Chap 21
Same table as the night before.
Evander sat beside her.
Just as he had before.
Penny slowly lifted another bite of fish to her mouth.
Every time she looked at him, she tried to smile.
But the tears still threatened.
Beneath the table she felt his hand find hers.
"I would not have gone fishing," Evander said softly, "if I had known it would make you cry."
Penny looked down at her plate as if she hadn't understood him.
The chair beside her scraped.
Wade dropped into it carrying enough food to feed a fishing village.
His plate overflowed with pastries, cakes, fruit, and things Penny was fairly certain counted as crimes against moderation.
He picked up a chocolate cream puff.
Took a bite.
Closed his eyes.
And groaned dramatically.
"No wonder the flowers like the balls."
Chocolate dusted the corner of his mouth.
He licked it away.
Evander looked across the table.
"Why is she crying over fish?"
Wade's expression immediately changed.
The humor vanished.
He looked at Penny.
Really looked at her.
"I will kill him if he hurt you."
Penny blinked.
The seriousness in his voice surprised her.
"No."
She shook her head.
"He caught me fish."
Wade frowned.
"That made you cry?"
"It smells like home."
The sea prince stared at her for a moment.
Then leaned forward.
Sniffed the fish.
Sniffed again.
"Your mother cooks this well?"
Penny laughed despite herself.
"No."
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because I want to thank him."
Wade immediately sat up straighter.
The menace returned.
"Ah."
He nodded solemnly.
"A language lesson."
Penny immediately became suspicious.
Wade switched to vampire.
Very slowly.
Painfully slowly.
"Thhhhhhhhhank yooooooou."
Penny bit her lip.
"Thhhhhhhhhank yooooooou."
Wade nodded approvingly.
Then squeezed her cheeks together.
"Youuuuuuu."
Penny's lips puckered.
"Youuuuuuu."
Wade switched back to the language of the ocean.
"What do you think would happen if I kissed you right now?"
Penny nearly choked.
Wade studied her face thoughtfully.
"You would absolutely enjoy it."
Penny slapped his hands away.
Wade looked pleased with himself.
Then turned back to vampire.
"Thank you for the fish, you stinky vampire."
Penny's eyes widened in horror.
"Wade!"
Evander looked expectantly at her.
Trying very hard not to laugh.
Penny pointed accusingly at Wade.
Then looked at Evander.
"Thank you for the fish..."
Her glare lowering into her lap to not give away she understood what her 'teacher' was making her say.
"You stinky vampire."
Evander burst out laughing.
Even his hand tightened around hers beneath the table.
"Wade."
The commander shook his head.
"You are a character."
Wade grinned.
Then peered at Evander's plate.
"At least I have good taste in desserts."
He pointed accusingly.
"All you have is fruit."
Evander smiled at Penny.
"Yeah, it's kind of our thing."
"You have a thing with this vampire?"
Wade looked Evander over from head to toe, switching to the Oceanic language as easily as taking off a coat.
"Is he the one putting you into the betrothal gowns?"
"No."
Penny shook her head.
"He's just a friend."
Even as she said it, she could feel the warmth of Evander's hand beneath the table.
Steady.
Comforting.
Wade scoffed.
He picked up a tiny yellow cake layered with red jam and shoved the entire thing into his mouth.
"You have a lot of friends that don't look at you like friends."
Penny narrowed her eyes.
"You sound jealous for someone who ignored me the last time I came to visit."
Wade swallowed.
"I was trapped in a garden."
"You were rude."
"You were in some other man's gown of betrothal."
"I don't even know what that means."
Wade considered this.
"Fair."
Evander looked between them.
"What is she saying?"
Wade immediately turned toward him.
His expression became perfectly serious.
"She says I am significantly better looking than you."
Penny dropped her face into her hands.
"And if she had to choose which of us to kiss, you would come in second."
Evander nearly choked on a grape.
Wade looked very pleased with himself.
Penny refused to look at either of them.
"You are horrible."
"Accurate translation is important."
Penny made a strangled sound.
Then Wade leaned back in his chair and looked at Evander again.
Still smiling.
Still joking.
But there was something thoughtful in his eyes now.
Like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Before either of them could continue, Sable appeared beside the table.
"Fish boy!"
Wade turned.
"Fish boy?"
Sable pointed at him.
"Yes. Fish boy."
Wade looked offended.
"I'm a prince."
"Fish prince."
Wade sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
Then smiled at her.
"And who in the living seawater are you to be making demands?"
Sable put both hands on her hips.
"I'm Sable."
The smile widened.
