9. Nine
Sneaking out the hidden entrance to our chambers while tossing a pink pearl up into the airover and over, I have to keep myself from laughing at the turn of events today and the fury that overtook my Elva. So much so that she spent the last forty minutes destroying her room.
Through the trick door connecting our dressing rooms, I had stopped before leaving tocatch a glimpse ofwho she is when no one is watching.
And she was glorious. My quick moment of curiosity quickly turned into nearly an hour of watching her tear everything apart. Unmasked, unburdened by propriety, she is a vision of madness and chaos. Only by luck did she manage to miss the fireplace. I stood there motionless, hidden in the shadows, unsure whether to laugh at the absurdity of it all or indulge myself in pleasure, captivated by the beauty of her rage.
What I would give to be the recipient of the smallest bit of her untamed violence. Anything. Everything. I would trade nearly everything I have to feel her vicious nails against my flesh, the bite of her teeth on my skin. To watch her hands drip red with blood.
Mine, someone else”s- I”m not picky.
Descending the stairs as she finally rests, I shake the visions from my head and return to the present. And in the present, wicked touches are certainly the furthest thing from her mind. She”s currently furious at our arrangement, but if shewould justlet her preconceived notions of me and my people go, she would realize that this is the best-case scenario for her.
Not only is she the safest where she is, but in the coming days, people from all of our neighboring countries are going to arrive, stake claim on rooms within the hall she was occupying, and turn that wing into a miniature version of the fights we”ve had over land for centuries.
I deserve this room because the sun rises too early here compared to home.
No, I require this roomso I canlook upon the gardens outside.
Well I”ll be taking this room because I cannot sleep with thecrashing of the wavesjust outside.
I have spared her from overhearing the relentless arguing, mostly between King Farhan and Prince Tirriel, along with Farhan”s incessant snoring. She should be thanking me, and I can think of several ways.
But for now, I have to speak with Valta.
I walk until my boots nearly touch the foam encroaching on the shore, throwing the pearl as far as I can, watching for only a moment as the ripples spread, the light of the moon dancing across the moving surface. When my alliance with the queen first began, she gave me dozens of the small shiny things to use as a signal for when Itravel to meet her.
She only allows for meetings near the caves southeast of Avolire, insisting that”s the only place spies won”t think to follow. The journey there by land is treacherous.The walkway against a cliffside is barely a foot wide, crumbling to piecesday by daydue to constantly being pummeled by the stormsthat ravagethis area.Usually, I would prefer to take Drakken, but she hates this journey and is exhausted from our long excursion yesterday.
As I hold myself against the frozen cliffside behind me, I grit my teeth and glare at the ocean, almost daring it to try to consume me. Sharks roam these waters, sinking their jaws into anythingthat fallswithin reach. Only the merfolk can pass by safely and only because they”re far more dangerous than the sharks.
Finally, the makeshift trail makes a sharp turn down, broadening and opening into a long, flat beach with crashing waves to one side and three caves on the other.
And there, just off the shore, amongst the tumult of the salty sea, the queenherselfsits upon a throne of flowing water.
”Your Majesty,”I bow, showing her the deference both her stature and her power deserve, lest I be at the receiving end of the treatment she gave two of my guards yesterday. Again.
”It takes two days to respond to my messages now?”She raises one sharp, blue eyebrow, the iridescent scales above it shining in the moonlight from the motion. ”Do I need to make them more clear, King?”
I can barely resist rolling my eyes. Valta might be powerful, but she forgets that I could steal the breath from her lungs— or gills— with only a thought. ”No, it was received loud and clear. I have simply had other matters that had to be attended to first.”
”Other matters?”Her curious nature gets the best of her, her anger fleeing even faster than it appeared. ”What other matters could be so important?”
It”s best to tell her as little as possible until I know where she stands with it all. ”I have peace meetings in the coming weeks in Oksangui.”
”And?”she scoffs. ”That”s all? Preparing to have guests? Don”t you have staff for that?”
”Yes, well, staff being up to date on the laws and culture of our neighbors will hardly help me in negotiations, will it?”
With a musical laugh that sends me back into yesterday afternoon”s farmer”s memories, she tilts her head, full of amusement. ”You mean to tell me you”re not just disposing of them all when they arrive? Have you gone soft, Kairon?”
Countless times, I”ve considered wiping this conceited monster off the face of this earth. And she adds to the tally each time we speak. If her daughter wasn”t exponentially worse, I would have years ago.
”It”s easy to consider killing every neighboring country when you can simply flit off where none can follow, but some of us-”
”Are you insinuating I”m cowardly, Your Majesty?”Her turquoise eyes subtly glow, a warning I won”t heed.
”Not at all.”I shrug. ”I am plainly stating that you are a coward.”
”How dare you?”she starts, but I have no patience for her theatrics tonight.
”What is it that you need from me, Valta?”I ask through gritted teeth.
She stares at me, knowing that as much as she dislikes me, I am her only ally on the land. She may believe being allies means we must be friends, but the opposite is true. The only true allyis one who willchoose your side without any emotional attachment involved.
