. Porcelain plates and cups were thrown everywhere. Shattered.”
“Send guards to every entrance.”
My stomach bottoms out. Caelus.
If we tried to run, we’d never make it. The hallway is too long, and they’re too close. I grab the bag from Kressa’s shoulder and shove it behind a heavy velvet curtain.
My heart thrashes wildly in my chest.
Caelus’s shadow dances on the wall, growing closer. “Keep a tight guard on my room in case the thief decides to come this way.”
I bite my lip. We can’t run, but there’s only one excuse for Kressa and I to be out of our rooms this late at night. I grab her by the collar and back up to the wall, pulling her flush against me.
“Play along.”
She threads a hand through my hair, and her chest heaves as she angles my face up. “Are you sure?” Her voice is a gentle whisper against my mouth.
“No. Are you?”
My power buzzes, thrumming against its tether. A faint green glow appears from under my cloak, and Kressa tugs me closer, covering it with her body.
Caelus rounds the corner.
“No,” Kressa says, crashing her mouth to mine.
I inhale a sharp breath. The kiss is a caress against my lips, and I allow them to part. My power flares and stretches from its confines like an animal unfurling from rest.
Kressa groans into my mouth and presses me harder against the cold wall, sliding a thigh between my legs. She winds her arm around my waist and I arch against her, tasting every corner of her mouth. Devouring.
A cough echoes through the hallway.
But Kressa tastes like spring rain—feels like being sucked into a whirlpool, laid against the soft sand at the bottom of the ocean. My power melds with hers, and I can’t pull away. I would trade a thousand lifetimes for this moment to last into eternity.
“Courtesans,” Caelus mumbles. “Good for one thing only.”
Kressa stiffens, shifting as if she’s going to whirl on the king. I fist my hands into her shirt and hold her in place.
I’m going to fucking kill him.
My eyes fly open, and I stop breathing. I break the kiss and press my hand against her chest.
That was her voice in my head.
Forcing a swallow, I smile and turn to Caelus and Julian. My fingers curl around Kressa’s shirt to keep them from trembling.
“Gentlemen,” I drawl.
Heels tap against stone, and before I have a chance to pull away from Kressa, Isolde turns the corner.
Her steps falter.
I go cold as her eyes sweep over me, then Kressa. The collar fisted in my grip. The flush to my skin.
Kressa backs away, running a hand through her hair. She bends into a shallow bow. “Your Majesties.”
I search Isolde’s face. For something, anything. But her expression is blank.
Caelus raises a brow. “I see you’re taking your job very seriously, Briar.”
“As always, Your Highness.”
“By all means, don’t let us interrupt you,” he says, eyes boring into me. A warning.
Julian holds open the door, and Caelus nods a goodbye, striding into his quarters.
Isolde stands, frozen, her hair hanging in ringlets over her bodice, brushing her waist.
“Isolde,” I breathe, stepping forward.
“Isolde,” Caelus barks from the open doorway.
She flinches, blinking her attention away from me, and shakes her head. Without a word, she follows his voice into the room. I swallow past the lump in my throat and watch her go, the hem of her gown disappearing from view.
The door clicks shut, and my mind snaps into the present. Soon, I’ll speak to Isolde and reassure her that everything will be okay. But for now—I whirl and shove Kressa, my face twisting into a scowl. “Why can I hear your thoughts?”
“I don’t know,” she whispers, collecting the bag from behind the curtain. “Because I can hear yours, too.”