"Ah."
Wade nodded.
"That explains absolutely nothing."
Penny shook her head.
"That is Sable. She is my friend."
Then she pointed toward the dance floor.
"She enjoys torturing Prince Sebastian."
Wade looked immediately interested.
"Oh, I like her already."
Sable pointed at Penny the moment she heard her name.
"See? She knows me."
Wade nodded gravely.
"She also says you and I would make an excellent couple dedicated entirely to creating problems."
Sable pointed accusingly.
"Penelope!"
Sable gasped.
"What happens in the garden stays in the garden."
Penny groaned.
Penny's eyes widened as she spoke to Wade.
"I did not say that!"
Wade appeared delighted by both reactions.
"Seriously," Penny muttered. "You are going to get me into so much trouble."
The sea prince reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her shoulder.
"My dear sweet Penny," he said softly.
"You were already in trouble."
His grin widened.
"I'm simply participating now."
Penny froze.
Penny.
Not Penelope.
Not Songbird.
Not Sea Witch.
Penny.
The nickname struck harder than it should have.
For one brief moment she wanted to ask where he had heard it.
What shore.
What village.
What memories.
Before she could, Sable leaned across the table.
The expression on her face suggested she had arrived for battle.
"See that giant scary vampire behind me?"
She pointed dramatically.
Tarquin looked up from a nearby conversation.
The decorated officer immediately looked concerned.
"The one with all the medals for killing bad people?"
Tarquin's concern increased.
"That is my Tarquin."
Wade followed her finger.
"Your Tarquin?"
"Yes."
Wade nodded.
"Terrifying."
Sable beamed.
"Good."
Then she narrowed her eyes at him.
"So don't get any ideas, Fish Boy."
"Fish Prince."
"Fish Boy."
Wade sighed.
"Continue."
Sable pointed toward Penny.
"Ask Penneellopea if she's singing tonight."
Wade turned toward Penny.
One eyebrow lifting.
The teasing vanished.
"Do you want me to tell you have horrible contagious rash on your mouth or laryngitis?"
Before he could do either Penny pushed away from the table.
Regretting losing Evander's hand but Sable linked elbows with Penny and grinned.
"Must be a yes." Flashing a victorious smile at Wade.
Wade just shrugged and went back to eating. "Must be" he muttered through a full mouth of pastries.
Sable walked her to the railing and motioned to the water below.
"No dragon tonight to sing to, but I am here."
Penny looked out at the ocean and heard it calling to her, beckoning her closer, to follow it's waves all the way home.
The song came out, no spell intertwined, just the song she had heard a hundred times, from the fishermen sing when their loves where far away.
The water is wide, I can't cross over,
And neither have I wings to fly.
Build me a boat that can carry two,
And both shall row, my love and I.
There is a ship and she sails the sea,
She's loaded deep, as deep can be.
But not so deep as the love I'm in,
I know not if I sink or swim.
Oh love is handsome and love is fine,
The sweetest flower when first it's new.
But love grows old and waxes cold,
And fades away like summer dew.
Build me a boat that can carry two,
And both shall row, my love and I.
By the time she finished, the tears had won.
They rolled freely down her face.
Her shoulders shook as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Strong arms encircled her.
Penny looked up.
Wade.
His fingertips brushed away a few tears.
For once he didn't smile.
Didn't tease.
Didn't say anything at all.
He was the only one who had understood the song.
"What is wrong with her?"
Penny wasn't even sure who had asked.
Evander.
Sable.
The entire ballroom had gone strangely quiet.
She didn't care.
She buried her face against Wade's chest.
The sea prince wrapped his arms around her and held her tighter.
"She's homesick."
Penny felt him before she saw him.
The king.
The bond pulled at her.
A heartbeat later she was being lifted from Wade's arms.
The king held her against his chest.
Protective.
Possessive.
Concerned.
"The servants will pack anything you wish to take."
His voice was gentle.
"The ball is over."
Then he started walking.
Away from the sea.
Away from the crowd.
Away from everyone.
"You too."
The king glanced over his shoulder.
At Wade.
The sea prince blinked.
"Me?"
"You are her translator now."
Wade immediately scooped up his plate.
Dumped the fruit from Evander's plate onto his own.
Then followed.
The ballroom remained silent behind them.
Nobody seemed entirely sure what had just happened.
Neither was Penny.
But as Wade hurried after them, his eyes narrowed.
Watching the king.
Watching Penny.
Watching the way the king's hand never left her.
Then Wade frowned.
For the first time all night,
He thought he finally understood what the betrothal gowns meant.