”Fine.”She throws longtresses of emeraldoff her shoulder, an agitated, nervous habit. ”Several merfolk are missing.”
”And?”It”s not as if I can leap into the water and find them for her.
”You don”t understand, Kairon. They”re missing.”Her eyes water, the theatrics starting again. ”Vanished from the seas. There”s no sign of them. Not so much as a corpse left behind so my people can grieve.”
With slightly narrowed eyes,I watch her squirm before answering, ”I don”t see how this has anything to do with me.”
”One of your landwalkers took them,”she shrieks the accusation. ”That”s the only explanation.”
I bark out a laugh. ”Impossible. Many have tried to capture your kind before, but they”ve never succeeded. Perhaps they swam away, or perhaps they chose to go. A misguided Syren falling for a human is more likely than one of them being abducted.”
Her lip trembles, and while I”m inclined to believe she”s being dramatic, something tells me this is deeper than she”s letting on.
”Who”s missing?”I ask, guessing her being so distraught can only mean one thing.
”They took Vanya,”she sputters, whisking her falling tears into the ocean. ”They took my baby.”
Her baby is nearing 100 years old, but still. Somewhere inside me, a hot, slimy feeling fills my chest, seeing how devastated she is at the possible loss of her child. Vanya is the most self-centered, vapid, horrifically cruel creature I”ve had the displeasure of meeting, and yether mother faces the danger of being this close to land alone for even the slightest chance at saving her.
”Who else?”I change the subject, unwilling to examine this unfamiliar feeling.
”A handful of her generals.”She sniffles. ”You have to help me, Kairon.”
”Why not search for her yourself?”I ask. ”You can walk on land.”
The water around her becomes more violent, her agitation making it volatile. ”And where would I start to look?”
I know the answer, of course. But giving away the only information I have would only sendheron a suicide mission and ruin any chance of me leveraging this in my favor.
”It has to be you. You can have eyes everywhere.”
I pretend to consider her, letting her think I might deny this request. ”What do I gain from this?”
”Anything,”she cries. ”Please. I”ll give you whatever you want.”
”I want you to come to the treaty talks.”I smile at her. ”Come show that you are my ally and that your continued alliance is with Oksangui only.”
She scoffs, ”You want me to come spend days on land without my daughter here to help rule in my absence?”
Iblow out a breath, feigning exasperation and giving her the compromise I”ve been working towards since she first told me of the missing Syrens. ”I only need you for one meeting. One hour of your time, showing unwavering support for Oksangui, and I will send my right hand with a team to track down your missing merfolk.”
”And how will I get to this meeting?”She sniffs.
”Through the front door.”I start backing away, heading back the way I came. ”In three days” time, when the sun is at its peak, I expect you to be walking into the palace. Someone will show you the way.”
”And then you”ll find Vanya?”She nods as if she could answer the question herself.
”And then I”ll make best efforts to find Vanya.”
Before she can argue, I”m gone.
As I travel back home, I plan my next moves. Valta will meet with us, flash her sharp teeth, andmake a show ofstrength beside me, and I”ll do exactly what I had already planned.
Find out how they have fucking merfolk on land.
The only Syren who can walk on land is the one who wears the crown. But it”s not as if they could be wheeling their prisoners around intanks of water, could they?
While our meeting did give me a few answers, I”m left with even more questions. Who would dare to stand against me and the kingdom of Havrik?
Two days ago, I would have said there”s no way that the people of Rhyma are suicidal enough for such a thing, but now that I”ve seen what Elva is capable of, I”m not so sure.
Elva.
How does she play into all this? A well-placed distraction by her people or a very convincing actress?
As I walk through the doors to my opulent home, the sloshing sounds of my boots and sopping wet clothing bring me back to the present. The very damp, cold, salty present.
I summon Raya, my maid quickly springing down the stairs, only to stop at the bottom one and fall into a fit of laughter.
”Where have you been?”she cackles, trying and failing to straighten up. Aside from Shan, Raya is the only person who could be so insubordinate and get away with it.She is my closest confidante in the world and,if I”m being honest with myself, my only true friend.
”Valta,”I tell her. That one word is enough for her to understand just what kind of mood I”m in.
She nods. ”I see. I”ll have someone start a nice hot bath for you, then.”
Without another word, she spins and darts up the stairs to wake one of the maids with the magic to do so.
Not willing to drag moreof thiswater and mud into the palace, I strip my clothes right at the entryway, knowing they”ll be cleaned up and back in my dressing room by morning. As freezing as it is to be walking through this place nude, dragging the wet clothing along with me would be exponentially colder.
By the timeI reach the bathroom, it”s already full of steam and thankfully empty of people. The water scalds as I sink into it, burning the frigidity from my limbs. The external discomfort eventually wanes, leaving behind only the bit left within me. Bone-deep exhaustion paired with the sweet lavender of the bath nearly beckons me to sleep, but ifI sleep here, there”s a very good chance a maid will find me in the morning, looking half-dead like most of the other inhabitants of this castle.
