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The way he called me princess drew a smirk from me. It would have gotten anyone else punched.

“Back on Valterra, I heard accounts of Mer,” I answered. “And in every single one, they spoke of its beauty. I always thought when I visited, it would be under better circumstances.”

His dark eyes twinkled. “Now that’s where you’re mistaken. What circumstances could you have possibly imagined that were better than my valiant company?”

“We’re on a quest, remember?”

“Let’s pretend otherwise, if only for a moment.” He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me flush against him.

In response, my heart raced, the tether throbbing alongside it, ignoring my desperate attempts to refuse it. Ever since we had left Gloom’s stagnant mists, my attempts to deny that anything permanent had formed between us had grown weaker by the hour.

And Zayne seemed to know it.

“Imagine it was just you and me,” he continued. “Two fae who have escaped the responsibilities of their families and have finally left Gloom behind. We are eager to explore the world… and one another.”

Despite my hesitation, my breath caught. “Yes?”

“We spent the first week of this relationship fighting for our lives. And then we spent the last month rebuilding Eleanor’s stronghold. We haven’t had time to…courtone another.”

I laughed him off. “After all that, I’m hardly convinced we need tocourteach other.”

He cupped my chin, lifting it so I would meet his gaze. “Ayla, we’ve barely had time to get to know one another, but I’m certain I wouldn’t have survived the descent to the Underworld without you.”

I glanced away. “We don’t know that for sure.” Our bond had been the result of my desperation. I didn’t want him to die, and now it seemed he was trapped with me.

Nobody deserved to be stuck with the likes of me.

All the same, he squeezed me tighter. “We could visit the Meridian Moon? It’s a fiddle bar that specializes in the strangest, most experimental of instruments.”

I softened at the idea. “Oh, that does sound fun.”

“Or we could find a hidden lagoon, somewhere tucked away on one of the many outer reefs. We would swim… amongst other things. If you’re interested.”

My throat tightened at the promise in his voice. My chest swelled, begging me to acknowledge the bond.

I can’t.

But I also couldn’t resist him for another second.

Rising on my toes, I inched my face to his. He closed the distance, pressing his lips to mine. My entire body shuddered and then rushed into action. My hands were upon him, fingers tracing up his neck as he pinned me tightly against him. When I reached his horns, I pressed the sensitive spot at their base, and Zayne moaned deliciously.

The sound of his need resounded in my being, amplified by the lightness that filled everything since we left Gloom behind.

My core warmed, the heat still so new after our time in the stagnant mists that I broke the kiss, desperate to catch my breath. I needed to claim him before I came to my senses.

“We don’t have long,” I whispered, grabbing his hand as I led the way toward the ship’s small cabin.

“Ayla?” Rhett’s voice rose from the speaking stone tucked in my pocket.

I froze.

By Teyr, he has the worst timing.

“Ayla? Are you there?” my oldest friend asked. The stone would only work for a limited time, only while the isles were cast in liminal dusk and dawn.

Zayne’s grin faded into seriousness.

Rhett continued, “I know we planned to meet at the docks, but it’s important.”