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“Shall we, my queen?” Duke Keventin asked, bowing grandly to Mer.

Don’t take his hand.

He missed a step at the thought and stumbled before catching himself. Where had that come from?

The queen stiffened, staring Keventin down.

The duke smiled wider. “Come now, let me show you all the strength of our navy.”

Raziel’s eyes narrowed at their backs when she slowly accepted his arm.

“Easy there,” Gideon advised. “You’re looking a little jealous.”

That wouldn’t do. Raziel wiped a hand over his face and spotted Duchess Keventin gazing after her husband and the queen, her hand curled around her belly. Disgust filled him. She was too young for Keventin. Hell, she was too young to be anyone’s wife. She was just a girl. A pregnant girl.

That was his next project. Changing the marriageable age. It had been a long time coming. The horror on Mer’s face at the banquet when she discovered Sienna was the duke’s wife haunted Raziel. It was hard to even look at her without wanting to beat the duke bloody.

One thing at a time. Be patient.

With unease churning in his gut, he approached the little lady and held his elbow out for her. She blinked owlishly up at him before curtsying and placing her dainty hand lightly on his forearm.

“Th-Thank you, my k-ki-king.”

“My pleasure,” he answered. He took small steps so that she could keep up.

Lady Keventin made him feel like a brute. She didn’t even reach his sternum. Most women didn’t with his height.

Except for your queen.

His gaze was drawn to Mer once again. Most of her smooth back was exposed, her body swathed in a baby-blue watered-silk dress. She reached his shoulder. He didn’t have to angle his neck to look at his Sirenidae wife.

It would be easy to kiss her.

Raziel blanched.

There would be no kissing.

“She’s lo-lovely,” Lady Keventin whispered, following his gaze. “K-kind too.”

Kind? When had the queen shown kindness to the little duchess? From the girl’s tone, she liked Mer. That connection could prove useful. “I hear that you will be returning with us to the Onyx Palace. You must have made a good impression on the queen as well.”

The duchess smiled but said nothing.

With Keventin’s wife and heir in the capital, perhaps it would keep the duke from doing anything he might regret.

Like start a civil war.

His lips thinned as Keventin released the queen’s arm and placed his hand on her bare back to help her up the ramp to the new warship. She jerked and twisted slightly out of the way, her feet catching on the long skirt of her dress. Mer grabbed the duke, a scream falling from her lips as she lost her balance.

Calculating magenta eyes met Raziel’s for a second before the pair tumbled into the bay.

Chapter Twenty-Three

MER

Mer suckedin a deep breath as they crashed through the water.

Icy prickles shot through her body at the frigid temperatures of the bay. Fish darted away from them, a few inky shadows of sharks lurking about, sensing the commotion.