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“I did not know, but merely guessed. At least, not until you confirmed my suspicions.”

A nobleman’s son. That might be true, but he was more than that too. I was certain of it.

“What is your gift, then?” I asked, not expecting him to answer. A human’s gift was their greatest power. Asking of it was considered borderline rude. And few humans would offer a free response to such a question, especially to a stranger.

“If I tell you, will you share with me what you believe is the best of Thalassaria, if not for its palace?”

“Its people,” I said, the answer an easy one. “They may be wary of outsiders and often too suspicious by nature, but that is only because Thalassarians value their independence. The palace is magnificent but pales in comparison to the people who live within its borders.”

He was no less surprised by my response than I was to have so freely given it.

“I can sense emotion,” he said.

Had he really just told me his gift? Sensing emotion? That was not as common among humans but… I froze. That meant…

No. No, no, no.

The tug on Rowan’s lips told me he knew exactly what I’d been thinking. What emotion I would have liked to conceal from him, but couldn’t. Even now that I knew of his gift.

“Not to worry,” he said, Rowan’s voice as smooth as the tide gliding over polished stone. “If you could read emotion too, you’d have sensed the same in me since being in your presence. Shall we continue?”

Trying not to react, I stepped forward, putting one foot in front of the other as the implications of his words tumbled around in my brain.

So. He was attracted to me, too.

5

ROWAN

I sat on the same sort of bed, its insides as fluid as I remembered from my previous visit, though this one was much bigger. Waiting for the knock that would signal Nerys’s return, I took in my surroundings. Sheer, translucent curtains cascaded from the bed canopy, mimicking the gentle flow of water. A large, arched window opposite me offered a view of the sea, according to Nerys, though now it opened only to darkness. Sconces fashioned from shells cast a warm glow throughout the chamber, but the most striking feature was the adjoining antechamber that I had just left. Warm water cascaded continually from the high ceiling above, an entire room dedicated to cleansing, one like I’d never seen before.

Water magic, I assumed, made such a thing possible. Even now, I could hear its echo, a soothing sound that seemed unsurprisingly to be found everywhere at the palace.

And then there was Nerys.

I stood and made my way to the window. Lights of every color, but especially greens and blues, were sprinkled across the grounds. Bioluminescent algae could be found throughout Elydor, but this was something entirely different. Seemingly everything was imbued with the gleaming lights that could not be seen during the day but lit up spectacularly in the darkness. I could stare out this window all evening.

I could stare at Nerys my whole life.

Her beauty was as striking as the mysteries of the sea. Nerys’s sun-kissed skin and aquamarine eyes lent her an innocence at odds with the rest of her. No mention of parents, but those who raised her. Her strength and resilience were evident in the way she walked. Rode. Held her head.

Smiling as I remembered her expression when I told Nerys of my gift—a revelation that had come easily from my lips, though I did not regret it—I turned toward the door, as if anticipating her knock, which came a moment later.

Though Nerys had attempted to put me at ease about the fact that my bedchamber would be locked at all times, I still found it disconcerting. Not that I was alone with such unease. Every human visitor to the Thalassarian palace complained of the same.

Opening my door, I sensed anticipation before I could block her emotion.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of her.

Waves of hair fell down her shoulders and back, the smallest of iridescent seashells dispersed throughout. Her dinner gown was strapless, the turquoise bodice and broken up with swaths of cream. Shells adorned the front, distinguishable up close. From far away, they would look like small gemstones.

The best part of Thalassaria might be its people, according to Nerys. And the palace, according to the queen. But from my viewpoint, it was the woman standing before me.

“You are magnificent.” The words spilled out before I could stop them, my thoughts more addled than they had been in a long time. “Apologies,” I began, but Nerys interrupted me.

“None are necessary. Thank you,” she said, accepting the compliment with grace. “We’ve likely missed the first course.”

“How many are typically served?” I asked as we made our way through open corridors.