Without my permission, my eyes drift closed, and I have to fight against myself to stay conscious. I nearly jump out of the tub lest I let it drag me under again. With just a gray towel draped around me, I stagger into the dressing room to find something to sleep in.
A loose pair of soft pants later, my eyes dart to thetrick door still cracked open.
I shouldn”t.
I had no plans to continue watching her.
Lying to yourself again, Kairon.
Why else would I have left the door slightly open?
I rub the towel against my head, roughly drying it to prevent me from dripping where I shouldn”t before throwing it on the oversized, plush chair in my dressing room.
I peek through the trick door, only able to see the smallest corner of the bed from this angle.It was enough earlier to see her rage through the room, but I crave a glimpse of her peace, too.
Just a little bit closer.
This is insanity.
One moment,I”m in her closet, wishing for a better look.The next, I”m frozen at the foot of her bed, tracking as her chest rises and falls with each breath.
Sheets tangle around her knees, leaving nearly every inch of her on display. The light of the moon through the curtains sends ripples across her soft frame, making her dark blue sleeping gown look much like the way the water moved after I threw the pearl earlier.
Her slightly parted mouth, the way her lashes cast shadows across her cheeks, the stray hairs draped across her forehead and chest,everything feels like a temptation. Adangerous one, like the impulsive desire you might feel to jump off a cliff into wild waters below.
This is a terrible invasion of privacy. Of all the horrid things I”ve done, all the torture and murder, this feels the most depraved. And without a doubt, the most intoxicating of all my sins.
She doesn”t like to be touched, she told me.Uncomfortable with skin to skincontact.If Iwere to crossthat line, it would surely wake her and destroy any chance I have to trick her into trusting me.
So I won”t touch her. Simple enough.
Even as I think it, I know it”s a lie.Already I”m at her bedside, leaning over to see her closer, scenting the distinct bite of sweet wine on her lips,wishing to taste it from them.
I can”t let her know that I”m here. But I can touch her without touching her skin. Deep blonde, wild waves of hair on her pillow call my name, and withoutany thought attached to the action, I twirl them in my fingers, so soft and smooth I imagine it fisted in my hands, imagine how she might gasp and sigh from the rough treatment.
She doesn”t stir,deep in her drunken slumber, and I feel far more daring than I ought.If she were to catch me here, I can onlydream ofhow furious she would be. The thought makes me smile, almost wishing for her to wake up and scream at me.
Soft as a gust of wind, I let my fingertips find her waist, drifting across the fabric that keeps her flesh from me. Even through the nightgown, her body is perfection. Goosebumps rise on her arms, the only proof she can feel my wandering fingers.
She sighs in her sleep,the soundmaking my head spin and my body fill with desire. I can”t remember the last time I felt such hunger, such need. Not a single professional from the Ordinance, not a Syren, no one has ever ignited this inside me.
And she feels it, too.I”munder no impression thatshe enjoys my company orthat shewould choose to be stuck in this situation together.But her body responds to mine; that much is undeniable.
Even in her sleep, my touch brings her pleasure. The mouthwatering, deliciously hard peaks of her breasts and quiet sighs as I gently caress her frame are evidence enough of that.
But when her mind is in charge, she is nowhere near ready to accept how she craves me.
As the sun”s light begins to peek through the window, she moves, freezing me into place. Blindly, she reaches for the sheets at her knees, thinking her goosebumps are from the cold early morning air.
I dare notevenbreathe as she nestles herself back into the pillow, wrapped in the bedding. Only once she”s perfectly still do I begin to back away. Watching her the whole way in case she should wake, I ease back through the door, closing it behind me.I lean against the hidden entrance,blowing out a sigh ofrelief before exiting to my own sleeping room.
”And where have you been?”Raya”s mischievous voice travels from the couch in front of my fireplace.
I groan. ”Please, don”t start.”
”She is lovely, I”ll admit,”she starts, directly ignoring my order not to. She turns, head leaning on her folded arms over the back of the couch. ”But I never took you as the type to be so... creepy about it. You could just... talk to her? I mean,you”re-”
Fucking Hells. ”Raya, I mean it. That”s enough.”
She cackles, standing. ”Alright, alright. Your Majesty.”She mock-bows, another show of disrespect I”ll ignore. ”I just came to drop off your clothing for today, then I planned to pop into her dressing room and leave hers. They match.”
”What?”
”Your clothes. And hers. They match.”
I scoff out a laugh, running my palm down my face. ”And why would you do that?”
She shrugs, grinning as she walks toward the door. ”For fun.”
She waves a hand behind her, not sparing me another glance.
I don”t need to warn her not to mention this to Elva. She has a much longer leash than most of my other staff, but Raya still couldn”t say anything to her even if she wanted to.
Finally pouring myself into bed for a couple blissful hours, I silently vow to keep my distance from the gorgeous creature in the next room. Whether innocently or not, she”s making me foolish, and that”s the one thing I cannot afford to be.